"Piper Perish is smart, fresh, and utterly engaging. Infused with a love and respect for art that shines through on every page, Kayla Cagan's debut is equal parts funny and heartbreaking. You won't put it down."-Brandy Colbert, author of Pointe and Little and Lion
"Piper Perish is smart, fresh, and utterly engaging. Infused with a love and respect for art that shines through on every page, Kayla Cagan's debut is equal parts funny and heartbreaking. You won't put it down."-Brandy Colbert, author of Pointe and Little and Lion
"After reading Piper Perish I want to start my own handwritten, doodle-filled journal full of creativity, dreams, and adventures. This book captured that excitement I felt when I was a young artist full of hope tackling a big city. If a book could be my BFF, it would be this one." -Bonnie Burton, author of Crafting with Feminism and Girls Against Girls
"After reading Piper Perish I want to start my own handwritten, doodle-filled journal full of creativity, dreams, and adventures. This book captured that excitement I felt when I was a young artist full of hope tackling a big city. If a book could be my BFF, it would be this one." -Bonnie Burton, author of Crafting with Feminism and Girls Against Girls
"A love-letter to the artistic life, filled with glamour, passion, hunger and heartbreak." - author, graphic novelist, and two-time Eisner Award Winner Hope Larson
"A love-letter to the artistic life, filled with glamour, passion, hunger and heartbreak." - author, graphic novelist, and two-time Eisner Award Winner Hope Larson
"Will embolden budding teen artists."-School Library Journal
"Will embolden budding teen artists."-School Library Journal
"A character readers will remember."-Kirkus Reviews
"A character readers will remember."-Kirkus Reviews
"Candid and thoughtful; readers will be sad to let go of Piper but eager to see what Cagan does next."-Publishers Weekly
"Candid and thoughtful; readers will be sad to let go of Piper but eager to see what Cagan does next."-Publishers Weekly
"A great read for creative adults or teenagers who are on the precipice of becoming who they're meant to be."—Read it Forward
"A great read for creative adults or teenagers who are on the precipice of becoming who they're meant to be."—Read it Forward
"Cagan tells Piper's story with amazing authenticity. soulful reading for any artistic teen with a dream."-Booklist, starred review
"Cagan tells Piper's story with amazing authenticity. soulful reading for any artistic teen with a dream."-Booklist, starred review
"Get ready for all the feels! Urgent, funny, and achingly real, Piper Perish will pull you into her artsy, messy, and love-rich world on the first page and hold you tight until the very end. The voice is so fresh and intimate you'll swear you've known Piper your whole life. I read this book on a tear and when I finished-breathless and teary and hopeful-I not only knew I'd discovered an amazing author, I also felt like I had a new friend. Stop what you're doing and go read Piper Perish now!" -Leila Howland, author of Hello, Sunshine
"Get ready for all the feels! Urgent, funny, and achingly real, Piper Perish will pull you into her artsy, messy, and love-rich world on the first page and hold you tight until the very end. The voice is so fresh and intimate you'll swear you've known Piper your whole life. I read this book on a tear and when I finished-breathless and teary and hopeful-I not only knew I'd discovered an amazing author, I also felt like I had a new friend. Stop what you're doing and go read Piper Perish now!" -Leila Howland, author of Hello, Sunshine
"There may not be another book published this year that is more perfect for artistic, complicated Cancers, who love stability yet crave adventure."—Teen Vogue
"There may not be another book published this year that is more perfect for artistic, complicated Cancers, who love stability yet crave adventure."—Teen Vogue
"A smart, complicated, emotionally mature, coming-of-age story that leaps off the page and reminds you why you ever dared to dream. Bonus points for every Houston shout-out." -Pamela Ribon, bestselling author of Notes to Boys: And Other Things I Shouldn't Share in Public
"A smart, complicated, emotionally mature, coming-of-age story that leaps off the page and reminds you why you ever dared to dream. Bonus points for every Houston shout-out." -Pamela Ribon, bestselling author of Notes to Boys: And Other Things I Shouldn't Share in Public
02/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—High school senior Piper Perish is an art monster. She and her two best friends, Kit and Enzo, find opportunities to embrace their artistic talents in just about any situation, especially when it comes to designing their own outfits. But when their collective plan to attend art school in New York City starts to fall apart, Piper must come to terms with not only her friendships but also her chaotic family life. Although the book takes place in Houston, the setting could really be anywhere-America, as Piper and crew mainly shuttle back and forth among school, one another's houses, and a local diner. Written in Piper's voice, the novel is in journal format, which results in an easy reading experience; however, entire scenes of dialogue are recorded word-for-word, making this title closer in style to Samuel Richardson's classic Pamela than Laura Amy Schlitz's The Hired Girl. Piper's email correspondence with Silas (a student already enrolled in art school) is a bright point in the narrative. Though few and far between, Silas's contributions manage to sketch out, in one case literally, New York City and college life in a way that is alluring and realistic, and his voice is a refreshing contrast to Piper's often tiresome naïveté: "I asked Mom if we were low-income." VERDICT While readers will likely give the happier-than-happy ending the side-eye, the peek into Piper's creative process (and ultimate success) will embolden budding teen artists. Consider wherever realistic fiction is popular.—Della Farrell, School Library Journal
2017-01-17
Piper Perish and her two best friends have always planned to go to art school in New York together after graduation, but now that senior year is here, nothing is coming together as envisioned. White Italian-American fashion designer Enzo, Piper's boyfriend, reveals his true sexual identity, leaving their friendship intact but fractured. African-American Kit, a budding entrepreneur, endures setbacks that make her question whether there is a role for her in the art world, bringing tension to her relationship with Piper, a white Texas teen who is uniquely talented in the visual arts. The most disruptive surprise comes when Piper's emotionally unstable older sister, Marli, moves back home, pregnant. Marli seems to suffer from an undisclosed personality disorder, and her presence puts the whole family on edge. It also creates an unanticipated financial burden that throws the feasibility of art school in New York into question for Piper. Though there are many obstacles, Piper's staccato first-person narrative is characterized by levity and hope, keeping it from feeling heavy. Piper's goal to get to New York is a balanced blend of youthful optimism and pragmatism. Amid all the chaos, she is truly an artist, with an insatiable need to create. In the interplay between adolescence and independence, a believable combination of talent, work, and luck make budding young artist Piper a character readers will remember. (Fiction. 14-18)
