A Twist of Fate (The Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair) - Hardcover

Friedman, Laurie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1467785903 ISBN 13: 9781467785907

Publisher: Darby Creek Publishing, 2016

Synopsis

April is stunned when her grandma announces she has cancer. And rather than undergo difficult treatment, Gaga wants to cross an item off her bucket list: going skiing in the mountains. So she's taking the whole family to Utah! Despite their matching ski outfits, April is looking forward to time with her grandma and cousins. But tension builds as Sophie mysteriously shuts April out, Harry swoons over another skier, the aunts tiptoe around Gaga's feelings, and April faces peer pressure on the slopes. When disaster strikes, April has to try to embrace Gaga's approach: that life is what you make of it.

About this title

About the Author

Laurie Friedman is the author of the popular Mallory series, The Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair series, and many award-winning picture books. She lives in Florida.

Natasha Shaloshvili is a professional illustrator whose work has appeared in fashion magazines, on corporate websites, in outdoor ads, and in clothing prints. She lives in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Review

"At a family dinner, April's grandmother, Gaga, announces to the assembly of April's aunts, uncles, and cousins that she has an advanced stage of cancer and that she will not be undergoing chemotherapy or radiation. Instead, she wishes to live the rest of her life fully and that includes a family ski trip to Park City, Utah, which she will fund for everyone. After heated discussions between April's mother and aunts, the family decides to go. April's best friend, Sophie―whose grandfather is married to Gaga―has become moody and secretive, refusing to explain herself to April. So, while April is looking forward to the ski trip, she has some heavy-duty worries about her grandmother and about her friend. Learning to ski is a distant third.

April tells the story through journal entries and this moves the story along at a brisk pace. Character development takes a backseat to storyline; however readers of the other installments of this series will already know this family. Younger adolescents may find the book entertaining as problems are resolved quite quickly, except for the impending death of Gaga. The story focuses on relationship dynamics and facing difficulty as a young teen. For a reader who has followed April's growing up, seeing her cope with Gaga's impending death may be a comfort if the reader is also experiencing loss or trauma. Surely, the thread of this story will continue in an upcoming installment."―VOYA

(Journal)

Edition details

• Publisher: Darby Creek Publishing
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1467785903
• ISBN 13: 9781467785907
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 168
• Illustrator: Shaloshvili Natasha