Speed of Life

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 was...growing 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