Love and Other Foreign Words

Fifteen-year-old Josie Sheridan may have a genius-level IQ, but that doesn’t mean she understands everything. One concept she has trouble grasping is romantic love, especially when it comes to her older sister Kate’s inexplicable attraction to her nerdy librarian fiancé, Geoff. Josie is sure that Geoff is completely wrong for Kate, but persuading her sister of this truth before the wedding is proving a tall order. Meanwhile, Josie is sorting out her own relationships with the opposite sex, including her prom date, Stefan, who thinks he “could fall in love” with her; her 26-year-old sociolinguistics instructor, Ethan, on whom she has an enormous crush; and her best friend Stu, who perhaps understands her better than anyone. McCahan’s (I Now Pronounce You Someone Else) sharp-witted first-person narrative will keep readers laughing as they get acquainted with Josie, a self-proclaimed “inveterate” over-thinker. Josie’s analytical mind, singular perspective, and numerous idiosyncrasies (like her anxiety over a loose thread: “What if it doesn’t come out in one try but gets longer? What if it puckers?”) are both endearing and representative of her deeper worries. Ages 12–up. Agent: Faye Bender, Faye Bender Literary Agency. (May)