FlumeAward – Whatever Happened to Goodbye? //What happened to goodbye?// by Sarah Dessen
This is a typical Sarah Dessen. It is a smoothly written novel of a teen’s self-discovery. 17 yr old
Mclean has been moving around with her dad from town to town after her parents have been divorced. It’s good. Perhaps it lacks a little tension. But it will certainly be popular with fans. This title would work on the list if there was a need for this type of book. ~ Gail Zachariah, Keene Public Library
McLean’s parents divorced (in a rather public and ugly way) and now she travels with her father whom reorganizes restaurants. Through each move that McLean has made over the past few years, she has also remade herself – an athlete, a drama type, a doer. With this last move she finds herself living closer to who she is and becoming a part of a community in spite of herself. This is a book about fitting in – to family and into the community, maybe even the world. This is an OK feel-good story aimed at girls, a good beach read – but rather forgettable. It certainly wouldn’t hurt the list, but wouldn’t add much either. ~ Sharon Flesher-Duffy, Nashua High South
McLean’s got her persona all picked out for this newest town- she’s already been Lizbet, a black-clad theater girl, and Eliza, the peppy cheerleader & Beth the joiner. She & her dad have been to multiple towns in the last two years thanks to his job- remaking failing restaurants for a corporation. McLean enjoys each move so she can remake herself, and put as much distance as possible between her current life & her "real" one- where her college basketball-worshipping father is cuckolded by his favorite team’s coach, resulting in an extremely public, and extremely nasty divorce. McLean still is doing her best to avoid her mother, and has only the barest acquaintance with her twin half-siblings, and her new personas have helped her escape any connections to that public past. But now, despite her best intentions, people know her real name, and her plans for a new personality aren’t quite gelling, and she’s closing in on the real McLean (whoever that might be now).
This was my first Sarah Dessen (I’m more of a Tamora Pierce/Terry Pratchett girl), but I thought, as a Teen Librarian, it was past time I read one, and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself liking it. I don’t know that I’ll be eating through her books, but I can definitely recommend this one.
-Lucia Von Letkemann, Wiggin Memorial Library, Stratham
Dessen is well know already. Along for the Ride was on the list last year. Do we want to promote her again?
Kelly B. Keene High School, 2/9/12
It think we need to be careful about thinking the Flume Award is only about promoting authors. Although we certainly want to showcase some titles that may not be on a teen’s radar, we also want to remember that this is an award that is teen-driven and therefore many of the titles that are nominated are popular. We have to strike a balance between offering the popular titles with some of the lesser known ones. — Ann Hoey, NHSL
I loved that McLean reinvented herself every time she moved with her dad. I thought it was unfair for her to fully blame her mom for falling in love with, and marrying, another man, breaking up their family, and absolve her absentee dad of any blame. I loved being immersed in the restaurant culture. Most of all I loved being there with McLean as she discovers who she really is, who her parents really are, and opens herself up to real relationships.
I think this book, as with most Sarah Dessen books, will appeal more to girls middle to high school age, but it’s a wonderful coming-of-age story for anyone.
Kirsten Rundquist Corbett, Lane Memorial Library, Hampton 3/26/12