When It Happens

Gr 9 Up—Sara is thrilled when her crush, Dave, finally asks her out. But dating him isn't nearly as amazing as she imagined it would be. Sara is looking for true love, and Dave only wants to relieve Sara of her virginity. Also, she is beginning to feel a connection with her music theory partner, Tobey, who couldn't be more different from the studious, goal-oriented Sara. There's undeniable chemistry between them and they get together. But different goals and ghosts of relationships past threaten the pair. Both of them learn that even the best relationships involve hard work, openness, and compromise. Listeners will cheer for them from the beginning. Susane Colasanti's brilliantly written story (Viking, 2006) is told from Sara and Tobey's alternating points of view. All the characters are exceptionally well-developed. For the most part, narrators Julia Whelan and Alexander Cendese provide believable narration, although Cendese has a distracting tendency to overact. Despite a sprinkling of outdated technological and pop culture references, teens will relate to the basic story elements. Some language and mature content may make this inappropriate for younger teens. Deeply romantic details bring to mind the writings of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han's "Summer" trilogy.—Alissa LeMerise, Oxford Public Library,MI