The Summer Invitation

March 17, 2014
A summer of adventure awaits 14-year-old Franny and her older sister, Valentine, when their mother’s mysterious friend Aunt Theo invites them to visit New York City under care of a chaperone. An aura of old-fashioned mystique pervades the story, as the girls follow dated rules (“Theo doesn’t like trousers”), meet Theo’s old suitors at renowned hotels like the Carlyle, and visit places that have “been around for, like, ever and ever,” in the words of Valentine, who chafes under the restrictions. Following Theo’s admonition to “take notes,” introspective Franny keeps a journal, while longing to meet the mysterious benefactor whose influence has touched so many. Franny’s fresh, empathic voice conveys both eagerness for adventure and anticipation of loss, as she sees Valentine preparing to launch into a new stage in life, recognizes their different natures, and understands herself as a “true Romantic knows that the inner life is... the only thing that really matters.” Silver (Charlotte au Chocolat) excels at creating atmospheric nostalgia in her stylish first book for teens, capturing a transformative moment in time. Ages 12–up. Agent: Emily Forland, Brandt & Hochman.

March 1, 2014
San Franciscans Franny Lord, 14, and her older sister, Valentine, 17, receive an invitation to spend a summer in their honorary aunt's Greenwich Village apartment under the tutelage of Clover Leslie, a 28-year-old "sculptress" who acts as their chaperone and guide. Not a lot happens in Silver's winsome, softly nostalgic novel of tone and old-school sensibility, but action is hardly the point. "Inner life" is what should be strived for in this virtually conflict-free story that's set in the bon ton present yet has the soft glow of the past. This is partially since, except for a couple of allusions to email and New York City's High Line, the lovely ladies don't seem to live in the modern world at all and, strikingly for city folk cultivating cosmopolitan attitudes, maintain an old-fashioned, suspicion-free innocence. Valentine experiences romantic love and its consequences for the first time, and Franny, who narrates the book, not only receives her first kiss from "an admirer who interests" her, but cultivates a new discernment and perspective. She leaves home wanting to be a singer and returns something else, equally creative and exciting. This slender, slice-of-summer story may move at a languid pace, but it has charm to burn and will appeal to readers who appreciate a romantic aesthetic. (Fiction. 12-18)

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June 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-This is a coming-of-age story about two sisters who are invited to spend their summer in New York City by an old friend of their mother's. The girls travel from their home in San Francisco to Greenwich Village to live with a chaperone in their Aunt Theodora's apartment. Their chaperone, Clover, is a young woman who is both an artist and a protege of their aunt. It is explained to the girls that Theodora is abroad and will be returning at the end of the summer. The sisters visit many of NYC's cultural landmarks while staying in The Village, which gives the book give it an odd nostalgic quality, even though it is set in the present. Franny, the 14-year-old narrator, discovers herself as a writer as she journals her observations of the characters she encounters in New York, and corresponds with her opinionated and worldly Aunt Theodora. There are several frank sexual references throughout the book that contrast sharply with the old-fashioned language that is used. For example, Aunt Theodora insists that pants are called "trousers." The even pacing makes this an easy, lighthearted read and an additional purchase.-Sarah Wilsman, Kent Free Library, Kent, OH

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