I like Sherrard's writing and not just because she's a Canadian. The voice of her characters is real. I haven't read free verse in a while and I quite enjoyed how fast it was to read and how much inference was required. The story isn't really about Lauren betraying her best friend although that does happen. It is mostly Lauren dealing with the death of her father and the affair that eventually comes to light. Counting Back from Nine is a Red Maple nominee for 2014, and I'm glad I read it. There are a couple places where I really connected with what she wrote.
Here is Lauren talking about her Aunt Rita.

"Aunt Rita believes tea is some kind of magic potion.
A solution for everything.
Got a tummy-ache? Tea.
Fight with your best friend? Tea.
Flunked your algebra test? Tea.

Death in the family? Tea.
My own mom used to feel similarly about tea being a magic cure all, and I enjoyed the reminder.
I also liked,
"It is ever so much easier to spot
"first"
of something
than it is a
"last."

Not a happy story, but very real in its telling. It has a place @ our library.hink she does a great job of finding just the right way to explain things. This is the first free verse book I've read (I don't even know if that's what it is called when it isn't written as prose) and I quite enjoyed how fast it was to read and how much inference was required when the story is written this way. The story isn't really about her betraying her best friend by dating her ex, although that IS one of the events that happen. I'd say the majority of the story is Lauren dealing with the death of her father and the affair that eventually comes to light. It was a red maple nominee for 2014, and I'm glad I read it. There are a couple places where I really connected with what she wrote.
Here is Lauren talking about her Aunt Rita.
"Aunt Rita believes tea is some kind of magic potion.
A solution for everything.
Got a tummy-ache? Tea.
Fight with your best friend? Tea.
Flunked your algebra test? Tea.

Death in the family? Tea

My own mom used to feel similarly about tea being a magic cure all, and I enjoyed the reminder.
I also liked, "It is ever so much easier to spot
"first"
of something
than it is a
"last."

Not a happy story, but very real in its telling. ( )

First #bookaday for summer 2013! This was a fast read like many by Sherrard, and although not a deep read, I enjoyed it. I appreciated the friendly introduction to free verse for YA readers--I know that after reading this novel, my daughter is now interested in reading more free verse and has since started reading Ellen Hopkins. ( )

Loss, love, and betrayal in this coming of age story makes for some good drama. ( )