Wonderland

Gr 9 Up—Jude is 16 and has always felt like a pale imitation of the person she could be. She taunts herself with names like "Jude the Obscure" and endures being bullied with little complaint. Everything changes when the beautiful, erratic Stella re-enters her life. Stella had been there for Jude when she was a child shortly after her mother died. Stella is daring, outspoken, and dangerous, dragging Jude into teenage drinking parties, wild flings, and other risky situations, while also instilling confidence in Jude by supporting her dream of acting. Stella is everything Jude wants to be and everything that could destroy her. Stella damages Jude's relationship with her family as well as her best friend and boyfriend. Jude discovers almost too late that Stella is a part of her and a way of dealing with the grief caused by her mother's suicide. British author Joanna Nadin's complex tale (Candlewick, 2011) is well-voiced by Sarah Coomes who successfully reveals Jude's innocence and self-doubt alongside Stella's worldliness and fearless nature by giving them the same voice but with different emotions. The English expressions may be a bit challenging at first, but the emotions and situations are universal. Nadin's story focuses on how lives can be destroyed by not dealing with loss and storing up emotions. While the ending seems a little rushed, Jude's future seems to be more hopeful and satisfying.—Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY