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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Before, After, and Somebody in Betweenby Jeannine Garsee
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:My sympathy fades as Chardonnay twists around to spread her lips in a demented grin. Her long yellow teeth probably haven’t seen a toothbrush in months. I take a chance and smile back, and what do I get? A pudgy middle finger jabbed under my nose. My next thought is: Wow. I may not even survive homeroom.
One hour into her first day of tenth grade, Martha Kowalski knows she’s really in trouble. The school bully, Chardonnay, has already threatened her life—and at home, things are even worse. Martha’s mom, fresh out of rehab, is shacking up with an obnoxious jerk in a neighborhood that can only be described as a “ghetto.” More than anything she’s ever wanted, Martha wants to play the cello. But even music becomes dangerous to her health—because nothing is what it seems in this place. With her mother’s willpower dissolving, Martha watches helplessly as her own dreams slip further away. But in an exhilarating twist that would stun even Cinderella, everything changes. A wealthy lawyer invites her into his family’s home and Martha is given a chance to start over. The warm, caring Brinkmans treat Martha like one of the family and even though it feels so right, she knows they can’t be as perfect as they seem. And she knows that this fairy tale can’t last forever…
An unforgettable debut, Before, After and Somebody in Between is smart, poignant, and very real. Review:"There isn't much that doesn't happen to Martha Kowalski, the 14-year-old protagonist in Garsee's down and dirty debut. In the past six years, she's been uprooted 10 times before moving to 'one of the worst neighborhoods on the east side of Cleveland.' She lives with her alcoholic mother and her mother's latest deadbeat boyfriend in a dilapidated shanty, surrounded by projects. Before long, the apartment upstairs is ripped apart in a drive-by shooting, Martha gets kicked out of school for wielding a knife (in self-defense against a bully) and her mother overdoses and winds up in rehab-again. So, when Martha is offered the chance to stay with a wealthy lawyer and his family, she gladly accepts. The Brinkmans treat her like gold (to the chagrin of their snooty daughter, Nikki) and Martha's life slowly takes a turn for the better. She falls in love with an older hunk named Danny, is accepted to an elite school and rediscovers her passion for playing the cello. But when jealous Nikki spills the beans about Martha's sordid past and her mother demands that she return home, Martha's life begins to deteriorate once more. While there are times that tragedy seems piled on, Garsee's unwillingness to tie things up neatly lends the story realism and poignancy. Ages 14-up." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Synopsis:One hour into her first day of tenth grade, the school bully has already threatened Martha Kowalski. At home, things are even worse. More than anything, Martha wants to play the cello. But even music becomes dangerous to her health--because nothing is what it seems in this place. About the AuthorJeannine Garsee began writing even before she learned to read, drawing pictures in sequence until they told a story. Once she learned to write, she began to add captions, and then eventually gave it up when she received a typewriter for her thirteenth birthday. An avid people-watcher, Garsee says she gets her ideas everywhere. About her writing, she says, “Everthing and everyone around me has the potential to become part of the story. Her work as a nurse gave her much of the inspiration for the character of Martha. She says that she often deals with people in desperate situations, and wonders what chance their children have of ever leading happy, productive lives. She lives outside of Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, two teenagers, and a fifteen year-old tabby cat named Max.
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