Winter Town

October 24, 2011
Childhood friends Lucy and Evan have been close for years, but when Lucy’s parents divorce and she moves with her mother to Georgia, a full year goes by before Lucy returns to their New England hometown at Christmas. When she arrives, she has dyed black hair and a nose piercing, and Evan notices she is acting “moodier and quiet, and dare he say, emo.” Evan is concerned for her and also increasingly uncertain about his own life’s direction after he graduates from high school. During a two-week vacation, Lucy and Evan talk, argue, and draw comics as they each try to figure out what they want in life and from each other. As in Happy-face, Emond’s artwork plays a big role in his storytelling, shifting between chilly scenes of Christmas in the suburbs and a funny fantasy/adventure comic Evan creates, a cross between Peanuts and Bone. Though there are many fun moments, sharply observed interactions, and smart insights along the way, the overall vibe is moody and pensive, as Lucy and Evan try to find their way and handle the pressures coming at them from every angle. Ages 12–up.

Starred review from October 15, 2011
Two childhood friends struggle to preserve their relationship as it evolves into a romance amid a host of pressures in this remarkable illustrated work of contemporary fiction. After her parents break up, her mother moves rebellious Lucy from New England to Atlanta. She returns just once a year to see her dad at Christmas, and it is during one such trip during her senior year of high school that this story begins. Beginning the novel as a third-person narrator is her best friend, Evan. The studious, dutiful only child in his tight-knit family, he is uncomfortable with changes in her appearance and demeanor, and their visit starts out shakily. At the halfway mark, the point of view switches, and Lucy quickly reveals the heartbreaking reasons behind her transformation. While the employ of the dual narrative is a current trend in teen fiction, it serves this particular tale--which so eloquently depicts how impossible it is to truly get inside the head of another--extraordinarily well. Interspersed throughout are both realistic illustrations and drawings of a comic strip being created by Evan and Lucy; these black-and-white, almost chibi-style panels form an effective parallel with the plot and appeal mightily on their own. Compelling, honest and true--this musing about art and self-discovery, replete with pitch-perfect dialogue, will have wide appeal. (Fiction. 13 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 1, 2011

Gr 8 Up-Teenagers Evan and Lucy have been best friends since they were small, despite Lucy moving with her mother to Georgia after her parents' divorce. During winter breaks, she returns to her father in New England for the holidays and the two friends reconnect. But senior year, the pretty long-brown-haired girl Evan always knew appears with short, black hair; a nose stud; a cigarette habit; and an attitude that matches her dark look. "New Lucy" eventually gives way to "Old Lucy" in the midst of Evan's friendship, nurturing family, and close pals, but New Lucy lingers. It takes Evan falling for her for Lucy to reveal her problematic home life in Georgia, her bad-news boyfriend with whom she has a sexual relationship, and her experimentation with drinking and drugs. Evan has his own troubles, including pressure from his father to excel, and when he tries to talk things out, Lucy leaves on bitter terms. Though the ending omits if or how Lucy ever gets help, it seems promising. Black-and-white drawings and Evan's fantasy comic, "Aelysthia," complement the insightful third-person, character-driven story. Like Emond's popular Happyface (Little, Brown, 2010), this tale of insecurity, angst, and shaky romance is one to which teens can easily relate.-Diane P. Tuccillo, Poudre River Public Library District, Fort Collins, CO

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2011
Grades 9-11 Evan, a high-school senior and boy on the right track, waits each year for his childhood friend, Lucy, to come home for Christmas vacation to see her dad. Each holiday season, the teens fall back into their comfortable relationship, but this year Lucy shows up with a nose ring and an attitude. In the first half of the book, Evan describes his struggle to understand the change in Lucy as they tentatively try to get back to their old selves. In the second half, Lucy's portion, we learn how her life in Atlanta has fallen apart, with drugs and sex part of the scene. The question is, will Evan save Lucy or will she pull him so far out of his comfort zone that he jeopardizes his future? Some of this seems derivative; the Evan-Lucy relationship is reminiscent of Pudge and Alaska in Looking for Alaska (2005). But the interplay between the duo is fraught with realistic teen angst, and Evan, an artist, provides a running comic-book commentary that engages readers visually. Tension about where this relationship is going continues to the book's last page.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2012
Lucy and Evan are childhood friends. Ever since Lucy's parents' divorce, the teens have only seen each other for winter vacation. When Lucy arrives transformed one year, Evan is left trying to make sense of their relationship. Told through both characters' perspectives, and bolstered by some comics and illustrations, the story can be overly angst-y but also sweet and funny.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)