Letters in the Attic

A crossover young adult-mainstream novel that was published to great acclaim in 2002. This is the first time in paperback. Lizzy McMann, the narrator, is a feisty 12-year-old who moves to a new town with her Mother, recently divorced, and experiences puberty and teenage love, including falling for a 13-year-old girl down the street who is dyslexic, smokes, and looks just like Natalie Wood. 

"Letters in the Attic is a gem! While coming to terms with her own budding sexuality, Lizzy poignantly and fiercely navigates the unsteady waters of her Mother's complex pursuit of love. I couldn't put the book down and cheered her on the whole way. Letters is a biting and compassionate look at the vulnerabilty of coming of age and the triumph of coming into own's own." -- Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls

"What a storyteller Bonnie Shimko is. I love it!"  -- Betty Degeneres