Overview

"A teen embarks on the road trip of a lifetime in this authentic, beautifully written debut novel. Lemon grew up with Stella, a single mom who wasn't exactly maternal. Stella always had a drink in her hand and a new boyfriend every few months, and when things got out of hand, she would whisk Lemon off to a new town for a fresh beginning. Now, just as they are moving yet again, Lemon discovers that she is pregnant from a reckless encounter--with a guy Stella had been flirting with. On the verge of revisiting her mother's mistakes, Lemon struggles to cope with the idea of herself as a young unmarried mother, as well as the fact that she's never met her own father. Determined to have at least one big adventure before she has the baby, Lemon sets off on a cross-country road trip, intending not only to meet her father, but to figure out who she wants to be. Lyrical and moving prose from an original voice whose writing Judy Blume calls ""luminous"" deftly depicts the nuanced conflicts of early motherhood and the search for identity."

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9781442429208

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Reviews

Lemon's thoughts, actions and feelings are palpable, and we are tugged along with her on her journey to find out who she is--and how much the imprints of those in her past and present will affect her future. Beautiful prose and a heartfelt story. --Kathryn Erskine, National Book Award-winning author of Mockingbird

A strong first novel, Madonia's coming-of-age tale reveals both flawed and compassionate characters. -- VOYA

Lemon's thoughts, actions and feelings are palpable, and we are tugged along with her on her journey to find out who she is--and how much the imprints of those in her past and present will affect her future. Beautiful prose and a heartfelt story. --Kathryn Erskine, National Book Award-winning author of Mockingbird Beautifully told. --Kirkus Reviews A character-driven...a well-written and thought-provoking debut. --Booklist Readers will appreciate the candidness of the writing. This compelling debut novel is sure to appeal. --School Library Journal A strong first novel, Madonia's coming-of-age tale reveals both flawed and compassionate characters. --VOYA Debut novelist Madonia offers an intimate reflection on the meaning of family...[a] thoughtful story about finding an identity and a home. --Publishers Weekly The characters are complex, fully drawn people who make mistakes, change, grow, and remain likable through it all. --BCCB Kristen-Paige Madonia is a remarkable young novelist. Her writing is luminous, her voice original, and the journey she takes us on, compelling. From the first page she pulls the reader into a world of authentic characters we've never met before, characters living real and complicated lives, and she doesn't let go. Sure to appeal to both teens and adults who will want to read it again, just as I did. What a thrill to discover this talented writer. --Judy Blume

Lemon's thoughts, actions and feelings are palpable, and we are tugged along with her on her journey to find out who she is--and how much the imprints of those in her past and present will affect her future. Beautiful prose and a heartfelt story. --Kathryn Erskine, National Book Award-winning author of Mockingbird

Author Information

Kristen-Paige Madonia is the recipient of the Sewanee Writers' Conference Tennessee Williams Scholarship and the New Orleans Literary Festival/Tennessee Williams Fiction Prize. She is a graduate of the California State University, Long Beach MFA program, and her short fiction has been published in New Orleans Review, American Fiction: Best Previously Unpublished Short Stories by Emerging Writers, and Sycamore Review, among others. She has been awarded fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center, the Juniper Summer Writing Institute, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Hedgebrook Writers' Retreat, the Millay Colony for the Arts, and the Studios of Key West. She currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she teaches creative writing. Visit her at KristenPaigeMadonia.com.

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