Goose

July 15, 2015
Flo and Renee are back with their angst-filled, sex-preoccupied lives, full of cigarettes and drinking and drugs-only this time graduation looms, so they think about serious stuff, too. With an updated list of teen issues-the generic bullying of Paper Airplanes (2014) is now homophobia; slut-shaming rears its ugly head-O'Porter returns to 1997 Guernsey. There are no soft blurry edges here, just more tragedy, pain, and misunderstandings as two best friends edge their ways toward adulthood. But there is genuine, edgy humor, too; Flo wonders, "Why did I have to pick a bigger virgin than me to be my first boyfriend?" and Renee leads a late-night raid on their old school that includes the good reminders of early friendship, the bad memories of traumas and loss, and the ugly (they witness adult sex), with some impromptu larceny thrown in. Both girls enter serious relationships, one with Jesus, the other in a less spiritual union; both contemplate the deeper meaning of life. Wise Aunt Jo returns; while looking for Mr. Right, she considers teen lives through the lens of midlife regrets in passages that will broaden the novel's appeal to adult readers. The pace is fast, the explorations of the redemptive powers of forgiveness and strong female friendship thorough, and the door is open for future installations. Hard to say who will love this most: the women who lived the 1990s or their teen daughters. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)

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August 1, 2015

Gr 10 Up-In this sequel to Paper Airplanes (Abrams, 2014), O'Porter explores topics as varied as sex, faith, and loss through an engaging story about the love best friends can have for each other even amid major life changes. The book picks up about two years after the events of Paper Airplanes, which saw teens Renee and Flo become inseparable; the girls are now in their final year of school on the small British island Guernsey. The home lives of both have improved, and the depiction of each teen's ongoing grief over losing a parent is realistic and handled well. Flo turns to religion, joining a youth group and finding peace at church. Renee, who has her own questions about faith and loss, assumes this is a "Flo fad" (Flo has taken up-and dropped-many hobbies). Further separating the friends is a relationship Renee has with a guy in his 20s; he slut-shames her ("Women can't behave like men when it comes to sex," he says), an occurrence unfortunately not dated for this book set in the 1990s. A tragedy meanwhile reminds the girls what's important, and readers are again left hoping that O'Porter writes more about the pair. This smart, touching, and often funny book will appeal to teens, especially those on the cusp of adulthood. VERDICT While it's not essential to have read Paper Airplanes in order to enjoy Goose, this book will be most appreciated by those familiar with the characters. -Amanda Mastrull, Library Journal

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