Monday, October 26, 2009

A Little Help From My Friends by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbuilt - REVIEWED



Breaking Up Is Hard To Do was my introduction to the Miracle Girls and the wonderful writing of writing duo Anne Dayton and May Vanderbuilt. When I was offered the opportunity to review A Little Help From My Friends, I was all too eager to find out what this very unique group of teens would face during their Junior year of highschool. Zoe Fairchild and her hippie parents are the featured characters in this story, and believe me, they have a LOT going on in their lives! Zoe's faith gives her an anchor during the unexpected storms of her Junior year, but she still must deal with some very real heartaches as she discovers new things about love and relationships.


Zoe's family might be a little quirky with their vegan meals and their earthy lifestyle, but they have always been close to one another and able to depend upon each other when life made unexpected turns. As Zoe and her girlfriends begin their Junior year, all but one is sporting a great boyfriend, and they are all enjoying the feeling of moving to upperclass status. When a new student from New York makes a rather unforgettable entrance into Zoe's history class, things get interesting in a hurry! (although her history teacher alone is rather memorable!) Zoe also decides to come alongside her former teacher and counsellor who was wrongly dismissed the previous year, and that battle teaches her a great deal about friendship and loyalty.


Meanwhile, things on the homefront begin to grow a bit unusual between Zoe's parents. When her older brother returns from Colorado unexpectedly, Zoe knows that change is imminent. Her heart isn't quite prepared for the changes that begin to take place, and she determines right away that there are some things in life that are worth fighting for! With the help of her friends and a lot of prayer, Zoe must stand up for her family and for her own heart's desire in order to discover what God has for her life during this very dramatic year.


Once again, I thouroughly enjoyed my time with The Miracle Girls. Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt have a true connection with teens, and their stories would make a positive impact on any teen reading collection! I enjoyed "meeting" this great writing duo, and I'd invite you to read my interview with them here. If you have teen girls at home, or you work with the youth group, I'd strongly recommend introducing them to this series!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

ANNE DAYTON

Anne was born in San Jose, California, where she wasted her childhood playing Nintendo and watching The Facts of Life. Eventually, she went off to Princeton where she learned many important things, including how to recognize a kumquat. Four years and a useless degree later, she landed a job at Random House, where she promptly got bored and applied to graduate school, trained for a marathon, and reminisced about her days as a competitive finswimmer. A few years later, a blond guy showed up at her door with power tools and gazpacho. They live in Brooklyn. An editor by day, she enjoys bad horror movies, good cheese, and Count Chocula.

MAY VANDERBILT
May grew up in Panama City, Florida, otherwise known as the Redneck Riviera. She graduated from Baylor University in Waco, TX and went on to earn her MA in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. After living in Brooklyn for four years and working at Random House as an Assistant Editor, Vanderbilt moved to fabulous San Francisco, putting an end to her long tour of undesirable cities. May is a Southern girl who is always on the search for decent grits in the Bay Area and makes artisanal cheese at home.

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