Being Here

Gr 9 Up—This book about the importance of story in one's life has two narrative arcs. The first is about the aged Leah Cartwright, who lives in a nursing home waiting for the end of her life. Enter Carly, a teenager who wants to interview her for a school assignment. Leah is happy to share, just not about local history and how people lived when she was young. The second story focuses on Leah's childhood. Her father's suicide when she is young binds her to her mother, who has difficulty sharing her daughter even with a dog. Leah is so lonely that she conjures up a boy who she names Adam. He helps Leah visit the worlds that she has found through books. The novel is written from an adult's perspective with the elderly Leah as narrator. It is beautifully told with rich images of flawed characters and more description than action. Though Carly is a teen and Leah tells about her young life, it is not likely to speak to most teens.—Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA