Cardigans, Coffee and Bookmarks: Introducing....Randi

Hi there! I'm Randi, Becky's co-pilot in this new, scary world of book blogging. During my undergrad studies (I studied literature and linguistics), I knew one thing for sure: I absolutely did not want to teach. However, I had the experience of working as a writing tutor in college and then did a brief stint as an AmeriCorps VISTA in an educational setting with young adults labeled "at-risk." It was during this latter experience that I realized *cue cheesy moment* I was meant to teach! Thus began my journey toward my Master's in secondary English education.

Here I am a year later, enjoying my education coursework and doing a lot of reading. Though my book-buying addiction has increased tenfold since I started grad school, now I can tell my husband "But I'm building my classroom library!" :) I've been enjoying much YA lit and am also finding more middle grade reads (I ultimately want to teach middle school LA). I recently learned about using picture books in the secondary classroom as well, so I'm enjoying dipping my toe into that genre.

As Becky said, our reviews will probably become more polished as we go along, but I'd like to share a review of one of my recent YA reads. Keep in mind, not all of the books I'll be reviewing would necessarily be books I would use for classroom purposes, but I plan for my posts to include a nice mix of genres from YA to middle grade, picture books, and also the occasional adult book.

Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson
Publication Date: May 4th, 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Pages: 344
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5

Summary from Goodreads: Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

My Thoughts: Incredible. This book has it all - an epic road trip (no, seriously!), a sweet romance, issues, everything. I have another new favorite. And a craving for more road trip contemporaries.

The formatting of this book is really neat; I love the receipts, photos, playlists, etc. I totally fell for Roger. :) The characterization is very well done. Roger and Amy are flawed and believable. Even the minor secondary characters come to life. I really felt for Amy even though I've never really been in a similar situation. But her story really makes you think...about how much time we really have and what is most important. Her experience is inspiring.

The setting (or non-setting?) Morgan Matson created comes to life through the innumerable little details (even without the endnote at the back of the book, you just know that she had firsthand knowledge of everything she described, which made the story even more intriguing and enjoyable).

I suggest this for anyone who likes contemporary YA, especially road trip stories. However, I would definitely suggest this for those who might not be drawn to contemporary simply because it really sucks you in, and I think most people would enjoy this for the wonderful writing and the brilliant characters. I will definitely be reading everything Morgan Matson writes - I'm a new fan!