Synopses & Reviews
Winner of the 2014 Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize
Take the boy. Don't ask permission. There will always be time to do the responsible thing. But, before that, live.”
It's 1993, and Generation X pulses to the beat of Kurt Cobain and the grunge movement. Sixteen-year-old Maggie Lynch is uprooted from big-city Chicago to a windswept town on the Irish Sea. Surviving on care packages of Spin magazine and Twizzlers from her rocker uncle Kevin, she wonders if she'll ever find her place in this new world. When first love and sudden death simultaneously strike, a naive but determined Maggie embarks on a forbidden pilgrimage that will take her to a seedy part of Dublin and on to a life-altering night in Rome to fulfill a dying wish. Through it all, Maggie discovers an untapped inner strength to do the most difficult but rewarding thing of all — live.
Review
"The narrative subtly and carefully interweaves peer and family drama....Every character, every place comes alive with crisp, precise detail. Powerfully evocative."
Kirkus, Starred Review
Review
"This promising debut, set in the heyday of grunge....Foley sets the scene vividly, [and] the narrative voice is clear and compelling. She has also populated Bray with a host of quirky, loving, and memorable background characters, which enriches the story."
Susannah Goldstein, School Library Journal
Review
"Foley's prose is lovely, definitely a step up from your average YA fare. But even more important is her deftness with her characters and story."
Julia Fine, Literary Chicago
Review
"Audiences [will] enjoy the adventure that is The Carnival at Bray."
Kristen Nathan, Chicago Literati
Synopsis
ALA 2015 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults
Chicago Weekly Best Books of 2014
A Michael L. Printz Honor Award Winner Winner, 2014 Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014
Finalist, William C. Morris Award
It's 1993, and Generation X pulses to the beat of Kurt Cobain and the grunge movement. Sixteen-year-old Maggie Lynch is uprooted from big-city Chicago to a windswept town on the Irish Sea. Surviving on care packages of Spin magazine and Twizzlers from her rocker uncle Kevin, she wonders if she'll ever find her place in this new world. When first love and sudden death simultaneously strike, a naive but determined Maggie embarks on a forbidden pilgrimage that will take her to a seedy part of Dublin and on to a life- altering night in Rome to fulfill a dying wish. Through it all, Maggie discovers an untapped inner strength to do the most difficult but rewarding thing of all, live.
The Carnival at Bray is an evocative ode to the Smells Like Teen Spirit Generation and a heartfelt exploration of tragedy, first love, and the transformative power of music. The book won the 2014 Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize.
About the Author
Jessie Ann Foley is a Chicago Public Schools English teacher. She holds an MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. The Carnival at Bray is her first book. Learn more and discover bonus material at jessieannfoley.com.