Optimists die first / Susin Nielsen.
Material type: TextPublisher: New York : Wendy Lamb Books, [2017]Edition: First editionDescription: 228 pages ; 22 cmContent type:- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9780553496901
- 0553496905
- 9780553496918
- 0553496913
- 9780553496932
- 055349693X
- [Fic] 23
- PZ7.N568435 Op 2017
Item type | Current library | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Book | Bedford Public Library Young Adult Fiction | Fiction | YA NIE | Available | 32500002165489 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Award-winning author Susin Nielsen has written a laugh-out-loud and heartrending novel for fans of Robyn Schneider's Extraordinary Means and Cammie McGovern's Say What You Will .
Beware: Life ahead.
Sixteen-year-old Petula de Wilde is anything but wild. A former crafting fiend with a happy life, Petula shut herself off from the world after a family tragedy. She sees danger in all the ordinary things, like crossing the street, a bug bite, or a germy handshake. She knows: life is out to get you.
The worst part of her week is her comically lame mandatory art therapy class with a small group of fellow misfits. Then a new boy, Jacob, appears at school and in her therapy group. He seems so normal and confident, though he has a prosthetic arm; and soon he teams up with Petula on a hilarious project, gradually inspiring her to let go of some of her fears. But as the two grow closer, a hidden truth behind why he's in the group threatens to derail them, unless Petula takes a huge risk. . .
Praise:
Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year
"Nielsen writes with sensitivity, empathy, and humor." -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred
"Nielsen excels at depicting troubled, clever teenagers in familiar environments." -- School Library Journal, Starred
"[An] empathic and deeply moving story, balanced by sharply funny narration and dialogue." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred
"A poignant exploration into the nuances of healing." -- Quill and Quire, Starred
Since her sister's death, Petula de Wilde sees danger in everything. A mandatory art therapy class with a groups of teenage misfits is the worst part of each week. She wants nothing to do with them-- especially Jacob and his prosthetic arm. When they work together on a project, he helps her with her fears. But a secret he's been keeping from her could unravel everything....
HL580L Lexile
Decoding demand: 96 (very high) Semantic demand: 100 (very high) Syntactic demand: 81 (very high) Structure demand: 89 (very high) Lexile
Accelerated Reader AR UG 4.1 6 189411.
Excerpt provided by Syndetics
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
The accidental death of Petula de Wilde's younger sister, Maxine, has fractured her family, perhaps irrevocably. Her parents are retreating into their passions for books, music, and cats; Petula, who blames herself for Max's death, has adopted the attitude that "tragedy can strike when you least expect it" and worries constantly about earthquakes, walking past construction sites, shaking hands, and catching rare diseases. Petula's anxieties have landed her in youth art therapy (YART) at school, where she gets to know new student Jacob Cohen, a talented filmmaker with a bionic hand and his own tragic past. Grief and guilt permeate Nielsen's (We Are All Made of Molecules) empathic and deeply moving story, balanced by sharply funny narration and dialogue. "It's like a twisted version of The Breakfast Club," says Jacob of YART, whose members struggle with bullying, substance abuse, and anger. Readers will be riveted by Petula's rocky attempts to repair damaged relationships with her parents and a friend she drove away, connect with the members of YART, and open herself up to the idea of romance with Jacob. Ages 12- up. Agent: Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Sixteen-year-old Petula de Wilde is a pessimist. Champion of the worst-case scenario when it comes to all situations, from flying in airplanes to walking by construction sites, she feels it's her duty to warn others about the hidden dangers in just about everything. Petula even keeps a scrapbook of bizarre anomalies to support her claims. But she hasn't always been this way-before her baby sister died in a freak accident three years ago, Petula was a "normal" teen girl with a best friend and an obsession for crafting. Since the accident, her whole world has shifted, and her parents have problems coping as well. Enter Jacob, confident, good-looking, and with a keen desire to help others. Petula relaxes her defenses while falling hard for him, only to find out that he has damaging secrets of his own. Julia Whelan reads in a low-key, intimate way that makes listeners instantly relate to Petula. Other characters are performed well, and the many amusing sections of the audiobook are narrated with a light comic touch. Whelan's approachable rendering of the emotional problems Petula and her friends experience will engage listeners. VERDICT Fans of moving, emotionally intense novels, such as the works of Sarah Dessen or Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places, will enjoy this recording. ["Perhaps the novel's greatest strength is its handling of the characters' very real burdens with sympathy, wit, and not an ounce of melodrama. Nielsen excels at depicting troubled, clever teenagers in familiar environments": SLJ 11/16 starred review of the Wendy Lamb book.]-Julie Paladino, formerly at East Chapel Hill High School, NC © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Booklist Review
Petula is a pessimist or, as she prefers to view it, prepared. She knows stats on freak deaths and is taking precautions to make sure another tragedy like her sister's death never sneaks up on her again. When Jacob shows up in her art therapy group, she couldn't be less interested. Yet, Petula's attitude begins to change when she's paired with him for a school project, and she finally allows herself to open up to someone again. Their romantic relationship is sweet but underdeveloped, making the strongest aspect of the story the growth seen in the quirky, yet endearing, misfits of Petula's art therapy group. Readers will be captivated by Petula's journey, as she tries to overcome her grief-driven obsessions and anxieties and reconnects with her friends, family, and hobbies. Heartbreaking and hopeful, this is a solid choice for readers looking for a book to make them cry and laugh at the same time. Recommend to teens who enjoyed Tamara Ireland Stone's Every Last Word (2015).--Thompson, Sarah Bean Copyright 2016 BooklistKirkus Book Review
Consumed with guilt over the death of her baby sister, a girl struggles simply to get through each day.Sixteen-year-old Petula blames herself for her sister's death, and perhaps as a result, she has developed a wide range of fears, even tracking freak deaths in a scrapbook. Her parents also struggle. Her mom is becoming an uncontrolled cat lady, with the current total at six. Her dad struggles to pay the bills, buy the cat food, and live despite his sadness. Forced to attend a group art-therapy class for emotionally disturbed teens, Petula meets Jacob, who lost his arm in a car crash that killed his two best friends and now has a prosthetic hand of which he is quite proud. At first she spurns him, but she's forced to work with him on a project, and the two eventually begin what appears to be a real romance. Jacob is a talented filmmaker, and they make a hilarious cat video, then more films that successfully help them recover from their anxieties. Yet despite appearances, it may be that Jacob's problems are worse than Petula's. Nielsen writes with sensitivity, empathy, and humor, believably lightening Petula's constant efforts to cope. Every character (most evidently white) comes across as a unique human being, however minor the part. Another lovely outing from Nielsen. (Fiction. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.Author notes provided by Syndetics
Susin Nielsen got her start feeding cast and crew on the popular television series Degrassi Junior High. They hated her food, but they saw a spark in her writing. Nielsen went on to pen sixteen episodes of the hit TV show. Since then she has written for many Canadian TV series.Nielsen's first two young adult novels, Word Nerd and Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom, won critical acclaim and multiple young readers' choice awards. The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen won the prestigious Governor General's Literary Award and the Canadian Library Association's Children's Book of the Year. Most recently, We Are All Made of Molecules was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, longlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and nominated for the Canadian Library Association's Children's Book of the Year. Nielsen lives in Vancouver with her family and two extremely destructive cats. Visit her at susinnielsen.com; on Facebook at Susin Nielsen, Auth∨ and on Twitter at @susinnielsen.