Apple and Rain

April 6, 2015
What happens when you get the thing you’ve longed for, but not the way you pictured it? Apple Apostolopoulou has spent the last 11 years imagining her mother returning to the small English town where 14-year-old Apple lives with her grandmother. And then her mother reappears. Apple leaps at the chance to move back in with her mother, who is young and pretty, doesn’t scold or forbid, and understands how abandoned Apple feels. Then Apple meets a previously unknown sister, 10-year-old Rain, who has a doll she believes is a real baby. At first needy Rain is an annoyance, but the more time the girls spend together—usually because Apple is stuck babysitting Rain while their feckless mother is out—the closer they get. Crossan (The Weight of Water) capably portrays Apple’s mixed loyalties, the way writing poetry helps her admit her real feelings, and her burgeoning romance with a sweet and sensible classmate, Del. The ending, in which multiple dangers arise and are averted, is overly tidy, but readers, especially younger ones, will cheer for Apple and Rain. Ages 13–up. Agent: Julia Churchill, A.M. Heath.

March 1, 2015
Apple's got plenty to contend with: her best friend's deserted her, the boy she's attracted to barely knows she exists, and her overprotective Nana is a source of embarrassment at school-but what hurts most is her glamorous mother's abandonment 11 years ago. At first, her mother's unexpected return feels like a dream come true, but Apple's euphoria fades when she realizes Mum didn't return to rescue her but to be rescued herself from having to raise her younger daughter, Rain, 10, whose existence is a surprise to Apple and Nana, Mum's mother. Apple, 14, suppresses her doubts when she's invited to move in with Mum and Rain-the prospect trumps life with Nana. At least Mum won't insist on driving Apple to school. Instead, Mum urges alcohol on Apple and her classmates, flirts with Apple's crush, and disappears for days at a time, leaving Apple to skip school and care for troubled Rain. Her English teacher's poetry assignments encourage Apple, a budding writer, to examine and express her complicated feelings, giving rise to important insights. Her friendship with a new classmate, Del, is a further support. Appealing but naive, Apple feels more preteen than teen. Most characters, including Nana and Rain, are compassionately drawn-the exception is Mum, whose monstrous narcissism goes far beyond anything Nana's self-confessed strict parenting can explain. A realistic if gently didactic tale about growing up and parenting. (Fiction. 11-14)

April 1, 2015

Gr 7-10-British teen Apple Apostolopoulou has been raised by her grandmother after her mother went off to America 11 years ago to try to make it as an actress. Thankfully, there's never been any question about living with her father and his wife Trish, whom 13-year-old Apple can't stand. But it drives Apple crazy that her grandmother keeps such a tight rein on her, making her attend church every Sunday, picking her up from school every day, and not allowing her to hang out with the girls from her class. So when Annie returns and asks Apple to live with her, Apple eagerly agrees, hoping to discover the truth about why her mother left without her. But things don't turn out the way she expects; she discovers that her mother doesn't live alone. Apple has a sister named Rain, and Annie can't look after herself, let alone her two daughters. The protagonist's pride keeps her from asking for help, until Annie disappears for two days. This is an enjoyable YA novel, but a lack of character motivation and development make it less appealing to more seasoned readers. VERDICT A charming, but additional story, suitable for younger teens.-Marlyn Beebe, Long Beach Public Library, Los Alamitos, CA

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