Author: Meredith Zeitlin
Year Published: 2015
Genre: YA fiction
Pages: 336
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location (my 2015 Google Reading map): Greece
FTC Disclosure: I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher for review
Summary (from the back of the book): High School sophomore Zona Lowell has lived in New York City her whole life, and plans to follow in the footsteps of her renowned-journalist father. But when he announces they are moving to Athens for six months so he can work on an important new story, she's devastated--he must have an ulterior motive. See, when Zona's mother married an American, her huge Greek family cut off contact. But Zona never knew her mom, and now she's supposed to uproot her entire life and meet possibly hostile relatives on their turf? Thanks, but no thanks.
FTC Disclosure: I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher for review
Summary (from the back of the book): High School sophomore Zona Lowell has lived in New York City her whole life, and plans to follow in the footsteps of her renowned-journalist father. But when he announces they are moving to Athens for six months so he can work on an important new story, she's devastated--he must have an ulterior motive. See, when Zona's mother married an American, her huge Greek family cut off contact. But Zona never knew her mom, and now she's supposed to uproot her entire life and meet possibly hostile relatives on their turf? Thanks, but no thanks.
Review: I read the first book in this series, Freshman Year And Other Unnatural Disasters by Zeitlin and enjoyed it so jumped a copy from the publisher of this second book. What a fun read!
Zona is an interesting character; she isn't some big rebel, but she also doesn't fall into the standard "high school girl" description. She is bright, interested in the world and writing (she wants to be a journalist after all), and she has a small circle of friends. 2 in fact. When Zona is forced to move to Greece for six months, she is crushed to leave her friends, but she quickly adapts to being there, meets nice people at her new school and enjoys exploring Athens. The positive attitude is a welcome one for YA literature!
One of my favorite parts of this book is when Zona spends two weeks on the island of Crete getting to know her dad mom's extended family (and by extended I mean 100 cousins!). They are loud, fun, eat and cook a lot, and mostly welcome her with open arms. There are those that do not, which is real and gives dimension to the visit. Zona really grows as a character during these two weeks, which is realistic and fun to read.
If you are looking for a quick, fun read (and yes, I got teary with some of the family stuff), this is the book for you!
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