Stuff for the Teen Age

Who's In My Room? Reading Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando

I write this as an old person. (Ancient, even. I went away to college without a cell phone.)

If you are graduating middle or high school this year, your summer freedom and the next stage of your life probably seem about a million miles away right now. You've probably got schoolwork, friends, parents, and a hundred other things to think about before the school year ends. They do still make you kids take final exams, right? Hmm. My smarter coworkers assure me we have some books to help with that. Drop by and see us!

Roomies is written from two different points of view. EB and Lauren have never met, but they will be rooming together in the fall when they begin college in Berkeley, California. When the girls need to coordinate the move to their dorm room, they start to get involved in each other's lives through dozens of texts and emails. Each has a lot going on this summer.

In New Jersey, EB's leaving her mom and friends farther behind than she may be comfortable with, and she's not at all sure where she'll fit in either at home or at school. Lauren is just moving across the bay from San Francisco, and while she's craving privacy and a fresh start, she's also worried her huge and crazy family might forget about their oldest child off on her own. There's friend trouble, boy trouble, thrift store jackpots, beach parties and traumatic family grocery expeditions. And just when it looks like EB and Lauren will each start college with at least one good friend, things neither is ready for start to come between them.

Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando have teamed up to capture a unique part of life that lies between what you know and what happens next. It's a story for everyone ready to explore new horizons, whether you're young, old, or somewhere in the middle. It's a great spring or summer read. Even if you're a bit ancient.