JUNE 2018 - AudioFile
Khristine Hvam does a stellar narration of this young adult epistolary novel featuring a quirky, troubled teen. After Brynn’s older brother died from a drug overdose, her grades plummeted, taking her from honors courses to the applied academics classes located in the basement of her high school. When a class assignment requires her to write to a personal hero, she chooses Rachel Maddow. Saving the messages as drafts, her emails become a personal journal, describing emotional abuse from her mother and stepfather, political intrigue at school, and the aftermath of her brother’s death. Hvam’s portrayal of Brynn is spot-on, breathing life into the character’s personality. Even with the serious subject matter, Hvam delivers an engaging performance. A.L.S.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
04/16/2018
Brynn Harper, 17, a former honors student, has been relegated to the “blue room,” the place where the “applied” or academically challenged juniors go. Brynn is whip smart, but dyslexia and a difficult home life make it hard for her to excel at school. As part of an assignment to write to a “celebrity hero,” Brynn reaches out to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. Brynn sees Maddow as a fighter for truth and fairness, and she begins to write drafts of diarylike emails to her, without the intention of sending them. Things get complicated for Brynn as she finds herself challenging injustice during a school election while juggling a new romance, an ex-girlfriend who may be using her, and an increasingly dangerous home situation. In her debut novel, Kisner uses the epistolary format to portray the life of a girl who has very little parental support and is seemingly falling through the cracks at school. By writing in a first-person confessional style, Kisner allows her character to express herself with blatant honesty. She also shares other characters’ correspondence, offering additional insight into Brynn’s personality. Revealing Brynn to be an individual with realistic insecurities, biases, and complexities, Kisner playfully explores the very human manner in which a stranger like Maddow might come to feel like a friend and confidant. Ages 13–up. Agent: Catherine Drayton, InkWell Management. (June)
From the Publisher
"Kisner perfectly captures the dueling emotions of hope and hopelessness as Brynn attempts to carve out a place in an often-hostile world, weaving wry humor into some gutting looks at addiction, loss, and abandonment. Dear Rachel Maddow is the perfect book for anyone who has ever felt truly understood by a comforting, friendly face smiling at them from the TV screen." —Booklist
"This has all the hallmarks of a classic teen drama: the snooty rich-kid villain, the deceitful ex-girlfriend, the crappy stepfather, and the smartass outsider supported by a band of misfits (Brynn’s classmates). . .fans of dark humor and tough heroines will want to tune into this story of a luckless girl finally defining her own future—with or without the help of political pundits." —The Bulletin
School Library Journal
★ 06/01/2018
Gr 8 Up—Brynn Harper had a cute girlfriend and a spot on the school newspaper, both of which she loved, but she began having troubles concentrating on either after her brother died. When her teacher tells her to start writing to her hero, she chooses her ex-girlfriend's instead; Brynn isn't the type of girl to have heroes. But slowly, it morphs into something genuine and she continues to write—and not send—missives about her life to political commentator Rachel Maddow. What unfolds is a heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful tale of a struggling student who sees an injustice and steps in. She does so unwillingly, but still, she does. Brynn is realistically depicted and even though this novel is epistolary, the supporting characters are well fleshed out, too. Lacey, Brynn's tutor and best friend who is a wheelchair user, is never tokenized as a disabled sidekick and has her own arc and love interest. There are some depictions of abuse and the aftereffects of a loved one overdosing, so some may find it a hard read. It is an underdog story, not necessarily of triumph, but of perseverance against terrible odds. VERDICT A necessary purchase wherever there are teens.—Kathryn Kania, Pelham Public Library, Pelham NH
JUNE 2018 - AudioFile
Khristine Hvam does a stellar narration of this young adult epistolary novel featuring a quirky, troubled teen. After Brynn’s older brother died from a drug overdose, her grades plummeted, taking her from honors courses to the applied academics classes located in the basement of her high school. When a class assignment requires her to write to a personal hero, she chooses Rachel Maddow. Saving the messages as drafts, her emails become a personal journal, describing emotional abuse from her mother and stepfather, political intrigue at school, and the aftermath of her brother’s death. Hvam’s portrayal of Brynn is spot-on, breathing life into the character’s personality. Even with the serious subject matter, Hvam delivers an engaging performance. A.L.S.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
