AN Off Year

Teens who get butterflies in their stomachs just thinking about starting college will relate to Cecily, who, upon her arrival at her Kenyon College dorm, decides campus life is not for her (" âYou know, actually, I think I'm just going to go back home with you,' I told my dad, who was still trying to decipher the campus map"). What follows is her "off" year, a time she would rather spend watching TV than trading barbs with her boomerang-daughter older sister, and getting tossed into therapy by her professor father. In a candid first novel filled with funny-smart, true-to-life observations and dialogue between Cecily and her family members, Zulkey traces Cecily's coming to terms with her fears as she watches old friends move forward and regrets being left behind. Rather than giving pat solutions or clear causes for the protagonist's reluctance to begin a new life, the book remains focused on her maturing process. If her anxieties aren't completely quelled by the story's end, readers will sense that Cecily's second attempt to leave the nest will go more smoothly. Ages 14âup.

November 1, 2009
Gr 10 Up-As she is about to unlock the door to her dorm room at the start of her freshman year, Cecily Powell decides she's not ready for college. Without a word of complaint, her father drives her back to Chicago where she must live with the decision she's just madeto take some time off. But instead of traveling or seeking out new experiences, Cecily happily remains at home doing pretty much nothing. Eventually, she realizes that she must face her fears. After exploring her past and her goals for the future with the help of family, an old friend, and a couple of professionals whom her dad hires to nudge her along her way, Cecily decides it's okay to be uncertain. Zulkey addresses the anticipation and trepidation that accompany leaving home in a funny and frank way. Cecily's experiences and emotions are honest and refreshing. What is also worthy of applause is how the author avoids clichéd scenariossuch as rekindling an old romance or being rescued by a best friend. Instead, the protagonist discovers her strengths. As they watch, learn, wait, and consider what they would do in her shoes, the supporting characters in Cecily's life also grow through her off year."Kimberly Monaghan, formerly at Vernon Area Public Library, IL"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
Grades 9-12 Just before opening the door to her freshman year dorm room, Cecily turns around and decides to go back home. Her befuddled father lets her lead the way, and doesnt balk at the few months she spends in front of the TV at home. But eventually it becomes clear even to Cecily that she has to face her freakout and figure out the next step. What follows could likely be more helpful to prospective college-goers than the student handbook. Cecily talks to counselors, then friends and siblings about what they like and dislike about college, and finally realizes that her big hurdles are ones that many share when moving away and starting school: What if I picked the wrong school? What if no one likes me? As she grows to know herself, she also begins to really see those around her, providing readers with a full set of well-rounded characters. This is a strong, fresh-voiced first novel with definite crossover appeal to the college set who will likely be glad they made it to the other side.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
Cecily arrives at her dorm room on the first day of freshman year, turns around, and goes home. With the help of professionals and her family, she spends a year trying to find out why. Cecily's self-absorption is sometimes unlikable; however, her year of figuring herself out will validate and perhaps relieve college-bound readers' anxieties about the future.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)