Honey Girl

March 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-It's the summer of 1972, and Nani has relocated from Hawaii to Santa Monica, and she has more than her fair share of secrets: she's stolen her father's ashes, she loves to surf, and she likes girls. Following the innumerable rules required to fit in with the surfer girls who rule State Beach and keeping her secrets may be more than she can handle on her own. While prose styling is not often a big deal in young adult titles, the writing in this book is stultifying. Overly detailed descriptions of characters read like enumerated lists of facts rather than providing readers insight into the characters. Cultural references alienate readers instead of adding authenticity. Nani's motivations throughout are opaque, and her actions will be bewildering to contemporary teens. It's never clear why Nani wants to join this exclusionary society of surfers and hangers-on, and without that understanding, readers will also be unclear about the characters' interactions. The protagonist's ability to learn the secrets of the surfer girls is unrealistic, particularly for a book that appears to pride itself on its verity. VERDICT Although it provides some insight into a subculture that is no longer extant, this disjointed book has very little of interest to teens.-L. Lee Butler, Hart Middle School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2015
Grades 9-12 Can Nani break into the lineup? That would be the ultra-elite girl gang ruling the surfer paradise Santa Monica State Beach in 1972. Having just arrived in California with her mom after her father's sudden death in Hawaii, Nani struggles with her grief (she has surreptitiously carried her dad's ashes along for a secret send-off in the Pacific) and sense of rootlessness. She finds that the only thing that will give her solace is acceptance into the alpha group of beach beauties. Expect plenty of drama, plotting, drugs, and seduction. Not only does street-smart, quick-witted Nani attract the attention of State's hottest surfer, but she experiences a sexual entanglement with lineup queen Rox. Teens will marvel at this retro journey into vintage beach culture and the earnestness of the lineup's rules: don't surf; never eat in front of boys; bask on the beach as underlings to the gods on the boards. Mainly, though, readers will ache with Nani's pain and the challenge of being 15 and trying to find one's way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)