Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date.
For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now.
Narrated by Rebecca Lowman
Mariko TamakiUnabridged — 5 hours, 56 minutes
Narrated by Rebecca Lowman
Mariko TamakiUnabridged — 5 hours, 56 minutes
Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
Already Subscribed?
Sign in to Your BN.com Account
FREE
with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription
A beautiful, offbeat novel from Mariko Tamaki, co-creator of the bestselling Printz Honor and Caldecott Honor Book This One Summer
Montgomery Sole is a square peg in a small town, a girl with two moms forced to go to a school full of homophobes and people who don't even know what irony is. Her saving grace--her two best friends, Thomas and Naoki. Monty's obsessed with paranormal mysteries like ESP, astrology, superpowers, and the healing powers of frozen yogurt, but when strange things actually start happening to Monty, she realizes that the greatest mystery of all is herself. Thoughtful, funny, and honest, this book will make you want to laugh and cry over a big cup of frozen yogurt with extra toppings and your best friends at your side.
The book's vivid California-ness—avocado trees and warm air and concrete—along with Thomas's out-and-proud gayness…and Naoki's sparkly air-sprite energy reminded me a bit of Francesca Lia Block's classic '90s Y.A. novel Weetzie Bat. But Monty's voice is far more sardonic than Weetzie's…Saving Montgomery Sole has the assured tone and meandering plot of Tamaki's strange and lovely graphic novel This One Summer.
★ 01/25/2016
In a quietly assured story, Tamaki (This One Summer) introduces Montgomery Sole, the 16-year-old daughter of lesbian mothers and the president of her school’s “mystery club,” which consists of Montgomery discussing topics like ESP and healing crystals with her friends Thomas and Naoki. When a preacher from a hyperbolic, homophobic church à la Westboro Baptist moves into her small California town, Montgomery is nervous that his son, a fellow student, will single her out for having gay parents. Alongside this anxiety is her recent online purchase of the Eye of Know, a $5.99 amulet that purports to be a “portal to vision untold.” When Montgomery’s flashes of anger starting having mysterious effects on her targets, she begins to believe that the amulet might be responsible. Montgomery’s interest in the supernatural, along with her thirst to understand the unknowable, parallels her often-fruitless efforts to understand her classmates, her younger sister, and her own identity. Montgomery’s slow confrontation with reality creates a realistic, satisfying arc, and Tamaki’s economical storytelling results in dimensional characters whose struggles feel viscerally real. Ages 12–up. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (Apr.)
"As with Montgomery Sole, my life is made bearable and glorious by a Mystery Club—a group of authors who tell the truth with wit and verve and style. Mariko Tamaki is in this club. . . . She’s the coolest member." —Daniel Handler, author of Why We Broke Up
"Saving Montgomery Sole is a beautiful and eloquent book that perfectly captures the yearning for a mystery larger than ourselves." —Holly Black, author of The Darkest Part of the Forest
“A deeply satisfying, smart, and necessary kind of book. Tamaki takes a classic high school narrative and infuses it with magic, queerness, and compelling complexity.” —Kate Schatz, author of Rad American Women A-Z
"Mysticism and emotion live side by side for Montgomery Sole, a teen girl who is trying to unravel both the mysteries of the universe and of other people. I gobbled this book up in one sitting." —Kate Scelsa, author ofFans of the Impossible Life
"Mariko Tamaki treasures and tears apart the quirky, confounding, and awkwardly beautiful parts of being a teenager, lending her unique talent and authentic voice to a cast of oddballs who also happen to be our neighbors, friends, and family." —Corey Silverberg, author of Sex Is a Funny Word
"Mariko Tamaki's writing is my comfort food! Try saving Montgomery Sole, end up saving yourself.” —Raziel Reid, author of When Everything Feels Like the Movies
“A quietly assured story . . . Montgomery’s slow confrontation with reality creates a realistic, satisfying arc, and Tamaki’s economical storytelling results in dimensional characters whose struggles feel viscerally real.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Tamaki balances the story’s lighter and more intense moments through Monty’s smart, forthright first-person narration . . . Meanwhile, the well-developed and likable supporting cast raises the novel’s emotional stakes . . . Offbeat and authentic—an uncommon treat.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The characters are refreshingly diverse for YA literature, in both sexuality and race, and the conversations around religion, homophobia, and society are written as if they are a norm of Montgomery’s life—never straying into preachy or didactic territory . . . A strong addition to most school or public library YA collections.” —School Library Journal
12/01/2015
Gr 6 Up—Montgomery Sole is the older daughter of two moms, a member of her high school's Mystery Club, and a confused, sweet, sometimes moody, relatively innocent teenage girl in the small town of Aunty, CA. The teen starts using a black stone she wears called the Eye of Know to explore the unexamined intentions of the reverend, his son, and herself. The tone here is reminiscent of Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss (Dutton, 2010), but the topics and themes are closer to those found in Carol Rifka Brunt's fantastic debut, Tell the Wolves I'm Home (Dial, 2013). The characters are refreshingly diverse for YA literature, in both sexuality and race, and the conversations around religion, homophobia, and society are written as if they are a norm of Montgomery's life—never straying into preachy or didactic territory. The novel is ultimately an exploration of Montgomery's struggles with religion and her parents' sexuality—and the question of whether the two are at odds. VERDICT While the themes are mature, the writing and characters are accessible for younger middle school readers; this would make a strong addition to most school or public library YA collections.—Shalini Miskelly, St. Benedict Catholic School, Seattle, WA
Small-town life can be rough, even in easygoing California, and 16-year-old Monty Sole experiences it up close—not only as the daughter of two moms but also because of her interest in the unexplained mysteries of the world (like psychic powers). Narrator Rebecca Lowman's soft tones and youthful cadence highlight Monty's struggles to understand the high school social scene, homophobia, and the mixed messages of evangelical Christianity. Lowman's use of distinct voices for the dialogue and a change in inflection for texts and websites serves as guideposts for the listener in this coming-of-age story about learning to be comfortable with who you are and accepting the impossibility of completely eliminating intolerance. This audiobook, with its realistic portrayals of LGBTQ issues, is appropriate for all ages. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
2016-01-20
It's not easy being weird in tiny Aunty, California. Sixteen-year-old Montgomery Sole is used to being "a mystery object" to most of her high school peers. Being a Canadian with two moms and zero interest in celebrities, cars, or clothes makes her a frequent target of stupid, hurtful comments. That's probably why she loves to obsess over inexplicable phenomena like ESP, lucid dreaming, and hypnotism with her equally weird best friends, Thomas and Naoki. Neither their beloved Mystery Club nor Monty's new magic amulet (purchased online for a mere $5.99) is a sufficient distraction, however, when a famously homophobic evangelist moves into town and his son begins attending their high school. Tamaki, author of Caldecott Honor book This One Summer, illustrated by her cousin Jillian Tamaki (2014), balances the story's lighter and more intense moments through Monty's smart, forthright first-person narration. While Monty's sardonic observations about her classmates are familiar teen fare, that doesn't make them any less astute or amusing. Meanwhile, the well-developed and likable supporting cast raises the novel's emotional stakes. Readers will empathize with Monty's anger and fear when posters about saving the American family go up all around town, and Monty's ex-crush finds new ways to prove he is a bully and bigot. Offbeat and authentic—an uncommon treat. (Fiction. 13 & up)
| BN ID: | 2940171907723 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Penguin Random House |
| Publication date: | 04/19/2016 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
The excellence of April’s YA releases can best be expressed through that gif of Jonah Hill screaming, but you need to save your eyes for READING. Here are 30 new books to lose yourself in, including a dark and mystical debut from Roshani Chokshi, an (already!) award-winning feminist fantasy by Frances Hardinge, and the final […]
