Winter Town...During Spring

Mini-Review of Winter Town by Stephen Emond

Here is a neat little, quirky, contemporay book that probably some of you haven't heard about.  I'm all for reading anything out the ordinary that doesn't have to do with the overdone paranormal romance...basically all I see anytime I skim through the Target YA book aisle.

What I absolutely love about this book first and foremost is the blending of genre--contemporary fiction, picture book, and graphic novel.  What else?  The pop cultural references are relevent and any young person or young person at heart will get these references and appreciate them.  Also, don't you just love dual-point of view books where characters take turns spilling their take on a situation?  I absolutely do.  I feel like I get a better sense of the whole experience.  The whole story is funny, endearing, and relatable.  That's a good book for me any day!

My favorite part:  The running comic strip throughout the novel featuring the two main characters, Evan and Lucy ...chronicles their quest in the made-up and mythical realm of Aelysthia.   Too cute!  Also, how Evan is trying to figure Lucy out and how we figure her out sooner and more than he does because we get to read her point of view.

Brief summary:  Future Ivy Leaguer Doesn't Know What to Make of His Old BFF When She Returns as a Goth And He Wants the Old Version Back.

From Author Website:   Stephen Emond

Every winter, straight-laced, Ivy League bound Evan looks forward to a visit from Lucy, a childhood pal who moved away after her parent’s divorce. But when Lucy arrives this year, she’s changed. The former “girl next door” now has chopped dyed black hair, a nose stud, and a scowl. But Evan knows that somewhere beneath the Goth, “Old Lucy” still exists, and he’s determined to find her… even if it means pissing her off.

Can opposites attract? Or does growing up mean having to grow apart?

Told from two perspectives, this funny and honest novel by Stephen Emond is a unique combination of text, comic strips, and art. It’s an indie movie in a book, perfect for the inner outcast and lovelorn nerd in all of us.