Outside In

Ellis (The Baby Project) crafts a thought-provoking novel about friendship and belonging. It centers around memorable 13-year-old heroine Lynn, as her home life falls apart and she seeks stability from another family. Lynn falls victim to her bohemian mother's capriciousness when she betrays her live-in boyfriend, has an affair with a married man, loses her job, and forgets to get Lynn's passport for a much-anticipated choir trip. Lynn then meets an unconventional and self-assured girl named Blossom, who saves her from choking at a bus stop. Blossom calls people like Lynn "Citizens" and herself an "Underlander," and she leads Lynn through a Vancouver she's never known, including Blossom's makeshift home in a park where she lives with her two brothers and foster father. In contrast to Lynn's typical teenage fascination with texting and clothes, Blossom and her family delight in discarded possessions, create eclectic meals, trade for goods, and exist outside the law. Though a betrayal that exposes the Underlanders is tidily resolved, the friendship between Lynn and Blossom is particularly satisfying and offers insight into materialism, family, and freedom. Ages 10%E2%80%9313. (May)