Losing Forever
In this novel by Gayle Friesen, normal life for Jes is slipping away. Her mother is getting married again and is totally preoccupied with planning the perfect wedding. And if one fool in love is not enough, Jes's best girlfriend has fallen for a complete jerk. To make matters worse, Jes also has to deal with Angela, her soon-to-be stepsister, who has come to stay for a month before the wedding. A half-crazed mother, a lovesick friend, a perfectly evil stepsister — could things for Jes get any...
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A half-crazed mother, a lovesick friend, a perfectly evil stepsister — in this novel by Gayle Friesen, could things for Jes get any worse?Claire Rosser - KLIATTTo quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, November 2002: Jes is a thoughtful young teenager trying to make sense of her ever-changing world. She wanted to believe in "happily ever after," and "forever," but the breakup of her parents' marriage has soured her belief in commitment. So she is not enthusiastic at all when her mother plans to remarry. Jes spends a lot of time with her sad father, especially at the lake cottage where they share so many memories of happy times before their family disintegrated. The death of Jes's baby sister when Jes was eight years old was the beginning of the end. Her parents' grief and depression, and her father's affair with another woman, finished the marriage, and Jes still cannot accept this loss. She clings to her dear friends, but they too are changing. Sam is looking at her differently; she is afraid if they become boyfriend/girlfriend they will lose their friendship forever. Her friend Dell is caught up in the excitement of her first romance and doesn't have as much time for Jes. Now, to make things much worse, Angela appears at their doorstep. Angela is the daughter of the man who will be Jes's stepfather-she is introduced as Jes's new sister, not an auspicious beginning. Angela quickly complicates all of Jes's relationships. This is a believable story of a family trying to get through a difficult transition. It has the heartfelt immediacy of the Alice series and will be enjoyed by middle school girls who are trying to make sense of family life and first romances. Friesen has written two other YA novels that have been selected as ALA Best Books for YAs: Janey's Girl and Men of Stone. KLIATT Codes: J-Recommended for juniorhigh school students. 2002, Kids Can Read Press, 247p., Ages 12 to 15.
\ VOYAFifteen-year-old Jessica thought her life with her seemingly happy parents and adorable two-year-old sister would last forever. After her sister is killed by a car, however, her parents' marriage unravels. When her mother is about to remarry a fellow therapist, his gorgeous teenage daughter, Angela, suddenly moves in with them. Other worries add to her family woes-Jes's friend Dell is in love with a boy no one trusts, and her best friend Sam seems to be falling for Angela. The unpredictability of her life is frightening, and changing her viewpoint is difficult. Jes finds some solace at the lakeside cabin where she and her friends' families spend summers and weekends. More secrets and revelations threaten that peace. A rope tied to a tree allows the kids to swing out from a cliff and drop into the lake, although Jes has never found the courage to do this. Letting go of the rope becomes a symbol for Jes's need to let go of the past and her idea that people should be who she wants them to be, not who they really are. In the end she drops the rope and flies free. In this realistic portrait of a family struggling with the aftereffects of death and especially of divorce, Friesen avoids stereotypes. The dialogue is crisp and sometimes humorous. The last chapters get too talky as Jes and her parents verbally sort out their new situation, but overall this novel is entertaining and illuminating. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2002, Kids Can Press, 248p, Munat\ \ \ \ \ KLIATTTo quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, November 2002: Jes is a thoughtful young teenager trying to make sense of her ever-changing world. She wanted to believe in "happily ever after," and "forever," but the breakup of her parents' marriage has soured her belief in commitment. So she is not enthusiastic at all when her mother plans to remarry. Jes spends a lot of time with her sad father, especially at the lake cottage where they share so many memories of happy times before their family disintegrated. The death of Jes's baby sister when Jes was eight years old was the beginning of the end. Her parents' grief and depression, and her father's affair with another woman, finished the marriage, and Jes still cannot accept this loss. She clings to her dear friends, but they too are changing. Sam is looking at her differently; she is afraid if they become boyfriend/girlfriend they will lose their friendship forever. Her friend Dell is caught up in the excitement of her first romance and doesn't have as much time for Jes. Now, to make things much worse, Angela appears at their doorstep. Angela is the daughter of the man who will be Jes's stepfather-she is introduced as Jes's new sister, not an auspicious beginning. Angela quickly complicates all of Jes's relationships. This is a believable story of a family trying to get through a difficult transition. It has the heartfelt immediacy of the Alice series and will be enjoyed by middle school girls who are trying to make sense of family life and first romances. Friesen has written two other YA novels that have been selected as ALA Best Books for YAs: Janey's Girl and Men of Stone. KLIATT Codes: J-Recommended for juniorhigh school students. 2002, Kids Can Read Press, 247p., Ages 12 to 15. \ — Claire Rosser\ \ \ School Library JournalGr 6-9-Ninth-grader Jessica is dealing with a "shifting universe." Several years earlier, her toddler sister died in an accident and her parents divorced. Now, her mom is remarrying, and Jessica's unlikable, but beautiful, stepsister-to-be has begun to share her room, four weeks before the wedding. If that's not enough, Jessica's friendship with her best friend has taken a backseat now that Dell has a boyfriend. In the course of the story, the teen learns to accept that everything is evolving, and that she cannot expect anything-least of all people and relationships- to stay the same forever. Like Friesen's Men of Stone (2000) and Janey's Girl (1998, both Kids Can), this is an above-average novel with spirited dialogue and well-developed characters, and although Jessica is still grappling with her past traumas, the narrative tone is never gloomy.-Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, ID Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ BooklistParticularly well crafted\ \
