Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Praise for The Speed of Life:
"The Speed of Life is the kind of book that you want to read speedily, all at once, because the characters are so engaging, the voice of the narrator pitch perfect, the situations convincingly real and raw, the humor and liveliness of the prose such fun to follow, and the feelings of that time in a teenager's life when everything can go from awful to awesome in a heartbeat are so vividly captured. You won't want to put it down. But my advice is slow down and savor this delightful book, full of carino, funny and heartfelt, and (spoiler alert) not just for teens." -Julia Alvarez, award-winning, bestselling author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies
"Carol Weston's Sofia moves beyond sorrow to all the possibilities of teen life in this wonderful book that takes us from loss to laughter."--Richard Peck, Newbery Gold Medalist for A Year Down Yonder
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Synopsis
Sofia lost her mother eight months ago, and her friends were 100% there for her. Now it's a new year and they're ready for Sofia to move on.
Problem is, Sofia can't bounce back, can't recharge like a cellphone. She decides to write Dear Kate, an advice columnist forFifteen Magazine, and is surprised to receive a fast reply. Soon the two are exchanging emails, and Sofia opens up and spills all, including a few worries that are totally embarrassing. Turns out even advice columnists don't have all the answers, and one day Sofia learns a secret that flips her world upside down.
SPEED OF LIFE is the heartbreaking, heartwarming story of a girl who thinks her life is over when really it's just beginning. It's a novel about love, family, grief, and growing up.
"A wonderful book that takes us from loss to laughter." --Richard Peck, author of The Best Man and Newbery Gold MedalistA Year Down Yonder
"You won't want to put it down. But my advice is slow down and savor this delightful book, full ofcarino, funny and heartfelt, and (spoiler alert) not just for teens."--Julia Alvarez, author ofIn the Time of the ButterfliesandReturn to Sender
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Synopsis
Age Level: 11 and up - Grade Level: 6 to 8
Sofia lost her mother eight months ago, and her friends were 100% there for her. Now it's a new year and they're ready for Sofia to move on.
Problem is, Sofia can't bounce back, can't recharge like a cellphone. She decides to write Dear Kate, an advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine, and is surprised to receive a fast reply. Soon the two are exchanging emails, and Sofia opens up and spills all, including a few worries that are totally embarrassing. Turns out even advice columnists don't have all the answers, and one day Sofia learns a secret that flips her world upside down.
SPEED OF LIFE is the heartbreaking, heartwarming story of a girl who thinks her life is over when really it's just beginning. It's a novel about love, family, grief, and growing up.
2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults - American Library Association
A 2018 Best Children's Book of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
2017 Best Fiction for Older Readers - Chicago Public Library
2019-2020 Young Hoosier Book Award Longlist
Four STARRED Reviews
Great for parents and educators looking for:
A tale of grief, love, and what it means to grow up
"Carol Weston's perceptive, funny, and moving new novel...I laughed out loud and I teared up while reading this novel. I will eagerly place it on my daughter's bookshelf, so that she, like Sofia, can find her own resilience and voice in our painful, joyful, speeding world."--New York Times
"A wonderful book that takes us from loss to laughter."--Richard Peck, author of The Best Man and Newbery Gold Medalist A Year Down Yonder
"You won't want to put it down. But my advice is slow down and savor this delightful book, full of cari o, funny and heartfelt, and (spoiler alert) not just for teens."--Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies and Return to Sender
Synopsis
Age Level: 11 and up - Grade Level: 6 to 8
"Dear Kate" knows all of Sofia's secrets... and she's dating the one person Sofia is hiding them from
Sofia lost her mother eight months ago, and her friends were 100% there for her. Now it's a new year and they're ready for Sofia to move on.
Problem is, Sofia can't bounce back, can't recharge like a cellphone. She decides to write Dear Kate, an advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine, and is surprised to receive a fast reply. Soon the two are exchanging emails, and Sofia opens up and spills all, including a few worries that are totally embarrassing. Turns out even advice columnists don't have all the answers, and one day Sofia learns a secret that flips her world upside down.
SPEED OF LIFE is the heartbreaking, heartwarming story of a girl who thinks her life is over when really it's just beginning. It's a novel about love, family, grief, and growing up.
2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults - American Library Association
A 2018 Best Children's Book of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
2017 Best Fiction for Older Readers - Chicago Public Library
2019-2020 Young Hoosier Book Award Longlist
Four STARRED Reviews
Great for parents and educators looking for:
A tale of grief, love, and what it means to grow up
"Carol Weston's perceptive, funny, and moving new novel...I laughed out loud and I teared up while reading this novel. I will eagerly place it on my daughter's bookshelf, so that she, like Sofia, can find her own resilience and voice in our painful, joyful, speeding world."--New York Times
"A wonderful book that takes us from loss to laughter."--Richard Peck, author of The Best Man and Newbery Gold Medalist A Year Down Yonder
"You won't want to put it down. But my advice is slow down and savor this delightful book, full of cari o, funny and heartfelt, and (spoiler alert) not just for teens."--Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies and Return to Sender
Synopsis
From award winning author Carol Weston comes an uplifting, heartfelt tale of bravery and strength in the face of loss and grief, perfect for tweens, teens and adults alike.
"I will eagerly place it on my daughter's bookshelf, so that she, like Sofia, can find her own resilience and voice in our painful, joyful, speeding world."--New York Times
Sofia lost her mother eight months ago, and her friends were 100% there for her. Now it's a new year and they're ready for Sofia to move on. But being a motherless daughter is hard to get used to, especially when you're only fourteen.
Problem is, Sofia can't bounce back, can't recharge like a cellphone. She decides to write Dear Kate, an advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine, and is surprised to receive a fast reply. Soon the two are exchanging emails, and Sofia opens up and spills all, including a few worries that are totally embarrassing. Turns out even advice columnists don't have all the answers, and one day Sofia learns a secret that flips her world upside down.
2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults - American Library Association
A 2018 Best Children's Book of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
2017 Best Fiction for Older Readers - Chicago Public Library
2019-2020 Young Hoosier Book Award Longlist
Four STARRED Reviews
Read the first page from Speed of Life:
WARNING: This is kind of a sad story.
At least at first. So if you don't like sad stories, maybe you shouldn't read this. I mean, I'd understand if you put it down and watched cat videos instead. I like cat videos too.
Then again, this book is already in your hands. It starts and ends on January 1, and I was thinking of calling it The Year My Whole Life Changed. Or Life, Death, and Kisses. Or maybe even The Year I Grew Up.
For me, being fourteen was hard. Really hard. Childhood was a piece of cake. Being a kid in New York City and spending summers in Spain, that was all pretty perfect, looking back. But being fourteen was like climbing a mountain in the rain. In flip-flops. I hoped I'd wind up in a different place, but I kept tripping and slipping and falling and wishing it weren't way too late to turn around.
This book does have funny parts. And I learned two giant facts:
Number one: everything can change in an instant--for worse, sure, but also for better.Number two: sometimes, if you just keep climbing, you get an amazing view. You see what's behind you and what's ahead of you and--the big surprise--what's inside you.