Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;What happens when everything youand#8217;ve got to give isnand#8217;t enough to save someone you love?andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Itand#8217;s Maine. Itand#8217;s winter. And itand#8217;s FREEZING STINKINand#8217; COLD! Dinah is wildly worried about her best friend, Skint. He wonand#8217;t wear a coat. Refuses to wear a coat. Itand#8217;s twelve degrees out, and he wonand#8217;t wear a coat. So Dinahand#8217;s going to figure out how to help. Thatand#8217;s what Dinah doesand#8212;she helps. But sheand#8217;s too busy trying to help to notice that sometimes, sheand#8217;s doing more harm than good. Seeing the trees instead of the forest? Thatand#8217;s Dinah.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;And Skint isnand#8217;t going to be the one to tell her. Heand#8217;s a helper guy too. Heand#8217;s worried about a little boy whose dad wonand#8217;t let him visit his mom. Heand#8217;s worried about an elderly couple in a too-cold house down the street.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;But the wedge between what drives Dinah and what concerns Skint is wide enough for a big old slab of ice. Because Skintand#8217;s own father is in trouble. Because Skintand#8217;s mother refuses to ask for help even though sheand#8217;s at her breaking point. And because Dinah might just decide toand#8230;help. She thinks sheand#8217;s cracking through a sheet of ice, but whatand#8217;s actually there is an entire iceberg.
Review
"Skint thinks constantly about human cruelty; Dinah wants playful distractions. Skint lives with a father suffering from dementia and a mother who is bitter, angry and occasionally violent; Dinah takes care not to bring up Skint's family. Images of Skint wandering coatless through the New England winter haunt even the narrative's cheerful moments, and the story builds to a climax both inevitable and wrenching.
Readers who invest in this quirky set of characters and circumstances will be rewarded." < -="" i="" -=""> - Kirkus Reviews - < -="" -="">
Review
"The friendship between optimistic Dinah Beach and depressed, nihilistic Skint Gilbert is tested in a carefully crafted and highly stylized tale…. Skint thinks constantly about human cruelty; Dinah wants playful distractions. Skint lives with a father suffering from dementia and a mother who is bitter, angry and occasionally violent; Dinah takes care not to bring up Skint's family. Images of Skint wandering coatless through the New England winter haunt even the narrative's cheerful moments, and the story builds to a climax both inevitable and wrenching.
Readers who invest in this quirky set of characters and circumstances will be rewarded." < -="" i="" -=""> - Kirkus Reviews - < -="" -="">
Review
* "When readers meet 14-year-old Dinah, sheand#8217;s plotting to get her best friend Skint out of detention, which is Dinah all over: sheand#8217;s a loving worrier, loyal even to the people and things sheand#8217;s ambivalent about, like the Girlsand#8217; Friendly Society, a service group whose members have dwindled to three older women, Dinah, and the technically ineligible Skint. The Girlsand#8217; Friendly tries to help people in its small Maine town, but never in the way Dinah and Skint wish. And the truth is, Skint, whose father has early-onset dementia, could use some help himself, not that heand#8217;d take it. First-time author Griffin is good at depicting a small town where the many interconnections make it hard to know what to overlook and when to intervene, and she is equally tuned into the different ways people, adults and teens both, fail each other. Itand#8217;s impossible not to like clumsy, warm-hearted Dinah, even as her best intentions turn Skintand#8217;s family upside down; Griffinand#8217;s portrayal of Dinah and Skintand#8217;s sense of injustice, frustration, and rage is wrenching and difficult to forget."
Review
* "When readers meet 14-year-old Dinah, she’s plotting to get her best friend Skint out of detention, which is Dinah all over: she’s a loving worrier, loyal even to the people and things she’s ambivalent about, like the Girls’ Friendly Society, a service group whose members have dwindled to three older women, Dinah, and the technically ineligible Skint. The Girls’ Friendly tries to help people in its small Maine town, but never in the way Dinah and Skint wish. And the truth is, Skint, whose father has early-onset dementia, could use some help himself, not that he’d take it. First-time author Griffin is good at depicting a small town where the many interconnections make it hard to know what to overlook and when to intervene, and she is equally tuned into the different ways people, adults and teens both, fail each other. It’s impossible not to like clumsy, warm-hearted Dinah, even as her best intentions turn Skint’s family upside down; Griffin’s portrayal of Dinah and Skint’s sense of injustice, frustration, and rage is wrenching and difficult to forget." < -="" i="" -=""> - Publishers Weekly - < -="" -=""> - , starred review
Review
"Skint's life is spinning out of control, and Dinah's desperate efforts to stop the spin only hasten it. This is a story that is so furious, so heartbreaking, and at the same time, so shiny, that by the last line, I realized that everyone here, including the reader, can be their own boss of light. A thing of beauty, that's what this is."
Review
"Readers who invest in this quirky set of characters and circumstances will be rewarded."
Review
"The theme of missed opportunities for real connection is reminiscent of Perkinsand#8217; andlt;Iandgt;Criss Crossandlt;/Iandgt; (BCCB 9/05), so steer readers who loved that book to this one. This title, however, offers more action, action that is sometimes funny, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes painful as readers realize along with Dinah and Skint that not everything in life is fixable, and that we must make room for sadness and loss."
Review
"Skint thinks constantly about human cruelty; Dinah wants playful distractions. Skint lives with a father suffering from dementia and a mother who is bitter, angry and occasionally violent; Dinah takes care not to bring up Skint's family. Images of Skint wandering coatless through the New England winter haunt even the narrative's cheerful moments, and the story builds to a climax both inevitable and wrenching.
Readers who invest in this quirky set of characters and circumstances will be rewarded." < -="" i="" -=""> - Kirkus Reviews - < -="" -="">
Synopsis
What happens when everything you've got to give isn't enough to save someone you love?
It's Maine. It's winter. And it's FREEZING STINKIN' COLD Dinah is wildly worried about her best friend, Skint. He won't wear a coat. Refuses to wear a coat. It's twelve degrees out, and he won't wear a coat. So Dinah's going to figure out how to help. That's what Dinah does--she helps. But she's too busy trying to help to notice that sometimes, she's doing more harm than good. Seeing the trees instead of the forest? That's Dinah.
And Skint isn't going to be the one to tell her. He's a helper guy too. He's worried about a little boy whose dad won't let him visit his mom. He's worried about an elderly couple in a too-cold house down the street.
But the wedge between what drives Dinah and what concerns Skint is wide enough for a big old slab of ice. Because Skint's own father is in trouble. Because Skint's mother refuses to ask for help even though she's at her breaking point. And because Dinah might just decide to...help. She thinks she's cracking through a sheet of ice, but what's actually there is an entire iceberg.
Synopsis
What happens when everything you’ve got to give isn’t enough to save someone you love?It’s Maine. It’s winter. And it’s FREEZING STINKIN’ COLD! Dinah is wildly worried about her best friend, Skint. He won’t wear a coat. Refuses to wear a coat. It’s twelve degrees out, and he won’t wear a coat. So Dinah’s going to figure out how to help. That’s what Dinah does—she helps. But she’s too busy trying to help to notice that sometimes, she’s doing more harm than good. Seeing the trees instead of the forest? That’s Dinah.
And Skint isn’t going to be the one to tell her. He’s a helper guy too. He’s worried about a little boy whose dad won’t let him visit his mom. He’s worried about an elderly couple in a too-cold house down the street.
But the wedge between what drives Dinah and what concerns Skint is wide enough for a big old slab of ice. Because Skint’s own father is in trouble. Because Skint’s mother refuses to ask for help even though she’s at her breaking point. And because Dinah might just decide to…help. She thinks she’s cracking through a sheet of ice, but what’s actually there is an entire iceberg.
About the Author
Named a andlt;Iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/Iandgt; Flying Start, N. Griffinandlt;bandgt; andlt;/bandgt;received her MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives outside of Boston with her dear darling beau and their dogs.