The Sound
by Sarah Alderson
Simon Pulse
2014
308 pages
ISBN: 9781442499331

British  teen Ren Kingston is visiting America as a nanny. Just getting over a break-up with her first boyfriend, Ren decides it's the perfect time for escape. She lands a job as a live in nanny for two small children, baby Braiden and precocious Brodie. Between their day care and summer camp hours, Ren has a lot of "off" time to explore the town and walk the beach of Nantucket. She even learns to drive on the right side of the road (the American side--the British drive on the left side of the road--a custom steeped in history that left your sword arm--your right arm--free to defend yourself against enemies. I don't hear about any incidences of sword fighting motorists run amok, so driving on the left seems nonsensical).

Summers in Nantucket cater to a wealthy crowd of old money and year round town kids. The battle lines are clearly drawn in the sand and Ren tries to walk the fine line between the two warring groups. The trust fund babies stick together and party hard; they have no rules and are seemingly above the law while the town kids are expected to worship them. When Ren meets handsome, mysterious Jeremy, she is intrigued. Then she meets local bad boy Jesse and is warned to stay away from him--he's trouble.

As she is drawn further into the feud between the two boys, a nanny is found murdered. Megan--a friend of Ren's from back home-is worried about Ren's safety. This is the second summer that a young nanny has been murdered, and a serial killer may be on the loose targeting foreign nannies.



Readers will like the gossip-y pace and beach setting. This is the perfect book for a summer beach read with enough mystery and murder to keep things interesting. Ren's voice comes through loud and clear and it is brilliantly British! Her comments about American pop culture, Gossip Girl references, our weird obsession of throwing the word "LIKE" into sentences at least every other word; example: Ren like thinks it's like weird that Americans like the word like so much, ring too true.

Recommended for readers who like a breezy summer read and anyone who loves a British accent that comes alive on the pages.

Grade 9-up. Partying, mature content.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Summer Reading Pick: A World Away

A World Away
by Nancy Grossman
Hyperion
2012
304 pages (page count from publisher's arc)

Available July 17, 2012 (from publisher's arc)

Achingly poignant, beautifully evocative, and downright lovingly portrayed, A World Away takes the reader away from the year 2012--a world rife with the internet, online dating sites, reality television shows that portray anything but reality, cell phones that think for you and talk back to you, cars that can parallel park themselves, and shopping that only a click away to a simpler...quieter...slower... world where hard work is valued. Family and religion are central; community means helping everyone in the neighborhood.

Eliza Miller is Amish, and she's just turned sixteen. She has never shopped at the mall, viewed television, been to a movie or used a cell phone. She dreams of the larger, more exciting world than horse and buggy and the quiet boys she's grown up with. It is time for her Rumspringa, an event that the Amish community allows for its youth. They are allowed to "run wild. To step out of the plain world." Eliza sees her opportunity when an "English" woman offers her a job as a nanny in the outside world. Eliza jumps at the chance but she will have to convince her parents.

Eliza steps away from everything she has ever known to experience the new, bright, shiny world of the "English" which is what the Amish call anyone who isn't Amish. She marvels at television, loves the movie theater where movies tell a story and the sound seems all around her, and she realizes that blue jeans aren't half as comfortable as they look. She trades in her simple dress, apron, and kapp for clothes she's seen other kids her age wear. She becomes part of the household and babysits each day. She meets hottie Josh and even goes out with him a few times.

Life is good, but different. Eliza likes her new life but misses her family and friends. When she's betrayed by one of those closest to her, she turns back to her familiar roots. Will Eliza be able to leave this new world she loves? Will she ever be able to go back to her Amish family? Can she leave behind the thought of Josh?

This is a beautiful glimpse into an often unseen world that few readers know about. The Amish lifestyle is portrayed with love by the author who is able to impart the beauty and richness of their simple life.

Highly, highly recommeded grades 7-up. No language, no sex.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.