Synopses & Reviews
“Ive got my entire life planned out for the next ten years — including my PhD and Pulitzer Prize,” claims 16-year-old overachiever Vassar Spore, daughter of overachiever parents, who in true overachiever fashion named her after an elite womens college. Vassar expects her sophomore summer to include AP and AAP (Advanced
Advanced Placement) classes. Surprise! Enter a world-traveling relative who sends her plans into a tailspin when she blackmails Vassars parents into forcing their only child to backpack with her through Southeast Asia.
On a journey from Malaysia to Cambodia to the remote jungles of Laos, Vassar sweats, falls in love, hones her outdoor survival skills—and uncovers a family secret that turns her whole world upside-down. Vassar Spore can plan on one thing: shell never be the same again.
Review
“As the setting shifts, so does the storys tone, from Vassars stilted home life and stuffy parents to a vividly described environment and array of colorful characters . . . Suspenseful and wonderfully detailed, the well-crafted story maintains its page-turning pace while adding small doses of cultural insight and humor.”—
School Library Journal, Starred Review
“This is self-confessed travel junkie Autumn Cornwells first novel—and shes hit one out of the park . . . Cornwell genially skewers both Ivy League-obsessed nerds and the Lonely Planet crowd.”—The Washington Post
“The locale, Vassars gaffes, and quirky characters—especially Grandma Gerd and Hank—are what set this book apart.”—Voice of Youth Advocates
“A witty coming-of-age adventure.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Take a traveler as reluctant as Anne Tylers accidental tourist and add the number of misadventures found in The Out-of-Towners, and you have the recipe for Cornwells hilarious, adventure-packed first novel.”—Publishers Weekly
“Cornwell brings the setting to life so vividly that you can practically feel the sweat running down your body as you read parts of the book.”—The YA YA YAs / blog
“. . . a classic coming-of-age story and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.”—Bookslut
“Carpe Diem is a gem. I loved the plot, enjoyed the characters (although Grandma Gerd really ‘ticked me off sometimes) and appreciated that the author could draw me in so completely to Vassars world. This book is so much fun; I recommend you give it as a gift to someone else who is searching for good, fun young adult books.”—Armchair Interviews
“. . . anyone who has lost their luggage; has felt their well planned [day, trip, life] slip through their fingers; or has made a list of goals, or even things to do; will laugh out loud and love this book.”—Keri Holmes at The Kaleidoscope
Synopsis
In this delightful romantic adventure, a 16-year-old overachiever learns how to seize the day.
"I've got my entire life planned out for the next ten years -- including my PhD and Pulitzer Prize," claims 16-year-old overachiever Vassar Spore, daughter of overachiever parents, who in true overachiever fashion named her after an elite women's college.
Vassar expects her sophomore summer to include AP and AAP (Advanced Advanced Placement) classes. Surprise Enter a world-traveling relative who sends her plans into a tailspin when she blackmails Vassar's parents into forcing their only child to backpack with her through Southeast Asia.
On a journey from Malaysia to Cambodia to the remote jungles of Laos, Vassar sweats, falls in love, hones her outdoor survival skills -- and uncovers a family secret that turns her whole world upside-down.
Vassar Spore can plan on one thing: she'll never be the same again.
Synopsis
When a world-traveling relative blackmails 16-year-old Vassar Spores parents into forcing their only child to backpack with her through Southeast Asia, Vassar is faced with things she isnt prepared for. In learning how to live in the moment, Vassar uncovers a family secret that turns her world upside down.
Synopsis
In this delightful romantic adventure, a 16-year-old overachiever learns how to seize the day.
Synopsis
In this delightful romantic adventure, a 16-year-old overachiever learns how to seize the day.
About the Author
Squat toilets, profuse sweating, bamboo huts, jumbo centipedes—these are just some of the delights Autumn Cornwell has encountered in her global travels. Not to mention the cant-believe-its-true Laotian jungle adventure which inspired
Carpe Diem.
A travel junkie, Autumn has explored 22 countries and counting. Shes spent the last couple summers working with refugees and orphans in Burma, Thailand, and Laos. Southeast Asia remains close to her heart since her days as a missionary kid in New Papua—where she ate her weight in guavas and mingled with reformed headhunters and cannibals. Which was nothing compared to navigating the intrepid jungles of the TV & Film Industry, where she spent most of her career.
Autumn lives in Los Feliz, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, with her husband JC, and their son Dexter. This is her first novel.