Speed of Life

Starred review from February 13, 2017
Weston (the Ava and Pip series) carefully explores grief, blended families, and first love as she follows 14-year-old Sofia Wolfe, whose mother died of a sudden aneurysm. With her mother gone, Sofia is facing the difficult realization that life goes on: “You can’t mourn forever. When you’re alive you have to live.” After Kate Baird, who writes the “Dear Kate” advice column for Fifteen magazine, visits her school, Sofia begins an email correspondence with her; complications arise when Sofia learns that Kate is the mystery woman her father has been dating. After she and her father move in with Kate and her teenage daughter, Alexa, Sofia must decide whether she will leave her Upper West Side private school for public school and pursue a relationship with Sam, Alexa’s ex. Each chapter represents a month, and readers spend a year with Sofia as Weston believably chronicles her transition from middle school to high school. Sofia’s growth—amid unexpected interest from boys, her first relationship, new additions to her family, and grief—is both relatable and moving. Ages 11–14. Agent: Susan Ginsberg, Writers House.

Starred review from February 15, 2017
With the first anniversary of her mother's death quickly approaching, 14-year-old Sofia finds herself full of questions with nowhere to turn for answers. When a white teen-advice columnist visits her private NYC school, Sofia finds sending an anonymous email to a stranger is a lot easier than approaching her father in person. Soon the white girl is corresponding regularly with Dear Kate, the straight-talking source for teen girls. Sofia talks about her mother, boys, her changing body, and friend drama. And Kate seems to really care. But things get tricky when the mystery woman her father has been seeing turns out to be Kate herself. And they become even more difficult when Sofia meets Kate's angry daughter, Alexa, and starts falling for a boy Alexa used to date. But good friends, including Vietnamese-Brazilian Kiki, and a devoted father help Sofia find her way through the maze of parties, hook-ups, and possible first love. The multicultural cast is led by the completely likable Sofia, whose mother was Spanish and whose abuelo's comforting presence remains across the ocean. Her story has no fast, easy answers, but there is a clear message that while time does not necessarily heal, it helps. The advice of not to fall too hard, too fast, or too far is real, not preachy. Complex characters and a strong voice make this one stand out. (Fiction. 11-14)

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Starred review from March 1, 2017

Gr 7-10-It's January, and eighth grader Sofia's mother has now been dead for nine months. Disturbed that her dad has started dating so soon, Sofia, who is half Spanish, writes to Fifteen magazine's "Dear Kate" for advice. Kate's thoughtful response soon has Sofia writing back multiple times, asking many of the questions that a normal teen would ask her mom-if she still had one. Sofia is horrified to discover that the mystery woman her dad is dating is none other than Dear Kate herself! Does Sofia come clean or just disappear? This slice-of-life story echoes the author's own experience as a teen magazine advice columnist and addresses all sorts of issues: death, grieving, moving, parental dating, parental sexuality, stepsibling conflict, self-esteem, relationships, and more. This refreshing work tackles a lot of themes, but eventually Sofia does get to a better place. The target audience is likely to become engaged despite the slow pace, because Weston isn't afraid to tackle the squirm-inducing questions common to high school freshmen too embarrassed to seek sound information from reliable sources. VERDICT Purchase where sweet and charming character-driven fiction for tweens is in demand.-Elizabeth Friend, Wester Middle School, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2017
Grades 6-9 *Starred Review* Fourteen-year-old Sofia Wolfe moves through life smiling with friends and hiding the sorrow of having lost her Spanish mother almost a year earlier. The only people she has to talk to are her abuelo in Spain, andregarding girl things Dear Kate, a teen-advice columnist with whom she can anonymously discuss personal matters. When Sofia's father reveals he's dating Kate, Sofia initially feels betrayed that he's moving on with his life when she can't. But just as things start to gel between Kate and Sofia, Kate's daughter Alexa and her ex-boyfriend complicate Sofia's life further. This novel is jam-packed with important, dramatic, and inevitable aspects of adolescence, from pimples to periods to popularity. On top of these concerns are potential developments that could destroy Sofia's life: having to move and attend a new school, becoming part of a blended family, navigating new friendship dynamics, and learning that people you look up to aren't always who you think they are. The narrative effectively contrasts the diversity of a city environment with that of suburban life, and any opportunity for over-the-top melodrama is tempered by the book's strong and likable narrator. Weston draws heavily on her years as Dear Carol at Girls' Life magazine, creating a solid, affecting tale of maturing and coming to grips with one's reality.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
For Sofia, being fourteen is like climbing a mountain in the rain. In flip-flops. At the start of the year, living with her dad in their New York City apartment, she's still reeling from the sudden death of her mother less than a year earlier. She finds comfort in her email correspondence with teen advice columnist Dear Kate, especially after she learns that her dad has a new girlfriend. That is, until Sofia discovers that Kate is her dad's new girlfriend. By September, she and her father have moved in with Kate and her teenage daughter in the suburbs; she's dating a cute boy; and she starts ninth grade at a new school. Sofia's grief runs as an undercurrent through each change, but while she knows she'll always miss her mom, she acknowledges that you can't mourn forever. When you're alive, you have to live. Weston imparts insights about life and loss throughout, tracing Sofia's increasing maturity; by the time Sofia turns fifteen, I had gotten out from under the heavy blanket of grief. I wasgrowing up. Supported by sympathetic friends and family (including Kate, who is just as nice in person, and always gives excellent advice), Sofia faces each new challenge in her life with honesty, bravery, and humor. rachel l. smith

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2017
Sofia, still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, finds comfort in her email correspondence with teen advice columnist "Dear Kate"--until she discovers that Kate is her dad's new girlfriend. Weston imparts insights about life and loss throughout, tracing Sofia's increasing maturity. Supported by sympathetic friends and family, Sofia faces each new challenge in her life with honesty, bravery, and humor.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)