What do you get when you throw a major life change at two twelve-year-old girls who couldn’t possibly be more different? A light-hearted and poignant called To Night Owl from Dogfish.
Bett and Avery are different. They live on opposite sides of the country. One loves the ocean, while the thought of water sends the other running for anti-anxiety meds. One will take on any challenge, while the other needs her inhaler just thinking about a challenge. Then they find out that their dads are dating. And what started as strategizing how best to break them up turns into bonding and the building of a whole new family…with a few hurdles in between.
The novel is written solely through emails and letters. At first, I thought this was going to drive me bananas. But you find after a few pages that the back and forth flows quite well. Adding to the flow is that each letter/email is prefaced with a picture of the character (Night Owl or Dogfish) and following along becomes simple. The authors absolutely nailed how pre-teen girls talk and communicate. Reading the back and forth was like listening to my daughter and her friends talking. I’m convinced the authors spent some serious time in the hallways of middle schools just eavesdropping.
While the girls may fight it at first, this novel is all about building new friendships and the definition of family, whatever your definition might be. Through the ups and downs these girls learn to love each other like sisters, fight for what they want, connive a little bit to get there and in the end celebrate the beautiful mosaic that was built from separate worlds colliding.
Fans of parent trap books and girls who love a good plot will love this quick read.
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Dial Books for Young Readers
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence and Gore: Motorcycle crash with minor injuries; recall of dog bite; fight with pushing and shoving; canoe injury where head injury results in concussion, hospitalization and almost drowning.
Sex and Nudity: References to same sex couples and gay fathers throughout book. Two brief discussions of girls getting periods.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of family member, anxiety, abandonment, same-sex couples/gay fathers.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
None
