Save Me, Kurt Cobain

Gr 8 Up—The year is 2007, and 15-year-old Nico Cavan has led a dreary existence since the mysterious disappearance of her mother, Annalee, 11 years before. Nico is often left alone at home while her father works long hours for little pay; school is no better, with her classmates treating her like a pariah. The only things that give Nico comfort are hanging out with her best friend, Obe, and listening to her music: 1990s alternative rock and grunge. When Nico stumbles upon a hidden box of her mother's old CDs, she discovers she and Annalee shared an interest in the same bands and a spark is ignited within her. Determined to learn what happened to her mother once and for all, Nico sets out to visit her aunt in Seattle, which gives her the perfect opportunity to search for the answers she so desperately seeks. References to Nirvana and Kurt Cobain periodically feel forced, and although nonlinear storytelling is not a new device, Manzer stumbles in her use of it throughout the first few chapters. This sometimes causes more confusion than clarification but is offset somewhat by Manzer's pleasantly understated writing, which itself is underscored by occasional moments of raw emotion that will resonate strongly with teens. Nico's character is reckless but on the whole believable, both in her obsessions and insecurities, and while the resolution occurs a little too quickly, it is also something of a happy relief.