Faking Normal

November 18, 2013
Somewhere between Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson lies Stevens’s rich debut about two adolescents grappling with extraordinary trauma. Alexi Littrell has two close friends, dates football players, and has a family that her older sister’s fiancé describes as “the best family in the world.” But she is carrying a secret about something that happened to her over the summer and is self-harming to mute the pain. Her classmate Bodee’s Kool-Aid dyed hair and quiet demeanor already set him apart from peers, but after his father kills his mother, he becomes even more of an object of pity and curiosity. When Alexi’s parents invite Bodee to live with them, the pair become friends, with Alexi helping Bodee release his guilt over his mother’s death and Bodee encouraging Alexi to speak out about what happened to her. Though the busy plot sometimes swallows Alexi herself, the mood is intense and the story moves briskly, complete with an ending so surprising that some readers may flip back to the beginning to start fresh. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

December 15, 2013
Reminiscent of Melinda in Speak, Alexi tries to find her voice after being raped. Only the self-inflicted scratches on the 16-year-old's neck reveal any sign that someone close to her coerced her into having sex at a football party. Now Alexi is "faking normal" to protect the perpetrator and try to keep the event in the past. But socially awkward Bodee, aka "Kool-Aid Kid" for his penchant for temporary hair coloring, knows she has a secret--because he has one too. After his abusive father kills his mother, he's invited to finish the school year at Alexi's home. As a tentative friendship blossoms, Alexi and Bodee become allies--and more--as they help each other deal with their life-changing traumas and face recovery together. Stevens' debut effort keeps it real and never preachy as Alexi and her BFFs question their sexuality and relationship expectations. Even more realistic are Alexi's reactions to the rape as she wonders why she couldn't utter the word no, whether a rape actually occurred and how her family will react. The perpetrator's identity, confounded by plenty of red herrings, remains a mystery until the very end. Also adding mystery and romantic intrigue is the clandestine "Captain Lyric," who corresponds and seems to acknowledge Alexi's pain through covert song lyrics left on a school desk. A story that resonates. (author's note) (Fiction. 14 & up)

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March 15, 2014
Grades 9-12 Sixteen-year-old Alexi has a secret; something bad happened to her last summer, but she is not saying what. Publicly, she pretends that everything is alright, but privately, she counts compulsively and painfully scratches herself. She is, she thinks, fresh out of happy, but faking normal is a skill she learned last summer. Then Bodeethe quiet, shy boy next doormoves in with her family, and Alexi finds a friend and confidant. Meanwhile, an unknown boy begins leaving song lyrics for Alexi that have an uncanny capacity to capture her moods. She calls the boy Captain Lyric and realizes that she is falling in love with him. But who is he? And what is the secret Alexi resolutely continues to keep? First-time novelist Stevens does a nice job of managing these unknowns, though many readers will have guessed the answers before the big reveals. Nevertheless, Alexi, though occasionally exasperating, is a well realized, sympathetic character, as is Bodee, and the resolution of their slowly evolving relationship is deeply satisfying. An engaging read for romance fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
Alexi, youngest daughter of the perfect Littrell family, is hiding a secret behind a good-girl fagade. With the support of an exceptionally sensitive boy with pain of his own, Alexi finds the strength to admit her trauma, even if it might damage her reputation. Alexi's interior turmoil exposes the gray spaces between sexual assault and consent in this uneven but affirming debut novel.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)