Jackie Parker of Interactive Reader has been in the kidlitosphere since way back in 2005! That means oodles of reviews, author interviews, and YA book news from a knowledgeable source–Jackie is a Teen Librarian in the Seattle area, and she loves being able to share quality books with teens as part of her job. She's also our category organizer for Young Adult Fiction, as well as a judging panelist.
One of her recent Cybils-related posts was a combination book review and interview with Sara Zarr, author of Cybils YA Fiction finalist Sweethearts. Zarr's latest novel is the story of Jenna and Cameron, two childhood friends whose lives separated them for a few years. Now, Cameron is back in town, and Jenna is forced to face painful parts of her past that she's been trying to hide. In her interview, Jackie digs deeper into various facets of this complex novel:
Family in both of your books play an important role
– especially father figures. It's refreshing to see in Sweethearts a stepfather character who is loved as much as a biological father might be.
To read more about this book, straight from the author's mouth, click here.