Description: The friendship of a brother and sister in California, united by their love of surfing, but divided by their parents' crumbling marriage. Medina sides with the father, a doctor, Jim with the ex-model mother.
Brief description: Joy Nicholson is the author of The Tribes of Palos Verdes and The Road To Esmeralda. She lives with her husband in New Mexico, where she runs the Rancho de Chihuahua, a sanctuary for elderly and abused dogs.
Review Quotes:
The wise, funny, adolescent voice of a female Holden Caulfield, noble and honest....A vibrant book, brave and true to a young girl's voice.--Los Angeles Times
"Nicholson captures the California-coast culture...Medina shows what it's like to feel '6 million years old' way before your time." --Entertainment Weekly "An inspiring portrait of a young woman unswayed by other people's pettiness." --Mademoiselle "Impressive...captures what it is to be young, intelligent, and very alone." --US Magazine "Nicholson's evocation of character, her ability to bring Medina fully to life, makes this work. She writes with snapshot immediacy...A writer to keep in mind." --David Ulin, Salon Magazine