Hope and Other Punchlines by Julie Buxbaum

HOPE AND OTHER PUNCHLINES by Julie Buxbaum (author of What to Say Next) is a new young adult novel which centers around the aftermath of September 11. The main characters are teenagers Abbi and Noah, both of whom have special ties to that day.  Abbi is known as Baby Hope because of a famous photograph of her one year old self taken as the towers burned and fell.  Noah is searching for his father who disappeared on that day and convinces Abbi to accompany him to interviews with some of the adults in the photo. Buxbaum balances 9/11's tragic consequences with some budding romance and chronicles the attempt by these young teens who have no real memory of the day’s events to begin to move on. HOPE AND OTHER PUNCHLINES is a relatively quick read, and while there is plenty of reflection on the sacrifices made that day (think The Red Bandanna), this novel will also appeal due to its consideration of teenage angst and pain. For example, Abbi comments about former best girlfriend Cat: “when I look back, I think we outgrew each other. It’s as simple and as sad as that.” Noah narrates alternating chapters and muses: "You know what I think?  I think the reason high school sucks is because it feels so small.  Like a too tight turtleneck .... And even if you are brave enough to molt, there's all those people around you still, like, holding up and showing you your old skin."

Awake in the World by Jason Gurley

AWAKE IN THE WORLD by Jason Gurley is a new work of young adult realistic fiction that revolves around two characters who are seniors in high school:  Zach and Vanessa.  He is dealing with the recent death of his father – due to an explosion on an oil rig – and the subsequent economic impact on his family.  Hard to believe that the company could be so cold-hearted (and not legally liable, especially in California) as to only offer a few thousand dollars of compensation.  Zach’s older brother has quit college to work full-time and Zach works as many part-time hours as he can while they both worry about their severely depressed mother and care for their younger sisters.

Zach’s true passion is drawing and art and it is only gradually that Vanessa, a much more affluent student with dreams of studying astronomy and attending Cornell, comes to know him better.  In this coming of age novel, both students are introspective, such as when Zach reflects, “sometimes it feels like the whole world is waiting to see what wallop of bad luck will hit me next; other times, I can feel them quietly rooting for me. I’m never really certain which is true when.” Vanessa, too, deals with disappointment relating to college and abandonment by her biological father.  She muses, “we’re never really alone. … I like to imagine that no matter how lost or different or lonely I feel, there’s always at least one other person who feels the same way, at the same moment.  Someone’s always awake, somewhere else in the world.”  Together, Zach and Vanessa seem to balance and strengthen each other in this novel which deftly explores adolescent relationships.