Wavehouse

Gr 7 Up—Anna is extremely shy, much to her mother's dismay, but when a video of Anna surfing goes viral, she is forced to face her fears. This novel is set in the small beach community of Kendall's Watch where Anna lives with her single mother, whom she seems to always disappoint. Sara wants her daughter to flaunt her surfing talents and embrace potential fame; however, the 16-year-old is an introvert and would like nothing more than to surf and draw her "wavehouses" in solitude. With the help of her sophisticated best friend Myra and a new surfer boyfriend Chris, Anna is pushed to find independence and deal with her extreme shyness and performance anxiety. This is a slow-paced, character-driven novel in which the protagonist faces many hardships typical of a coming-of-age story. As the plot unfolds, readers are privy to Anna's thought process and childhood flashbacks. These help teens gain perspective while adding realism and depth to Anna's character. Kaltman uses the stagnant secondary characters to flesh out Anna's character development. Through self-discovery, fights with family and friends, and a first romance, Anna matures and gains self-confidence.