Synopses & Reviews
Jill MacSweeny just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends -- everyone who wants to support her. When her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she's somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.
Mandy Kalinowski understands what it's like to grow up unwanted -- to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she's sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It's harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?
As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy -- or as difficult -- as it seems.
Review
* "Woven together from two simple threads, the resulting tapestry is as beautiful as it is real. A story that will resonate beyond its final page."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
* "Filled with so many frustrations, so many dilemmas needing reasonable solutions, and so much hope and faith in the midst of sadness, Zarr's novel is a rich tapestry of love and survival that will resonate with even the most cynical readers."--Booklist (starred review)
Review
* "Zarr...crafts intimate and authentic portraits of two vulnerable teens struggling to cope with uncertain futures....Their slow, cautious efforts to build trust and better understand the meaning of family are expressed with the deepest compassion and kindness."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
* "The imperfection of the characters and the uniqueness of their situations come together in a compulsively readable novel. Zarr has established herself as an author who must not be missed."--VOYA (starred review)
Review
* "Another heavy-hitting page-turner from Zarr....A must read."--School Library Journal (starred review)
Review
“Readers will worry, laugh and ultimately soar along with Arlo as he finds his way. Nuanced supporting characters and a vivid New Mexico landscape ground Arlo’s dilemma, creating a superbly well-balanced narrative.”—Kirkus, starred review
“A moving story about loss, love, and learning to let go.”—School Library Journal
“Wesselhoeft’s mesmerizing descriptions of Arlo’s New Mexico home...and giddy exhiliration when he’s riding his Yamaha bike...will keep readers in the thrill of the moment.”—Publishers Weekly
“Features both a supporting cast lit up with larger-than-life characters and a protagonist who loves flying recklessly close to the edge but makes right choices in the clutch.”—Booklist
Synopsis
Video gamer and daredevil dirt bike rider Arlo Santiago is recruited by the U.S. military at White Sands to pilot drone missions in Pakistan. When the game becomes all too real, how will Arlo reconcile his duty with the violent death that haunts his family?
Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Arlo Santiago lives for the “Drone Zone”—that free, joyful, anti-gravity feeling. He achieves the Zone with risky motorcycle stunts on New Mexico roads, or while playing his favorite video game, Drone Pilot. His gaming skills are so off-the-charts, he’s recruited by the U.S. Air Force to remotely operate real-life drones in Pakistan. How can he refuse the paycheck when his little sister’s health is at stake? This pull-no-punches novel soars, with poetic style, focus on friends and family, philosophical life-and-death musings, and vividly drawn setting of a land “at the intersection of mesa dust and tractor rust.”
About the Author
Sara Zarr was raised in San Francisco, California. She is the author of
How to Save a Life,
What We Lost,
Sweethearts, and the National Book Award finalist
Story of a Girl. She is also the coauthor of
Roomies, with Tara Altebrando.