Sass & Serendipity

Gr 7 Up—The only thing the Rivera sisters have in common is that they live in Barton, TX. Both girls are dealing with their parents' divorce but they take different sides. Fifteen-year-old Daphne blames her mom for her dad's disappearance while Gabby, 17, is sure that it is her dad's fault. She is an independent realist and spends most of her time with her best friend, Mule Randolph. Daphne is a dreamer and always looks on the bright side. She only has eyes for Luke, and she's so sure that he will ask her to the prom that she uses much-needed money to buy a dress well in advance. The siblings' lives don't get much better when their mom tells them that they are losing their home and must find a new place to live. With both girls finding companionship in unlikely places, they are brought together and see one another's point of view more clearly. While the book is slow at times and there is little action other than sisterly drama, there's bound to be an audience for this novel. It comes out just as the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility is being celebrated. Even though there is no correlation between the books, the author hopes that readers will find an appreciation for the Rivera sisters just as they did for the Dashwoods.—Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI