A Season for Fireflies

April 15, 2016
When a lightning strike robs Penny of her memory, she's given a second chance at friendship, love, and self-discovery.For Penny Berne, no place feels more like home than standing center stage, surrounded by a close-knit crew of the fellow drama geeks who've been her best friends forever--but a week before opening night the spring of her sophomore year, the white teen walks away from the show, her friends, her passion, and a chance at first love. Determined to keep the secret of her mother's depression and alcoholism, Penny shuns the spotlight and her crew for the distraction of a new friendship. For the first time, she'll play a supporting role, trading the stage for life as the No. 2 to the most popular girl in school. With her old friends no longer speaking to her and new friends that never quite feel like home, it takes a literal bolt of lightning in order for Penny to realize which role she was meant to play. Though an unfortunate jump in time forces readers to fill in the gaps in order to understand Penny's cruel behavior toward her old friends, Maizel delivers a satisfying and fairly distinctive twist on the trendy teen-amnesia novel.Cloaked in the glow of a mysterious and almost magical influx of fireflies, it's a fresh take with a familiar feel. (Fiction. 12 -16)

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June 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-Penny Berne's life seems idyllic. At home, she is the daughter of a successful inventor and event planner. At school, she is surrounded by a close-knit group of drama department friends. She is even cast as the lead in the school play opposite her close friend, for whom she harbors romantic feelings. However, Penny's life is far from ideal. Her mother has a mental illness and struggles with addiction. In an attempt to hide her problems at home, Penny quits the school play and develops an icy indifference toward her friends. For a year, the teen leads a very different life than she did sophomore year-when she wasn't consumed with her mother's problems. When disaster and lightning strike, the past year is completely wiped from her memory, and Penny must figure out who she really is. This book starts slowly, but it picks up after a few chapters, becoming a more engaging read. Descriptions of Penny's mother's mental illness and addiction are vague enough for sensitive and middle school readers. Maizel adeptly weaves facts about lightning strike victims into the story. They are absolutely fascinating and are well placed within the narrative. VERDICT A sweet and sour tale that would make a good addition to YA romance fans' summer reading lists. Give to teens who enjoy books by Katie Cotugno or Robin Constantine.-Ellen Fitzgerald, White Oak Library, Lockport, IL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017
Drama nerd Penny quit the school play and shunned her quirky friends to hide her struggles with her alcoholic mother. When a lightning strike leaves now-icy-popular-girl Penny with no memory of the past year, she has a chance to start again. Penny's mean-girl phase could be better justified, but it's otherwise an entertaining story of authentic family struggles, mended friendships, and budding romance.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)