Laurie Friedman is the author of the popular Mallory series, The Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair series, and many award-winning picture books. She lives in Florida. Natasha Shaloshvili is a professional illustrator whose work has appeared in fashion magazines, on corporate websites, in outdoor ads, and in clothing prints. She lives in St. Petersburg, Russia.
"At a family dinner, April's grandmother, Gaga, announces to the
assembly of April's aunts, uncles, and cousins that she has an
advanced stage of cancer and that she will not be undergoing
chemotherapy or radiation. Instead, she wishes to live the rest of
her life fully and that includes a family ski trip to Park City,
Utah, which she will fund for everyone. After heated discussions
between April's mother and aunts, the family decides to go. April's
best friend, Sophie--whose grandfather is married to Gaga--has
become moody and secretive, refusing to explain herself to April.
So, while April is looking forward to the ski trip, she has some
heavy-duty worries about her grandmother and about her friend.
Learning to ski is a distant third.
April tells the story through journal entries and this moves the
story along at a brisk pace. Character development takes a backseat
to storyline; however readers of the other installments of this
series will already know this family. Younger adolescents may find
the book entertaining as problems are resolved quite quickly,
except for the impending death of Gaga. The story focuses on
relationship dynamics and facing difficulty as a young teen. For a
reader who has followed April's growing up, seeing her cope with
Gaga's impending death may be a comfort if the reader is also
experiencing loss or trauma. Surely, the thread of this story will
continue in an upcoming installment."--VOYA-- (12/1/2016 12:00:00
AM)
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