Sweethearts

Zarr, S. (2008). Sweethearts. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Intended Audience: Ages 12 and older

Personal Reaction: I suspect this will be a book that stays with me for a long time.  The language was beautiful and the words well chosen.  Jennifer Harris meets up with Cameron Quick after eight years of thinking he was dead.  His arrival changes her life, it brings back memories from their childhood, of abuse she had attempted to suppress and how she was bullied as a child.  Jennifer had grown up, lost weight, changed her name to Jenna Vaughn, had a step-father added to her family and now had friends.

I was encouraged to read a story that had supportive parental roles.  Jennifer/Jenna's mother and step-father were a part of her life and the concerns that arose were rather believable.  They listened to their daughter, they helped her and also took care of Cameron when needed.  While the ending was not perfect, it did leave readers feeling and longing for the characters.

Author Facts: Sara Zarr is a busy woman.  She lives in Salt Lake City, UT with her husband.  In addition to writing novels for young adults Zarr hosts a podcast called This Creative Life and teaches creative writing at Lesley University for their Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts program. Her next novel is expected to release in fall of 2015.

Author Website: http://www.sarazarr.com/