What Would My Cell Phone Do?

In this voice-driven novel, Ostow (So Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) introduces self-deprecating, exuberant, and empathetic Aggie, 16, whose parents drag her from Miami to a small town in Alaska, where her father has been offered work. "It's insane. Totalmente loco. Crazy enough that I have to wonder if we aren't all having one massive, collective hallucination," Aggie thinks. She likes junk food (a little too much), is comfortable playing second fiddle, and is annoyed by her flashy former telenovela star mother's attempts to mold her into a fashionista. Despite Aggie's doubts, she quickly makes a friend, develops a crush, and obsesses over said crush's mixed messages. When Aggie loses her cellphone, she tracks its travels by GPS and is inspired to shake her wallflower tendencies. Ostow's entertaining, over-the-top story is let down a bit by some stereotypical characterizations (especially Aggie's best friend, and her mother; Aggie's obliviousness to Duncan's being gay comes across as preposterous). But Aggie's openness gives just enough heft to this otherwise light coming-of-age tale. Ages 12%E2%80%93up. (June)