The Possibility of Now

Gr 9 Up—Overachiever Mara James recently experienced her first panic attack. It happened in calculus class, and a humiliating video of the incident has gone viral. Mara leaves her competitive private school in San Diego to hide out in the slower-paced ski resort town where her father lives. In this new environment, she makes friends, explores different interests, and taps into what she really wants from life. Culbertson's choice phrasings concisely paint each scene with ease and clarity. Readers can imagine the ski slopes and coffee shops without being bombarded with superfluous details. What will further attract teens is that although the story touches on existential issues, the tone is never heavy-handed. The protagonist faces each complexity with an open-mindedness that allows readers to think for themselves about the bigger questions being asked. Mara recognizes that her obstacles are categorically first-world problems, but readers who are not as privileged will still be able to identify with her dilemma. Relentless testing, the college application process, and an unknown future are all pressures that will resonate with teens. The descriptions of snow skiing and wood-burning fireplaces make for a perfect excuse to momentarily forget about the stresses of school in preference of delving into a good book with hot cocoa in hand.