Many Points of Me

October 15, 2020
Grades 4-7 It's been two years since Georgia's dad passed away, and her life still feels far from normal. Her best friend since forever, Theo, no longer seems to fit what Georgia wants in a friend now, and tangled up in the grief and growing pains is Georgia's struggle to make art. Her father was a lauded abstract artist, but art was a passion shared by the whole family, from Georgia's own drawing and painting talents to her mom's position at the Met; but Georgia's creative light blinked out with the loss of her father. Gertler's debut will speak to readers who loved Kate Allen's The Line Tender (2019) or Nicole Melleby's Hurricane Season (2019), as she ably blends art history and artistic expression with Georgia's soul-searching and personal growth. A dash of mystery also finds its way into the narrative as Georgia becomes preoccupied with discovering the intended subject of an unfinished work of her father's. Gertler keeps hold of all the narrative threads, providing satisfying resolutions on all fronts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

November 23, 2020
On the eve of her 12th birthday, Georgia Rosenbloom, daughter of a renowned late artist, feels out of sorts. Her art historian mother, a Columbia professor, is busy curating a retrospective of her father’s work at the Met; her lifelong best friend, Theo, has been embarrassing her in front of cool new girl Harper; and she feels lingering resentment that Theo inspired her father’s most famous paintings, an unfinished series of asterisms—unofficial constellations. Georgia, who still misses her dad fiercely two years after his death, struggles to navigate the tension between her father as a towering public art figure and as her dad, who “sang me ‘Moonshadow’ at bedtime.” When she discovers a sketch that suggests that she would have been the subject of his final asterism, Georgia sets out to prove her role in her father’s legacy. Debut author Gertler’s tale of tween soul-searching, threaded with an intriguing art mystery, satisfies, and the sophisticated and privileged New York City art world milieu is depicted with an insider’s eye for detail. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties.

November 15, 2020
After her father's death, an 11-year-old girl struggles to find her true self. Georgia, the daughter of a famous artist, and her lifelong best friend, Theo, live in the same Upper West Side apartment building. Georgia and Theo used to draw with her father after school, but now Georgia's unable to draw the way she wants. Increasingly resentful of the close relationship Theo had with her father, Georgia pulls away from their predictable friendship and becomes friends with a new girl at school. Expected to enter a citywide student art contest, she eschews tackling the required self-portrait. Discovering a drawing her father made of her before his death with markings suggesting he intended it to become part of an important series, Georgia keeps it secret. But when Theo finds the drawing and misguidedly submits it to the contest for her, Georgia must find a way to recover it, preserve her father's legacy, and prove she's more than just her dead father's daughter. Georgia's genuine, first-person narration exposes her loss, jealousy, guilt, and gradual realization that "all the different parts of me have been put back together in a new way." Repeated use of the self-portrait device reinforces the self-awareness theme while relevant material on art and artists adds background depth. Main characters default to White; there is ethnic diversity in the supporting cast. A realistic, poignant exploration of loss, friendship, and self-discovery with appeal to budding artists. (Fiction. 8-12)

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Starred review from December 1, 2020

Gr 5-8-Sixth grade for Georgia Rosenbloom means she is finally eligible for the huge NYC art competition of her dreams-but it also means friendship breakups, a deep secret, and eventual self-realization. Since her esteemed modern artist father Hank Rosenbloom died over a year ago, Georgia, who is white with dark hair, has been adrift in a cloud of melancholia. Georgia and her best friend since birth, redheaded Theo, talk, live, and create art. But after hearing the theme of the all-important competition is a self-portrait, Georgia shrinks from the monumental task and Theo. Instead, she befriends the popular trio at school and begins a secret investigation researching her father's art. As her mother is consumed with the upcoming exhibit of her late father's lifetime work at the Met, Georgia feels more lost and alone than ever. To create a self-portrait, Georgia must first learn who she is outside of art and her father's shadow. Like an impressionist painting, Gertler's novel provides splashes of color ultimately revealing the emotions, drama, and truths of tween life. Georgia's first-person, diarylike narrative provides readers with a fusion of her inner thoughts and realistic dialogue, helping to keep balance while moving the plot forward. Gertler's vivid word choice details color and the senses, creating an authentic and relatable tween girl voice tinged with the perspective of a budding artist. The inclusion of famous artists, techniques, and history throughout delivers opportunities for outside research and connections. VERDICT Recommended as a well written, cathartic narration of a young teen struggling with her father's death and finding her true self.-Mary-Brook J. Townsend, The McGillis Sch., Salt Lake City

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