June 15, 2015
Madeline Whittier, a biracial 18-year-old, has severe combined immunodeficiency, a rare condition that renders her allergic to nearly everything and requires her to live inside a carefully sealed environment. Madeline’s contact is limited to her physician mother and her full-time nurse, until handsome Olly moves in next door. Madeline falls for him from her window and begins disobeying the rules that keep her from the outside world. Despite the serious dangers posed by Madeline’s medical condition and Olly’s violently alcoholic father, Yoon’s debut reads breezily. Many chapters consist of single, short paragraphs, as well as emails, chat exchanges, and Madeline’s pithy book reviews (of Lord of the Flies, “Spoiler alert: Boys are savages”). Yoon’s husband provides diagrams, cartoons, and other illustrations that reflect Madeleine’s claustrophobia, whimsical longings, excitement over Olly, and sense of humor. The main conflict is resolved in a few brief pages and reflects an overall tendency for things to happen a bit too easily. Even so, this is an easy romance to get caught up in. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sara Shandler and Joelle Hobeika, Alloy Entertainment.
October 26, 2015
Madeline “Maddy” Whittier, an 18-year-old, has severe combined immunodeficiency, a rare condition that renders her allergic to nearly everything and requires her to live inside a carefully sealed environment. That doesn’t stop
her from falling in love with Olly, the boy next door. Since much of the novel is told from Maddy’s point of view, reader Turpin’s versatility is on full display here, not only with Maddy and Olly but also with Maddy’s anxious, protective mother and Carla, her loving, funny nurse. Actor Daymond occasionally chimes in to read Olly’s messages to Maddy. Voice-over veterans Hillary Huber and Ann Marie Lee also appear in brief, unheralded cameos, giving voice to the parts of the story that feature other narrative devices such as journal entries, medical reports, and other kinds of text. At times, these abrupt transitions give the audiobook a disjointed feel, but Turpin’s performance is stellar. Ages 12–up. A Delacorte hardcover.