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Summary
Summary
Every winter, straight-laced, Ivy League bound Evan looks forward to a visit from Lucy, a childhood pal who moved away after her parent's divorce. But when Lucy arrives this year, she's changed. The former "girl next door" now has chopped dyed black hair, a nose stud, and a scowl. But Evan knows that somewhere beneath the Goth, "Old Lucy" still exists, and he's determined to find her... even if it means pissing her off.
Garden State meets Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist in this funny and poignant illustrated novel about opposites who fall in love.
Author Notes
Stephen Emond started his career by drawing a comic strip called Steverino. It helped him develop as both an artist and a writer. He thought the comic strip was a great way to learn writing because every strip has a beginning, middle and end. He did 25 page books every month with three cartoons per page. He won a national contest - the Andrew-McMeels/Follett College Store¿s STRIP SEARCH: DISCOVERING TOMORROW¿S TOP CARTOONISTS TODAY and had his comic printed in a book of the same name. The next cartoon character was Emo Boy. He has superpowers but they were destructive. Then came Happyface - a comic about a boy who suffered a terrible tragedy but puts on a Happy Face and swallows all the pain. The next project was the Emo Boy movie directed by Kyle Newman. After the movie, Stephen Emond began writing an autobiographical comic strip Lemons.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Childhood friends Lucy and Evan have been close for years, but when Lucy's parents divorce and she moves with her mother to Georgia, a full year goes by before Lucy returns to their New England hometown at Christmas. When she arrives, she has dyed black hair and a nose piercing, and Evan notices she is acting "moodier and quiet, and dare he say, emo." Evan is concerned for her and also increasingly uncertain about his own life's direction after he graduates from high school. During a two-week vacation, Lucy and Evan talk, argue, and draw comics as they each try to figure out what they want in life and from each other. As in Happy-face, Emond's artwork plays a big role in his storytelling, shifting between chilly scenes of Christmas in the suburbs and a funny fantasy/adventure comic Evan creates, a cross between Peanuts and Bone. Though there are many fun moments, sharply observed interactions, and smart insights along the way, the overall vibe is moody and pensive, as Lucy and Evan try to find their way and handle the pressures coming at them from every angle. Ages 12-up. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Lucy and Evan are childhood friends. Ever since Lucy's parents' divorce, the teens have only seen each other for winter vacation. When Lucy arrives transformed one year, Evan is left trying to make sense of their relationship. Told through both characters' perspectives, and bolstered by some comics and illustrations, the story can be overly angst-y but also sweet and funny. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Evan, a high-school senior and boy on the right track, waits each year for his childhood friend, Lucy, to come home for Christmas vacation to see her dad. Each holiday season, the teens fall back into their comfortable relationship, but this year Lucy shows up with a nose ring and an attitude. In the first half of the book, Evan describes his struggle to understand the change in Lucy as they tentatively try to get back to their old selves. In the second half, Lucy's portion, we learn how her life in Atlanta has fallen apart, with drugs and sex part of the scene. The question is, will Evan save Lucy or will she pull him so far out of his comfort zone that he jeopardizes his future? Some of this seems derivative; the Evan-Lucy relationship is reminiscent of Pudge and Alaska in Looking for Alaska (2005). But the interplay between the duo is fraught with realistic teen angst, and Evan, an artist, provides a running comic-book commentary that engages readers visually. Tension about where this relationship is going continues to the book's last page.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Teenagers Evan and Lucy have been best friends since they were small, despite Lucy moving with her mother to Georgia after her parents' divorce. During winter breaks, she returns to her father in New England for the holidays and the two friends reconnect. But senior year, the pretty long-brown-haired girl Evan always knew appears with short, black hair; a nose stud; a cigarette habit; and an attitude that matches her dark look. "New Lucy" eventually gives way to "Old Lucy" in the midst of Evan's friendship, nurturing family, and close pals, but New Lucy lingers. It takes Evan falling for her for Lucy to reveal her problematic home life in Georgia, her bad-news boyfriend with whom she has a sexual relationship, and her experimentation with drinking and drugs. Evan has his own troubles, including pressure from his father to excel, and when he tries to talk things out, Lucy leaves on bitter terms. Though the ending omits if or how Lucy ever gets help, it seems promising. Black-and-white drawings and Evan's fantasy comic, "Aelysthia," complement the insightful third-person, character-driven story. Like Emond's popular Happyface (Little, Brown, 2010), this tale of insecurity, angst, and shaky romance is one to which teens can easily relate.-Diane P. Tuccillo, Poudre River Public Library District, Fort Collins, CO (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Fiction. 13 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
