If You Were Here

Gr 7 Up–Lili arrives on Nantucket by way of Arizona, along with her mother and younger sister Goldie, to fix up the house they inherited following the death of her father. However, Lili has ulterior motives: she connected with her father over their shared obsession with his family’s history on the island. In particular, Lili and her father wanted to disprove the assertion that one of his ancestors was a famous woman smuggler in the period leading up to the Revolutionary War. Now on her own in this research, Lili enlists the help of a teen boy named Wren, a grumpy history buff who uses a wheelchair and whose family runs the local mermaid museum. The growing attraction between Lili and Wren is undeniable as they bond over history and follow the mystery left behind by Lili’s dad. Lili is a determined protagonist with a natural ability to make the other characters (and readers) like her. Wren, despite his initial foul temper, is portrayed with real depth. Johnson presents an entertaining cast of supporting characters: Lili’s mother and sister are both likable and relatable, and they are joined by Wren’s Nantucket friends, who are easy to get to know, and several oddball locals. With its dual point-of-view narration, this is an engaging and fast-paced read. Lili’s and her family are white.