Monday, July 5, 2010

Not Suitable for Family Viewing by Vicki Grant


The cover image on this book led me to believe it might be something like those Summer Share or Au Pair teen chick lit series. The title led me to believe it was strictly for older teens. Wrong on both counts. Lots of humour, yet not as fluffy as I expected, with an interesting 17-year-old protagonist puzzling out the mystery of her family origins. Aside from some passionate kissing and a baby born out of wedlock, it is quite chaste.

Robin is the daughter of a world-famous tv personality, Mimi Schwartz. A chance discovery of an old photo and high school ring that had been hidden in her mother's room leave Robin with questions. Mimi has never, ever mentioned Nova Scotia. When her rock-star father and his new wife forget that she is supposed to be spending some time with them, Robin decides to ditch New York City in order to investigate in the tiny fishing village of Port Minton, Nova Scotia.

(I've noticed that more Canadian authors are including ties to American locations in their books, even when they are mostly set in Canada. The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones is another example.) Anyway, this book IS suitable for family viewing, especially teen girls in Grade 7 - up who are looking for a combination of wit, romance, mystery and substance.

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