Come November by Katrin van Dam - ADVISABLE

Come November by Katrin van Dam, 384 pages. Scholastic Press, 2018. $19. 

Language: PG-13 (17 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (underage drinking); Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Marina’s mom has lost her job, again.  She is so focused on the New Worlders Society and the end of the world, that a little thing like a job doesn’t seem to matter.  However, it matters to Marina, and she is trying to find a way to make sure her and her little brother, Daniel, have enough to eat and a place to live, but she doesn’t know how long she can keep this up.  When her mom tries to convince her to go to New York with her for the NWS conference, Marina agrees, not because she believes the New Worlders, but because she is hoping to meet up with her dad. He might be the only person that can help.       

I found this story to be so engaging.  I really felt for Marina, her circumstances, and why she felt she had to take care of everything on her own.  Of course, I also wondered how far the author was going to take the “end of the world” aspect, and was surprised at how anxious I was not knowing what was going to happen.  Sometimes we just don’t know the motivation of others and the author did a great job of revealing the motivation without it seeming forced. Not all aspects of the story wrap up nicely because life isn’t like that, but there is a satisfying ending. I believe this will appeal to those students that like contemporary realistic fiction.   

Reviewer: RB