Teen Tuesday: Stepping Off by Jordan Sonnenblick

Image: Scholastic Inc.

Stepping Off by Jordan Sonnenblick. 336 p. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., June, 2024. 9781339023175.

Teen Tuesday features Stepping Off by Jordan Sonnenblick. Sixteen-year-old Jesse Dienstag lives on Staten Island, commutes into Manhattan to attend a prestigious public school and yearns to leave the real world for his family's vacation home in Pennsylvania each summer where he teaches tennis at the local recreation center and hangs out with his two besties, Chloe and Ava, who also happen to live on the same cul de sac as Jesse. There's a wrinkle this summer though. Jesse realizes that he is in love. With both of them. If he's being honest though, he's a bit more in love with Chloe and hopes he can maintain his best friendship with Ava. Love problems aren't the only things Jesse is facing during the summer of 2019. He's devastated to learn that his parents' marriage is in trouble, though neither one addresses the issue with him. His perfect July 4th moment with Chloe and Ava is marred by tragedy, leaving Jesse and Chloe struggling to find ways to support Ava and her sister. 

Returning to the "real world" leaves Jesse stressed and his school work suffers. He also feels a bit left behind by his city best friend, Carson, who seems to have matured over the summer. Visits to Chloe and Ava don't help. As the stress builds, the pandemic hits. 

No one does male teen angst the way Jordan Sonnenblick does. Jesse is smart, self-deprecating and a bit wise beyond his years, but so dorky and cringey, yet hilarious in his romantic misadventures. My students love Jordan's books, and I know this won't sit. Stepping Off is the perfect romance for middle school readers. 

 

Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord

218 p. Scholastic Press, February 25, 2014. 9780545035330. (Review from arc received at Scholastic Preview ALAMW)

Lucy and her parents are moving household, again. This time from an apartment in Boston to a cottage on a lake in New Hampshire. Her dad is leaving on another photography assignment, again. This time, he'll be shooting endangered insects in Arizona. At the end of the summer, she'll be starting a new school, again. 

When she sees that there are children her age in the neighboring cabins, she's thrilled at the possibility of starting a new school WITH friends. Unfortunately, Nate and Megan are just here for the summer and Megan doesn't seem to keen on sharing her summer friend with Lucy.

She and Nate hit it off though, and soon she's accompanying him and his sister, Emily on Loon Patrol. Nate's grandmother, Lilah, has been recording data for a local conservation group for many years, but is no longer able to get into a kayak to get close enough to observe the loons. Lucy has never paddled a kayak, but soon finds her rhythm and enjoys the outings. She also finds many opportunities to take intriguing photographs. Each time she frames a shot, her mind is on what her dad might say or think.

When Lucy learns of a national photography contest, she's interested in participating. But when she finds out that her father is the judge, she wonders about the ethics of it. Would he dismiss her work? Would he judge it more harshly? Nate helps her with her project by making suggestions and helping to set some photos up. She wonders if he could consent to having his name on the application instead of hers. Would that be ethical? 

Lucy confronts another ethical dilemma when Nate objects to her using a photo of Lilah looking lost and frightened in the portfolio. She understands his feelings, but it's an artful shot, one that really grabs the viewer's attention. It's honest. She debates with herself about who owns the shot, her because she took it or Lilah because she's the subject. She reasons that Nate doesn't have a say, but doesn't want to jeopardize their budding friendship.

This quiet coming-of-age story doesn't have dramatic, edgy issues. It's gentle and totally relatable with deep themes - interpersonal relationships, identity, conservation, friendship and loss. Lucy is likable, introspective and arty as well as a tad competitive. Her hero-worship of her dad is becoming a bit tarnished, which is good because he's a bit of a self-centered twit. The boy-girl friendship is realistically drawn; the dialogue is authentic; and the imagery and descriptive language is lovely. The cover is gorgeous.

Give this to your thoughtful readers, your artistic readers, your readers wanting something a bit sad. They won't be disappointed.