Leap Day

by Wendy Mass

Overview

A surprising coming-of-age story about a girl whose birthday only comes along every four years, from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Mass

The real you is who you are when no one's watching.

Soon-to-be-sixteen Josie Taylor was born on Leap Day, and today is her "fourth" birthday. Sometimes she wonders what other people are thinking, but it's the reader who gets to find out, "leaping" into the minds and viewpoints of Josie and everyone around her as she goes through her day. Birthday surprises, school play auditions, her driver's test, a scavenger hunt, and the all-important initiation at the lake - these are the things that define Josie Taylor today. But what defines her tomorrow and in the days to come are the people that touch her life at every moment.

A fascinating, surprising novel, Leap Day is full of everyday imaginations and truths in the life and future of one everygirl teenager.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316058285
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/06/2006
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.59(d)
Lexile:	790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Wendy Mass is the New York Times bestselling author of The Candymakers, Pi in the Sky, Every Soul a Star, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, and A Mango-Shaped Space.

Editorial Reviews

Josie's 16th birthday is also her fourth birthday: she is a "leaper," born on February 29th, and she revels in the quadrennial recurrence of her natal day. This offering's action occurs entirely on Leap Day, advancing in timed increments over the course of the day, each chapter divided into two narratives. Leading off each chapter is Josie's breezily ingenuous first-person account, which reflects the monumental narcissism of adolescents. The "B" side of each chapter relates events as they run concurrent with Josie's own account, but in a roving third-person narration that illuminates the characters around Josie. Both very little and a great deal happen in this recounting: Josie turns 16 and tries out for a play-and her father finds his life's calling, and a classmate gives birth. It's a fairly risky construction: Josie is agreeable enough, but aside from her birthday, she's not particularly interesting; it's the other stories that swirl around Josie's that give both the story, and ultimately even Josie herself as she becomes aware of them, real depth. (Fiction. 12+)

Kirkus

Gr 7-9-Today is Josie's 16th birthday, but because it is February 29th, it's really only her 4th "official" birthday. She wears her "The Few, The Proud, The Leapers" T-shirt and checks in with many of her e-mail leapmates from around the country. Her family and friends make a big deal of her "last" teenage birthday. In the meantime, Josie has a lot on her mind, including the tryouts for Romeo and Juliet, her driver's test, and, of course, hunky Grant Brawner. Josie's first-person narration, laced with touches of humor, is reminiscent of Alice's in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's series (Atheneum), but Mass finds a special depth by augmenting Josie's chapters with third-person accounts of many of the same scenes in which readers learn what the teen's friends, family, and teachers are thinking and doing. Some of them are as superficial as Josie perceives, but most have complex stories and secrets far beyond what she could ever imagine. Mass also uses these chapters to comment on the characters' futures, such as the abusive and alcoholic father of a friend who readers are told will one day cause an accident, paralyze a motorcyclist, and never drink again. The style is unusual and interesting, but a little cluttered and slows down the plot. However, Josie remains spunky and good-hearted throughout the eventful day, and most of the other characters' situations are somewhat resolved. Despite the uneven tone, this is a good read.-Paula J. LaRue, Van Wert City Schools, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

As a “leaper,” Josie Taylor is turning 16 on her fourth birthday. Listeners follow Josie, whose part is read by Julia Gibson, as she lives through her extra special day. In the second half of each chapter, read by Johanna Parker, listeners get a peek into the lives of the people around Josie. Parker’s omniscient narration of major and minor characters breathes life into the novel and creates momentum in the plot. The descriptions of life in Orlando, Florida, so near to Disney World, add texture to the story. Parker’s reading is an excellent counterpart to Gibson’s fresh, youthful performance. J.M.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

FEB/MAR 05 - AudioFile