Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl

Blythe, in her first book for teens, explores karma, guilt, morality, and taking responsibility for one’s actions. In 1984, 14-year-old Faye lives with her volatile and overworked mother (an immigrant from the Caribbean island of Dominica) near Prospect Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., where nice and not-so-nice neighborhoods rub shoulders. Faye and two of her friends occasionally mug “pretty, stuck-up girls with loads of extra cash in their pockets,” seeing it as a way to put them in their place. But when they rob Evelyn, an 80-year-old former film star, and injure her, Faye decides that she’s gone too far. Both lonely, Faye and Evelyn develop an unexpected friendship, connecting over Evelyn’s secrets and regrets, and the drama Faye endures with friends and at home. While Faye’s narration is strong and increasingly sympathetic as the story goes on, the plot takes some time to unfold and the dialogue can be long-winded. Still, the story provides a thoughtful glimpse of what it’s like to reevaluate one’s life at any age. Ages 12–up. Agent: Katie Shea, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Apr.)