Notes on a Near-Life Experience

Notes on a Near-Life Experience

Authors

Olivia Birdsall

Publisher

Delacorte Press

Publication Year

2007

ISBN

9780385733700

Pages

257 pages

Genre

realism

Format

novel

Item Type

Fiction

Annotation

Mia never thought she'd be the child of a broken home. Yet when she's 15 years old, one day her father just up and moves out. As her family life crumbles, her love life is finally coming together. Julian, her brother Allen's best friend and her longtime crush, has finally noticed her—and being with Julian makes her happier than she can put into words. Meanwhile, her mother has disappeared into work, her brother is skipping school and acting weird, and her father is cohabitating with a frighteningly sexy Peruvian woman named Paloma. Mia wishes the divorce would just go away so she could focus on Julian...but she can't ignore her problems forever. In this honest, witty, utterly accessible winner of the Delacorte Press Contest, first-time author Olivia Birdsall creates an authentic and lovable teenager in Mia.

Grade Level

6-8; 9-12

Diversity Topics

Family Relationships; Separation; Divorce; divorced parents; separate homes

Main Character

girl

Race/Ethnicities

White

Family Formation

divorced parents

Awards

Delacorte Press Prize for a First Young Adult Novel, 2005, 1st Place

Keywords

father dating; crush; love interest; feelings; friendship

Diversity Impact

direct

Notes on a Near-Life Experience

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