Speed of Life
By Carol Weston
4/5
()
About this ebook
From award winning author Carol Weston comes an uplifting, heartfelt tale of bravery and strength in the face of loss and grief, perfect for tweens, teens and adults alike.
"I will eagerly place it on my daughter's bookshelf, so that she, like Sofia, can find her own resilience and voice in our painful, joyful, speeding world."—New York Times
Sofia lost her mother eight months ago, and her friends were 100% there for her. Now it's a new year and they're ready for Sofia to move on. But being a motherless daughter is hard to get used to, especially when you're only fourteen.
Problem is, Sofia can't bounce back, can't recharge like a cellphone. She decides to write Dear Kate, an advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine, and is surprised to receive a fast reply. Soon the two are exchanging emails, and Sofia opens up and spills all, including a few worries that are totally embarrassing. Turns out even advice columnists don't have all the answers, and one day Sofia learns a secret that flips her world upside down.
2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults - American Library Association
A 2018 Best Children's Book of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
2017 Best Fiction for Older Readers - Chicago Public Library
2019–2020 Young Hoosier Book Award Longlist
Four STARRED Reviews
Read the first page from Speed of Life:
WARNING: This is kind of a sad story.
At least at first. So if you don't like sad stories, maybe you shouldn't read this. I mean, I'd understand if you put it down and watched cat videos instead. I like cat videos too.
Then again, this book is already in your hands. It starts and ends on January 1, and I was thinking of calling it The Year My Whole Life Changed. Or Life, Death, and Kisses. Or maybe even The Year I Grew Up.
For me, being fourteen was hard. Really hard. Childhood was a piece of cake. Being a kid in New York City and spending summers in Spain, that was all pretty perfect, looking back. But being fourteen was like climbing a mountain in the rain. In flip-flops. I hoped I'd wind up in a different place, but I kept tripping and slipping and falling and wishing it weren't way too late to turn around.
This book does have funny parts. And I learned two giant facts:
- Number one: everything can change in an instant—for worse, sure, but also for better.
- Number two: sometimes, if you just keep climbing, you get an amazing view. You see what's behind you and what's ahead of you and—the big surprise—what's inside you.
Carol Weston
Carol Weston is a writer and speaker. She is the author of For Girls Only, Private and Personal, and Girltalk (Fourth Edition) as well as four Melanie Martin novels for younger readers. She's also the "Dear Carol" advice columnist of Girls' Life. Parenting says "Carol Weston gets girls" and Newsweek calls her a "Teen Dear Abby." Of For Girls Only, USA Today wrote, "There are so many dumb advice books that it's a pleasure to find one that really works." Carol has been a guest on Today, Oprah, The View, and other shows and has spoken at many schools both as an author of novels for elementary school kids as well as an advice giver for middle and high school kids. A Phi Beta Kappa Yale graduate with an M.A. in Spanish, she can give a talk at your school in English or Spanish. She now lives in Manhattan with her husband, daughters, and feisty cat Mike.
Read more from Carol Weston
For Girls Only Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to Speed of Life
Related ebooks
How to (Almost) Ruin Your Summer Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In Front of God and Everybody Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flying in a Cage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJumped Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Borrowed Wings: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Doesn't Take a Genius Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaid for It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So Done Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Apple and Rain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hound Dog True Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Starla Jean Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Salty, Bitter, Sweet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnne of Green Gables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBabysitting Nightmares: The Vampire Doll Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Categorical Universe of Candice Phee Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sophie Washington: Things You Didn't Know About Sophie Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummer of Brave Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghosted Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTo Tell You the Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5100 Days: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dog Days in the City Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Beckoners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Me Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCatch Somewhere Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beginners Welcome Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmily Out of Focus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rule of Threes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTurning Point Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Keeping It Real Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Children's Social Themes For You
Pete the Kitty Goes to the Doctor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winnie the Pooh: The Classic Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stuart Little Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dork Diaries 1: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Invisible Things Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pete the Kitty: Ready, Set, Go-Cart! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape!: An Easter And Springtime Book For Kids Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frog and Toad: A Little Book of Big Thoughts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unlocked Book 8.5 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pout-Pout Fish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Legacy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stellarlune Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Crossover: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The One and Only Bob Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Number the Stars: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Keeper of the Lost Cities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Out of My Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lodestar Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Exile Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nightfall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The School for Good and Evil: Now a Netflix Originals Movie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Graveyard Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prince Caspian: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silver Chair: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Witch of Blackbird Pond: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Neverseen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sarah, Plain and Tall: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Horse and His Boy: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Speed of Life
8 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sofia Wolfe is too aware that life can change in an instant. She knows this because her mother died suddenly from natural causes in their family's NYC apartment eight months prior. Fourteen-year-old Sofia's story begins in one January and continues to unfold in her point of view until the next January, making it one full year in her life. She struggles with grief and misses her mother terribly. Her family is now only Sofia and her OB/GYN doctor dad, and he too must overcome sorrow. In an attempt to bounce back and maybe even feel like singing again -- something in which Sofia has a special talent -- she writes to "Dear Kate" after Katherine Baird, an advice columnist for a teen magazine, makes an assembly appearance at Sofia's school. Consequences and complications arise soon after "Dear Kate" sends a reply to Sofia's e-mail. And so, for Sofia, life again turns. This book has both tender and humorous moments. It's fast-paced with an appropriate title and well-structure plot -- every chapter is a month in a year in Sofia's life -- and its teen and adult everyday-type characters serve the story nicely. It's a worthwhile read for young YA teens, yet also works for any reader who likes a story about healing and trying to overcome loss.