A Little Wanting Song

Publishers Weekly

Told from alternating first-person perspectives, this musical coming-of-age story, originally published in Australia, quietly captures the private emotions of two girls. Charlie's father has completely withdrawn since the death of her mother, and after a close friendship ends, Charlie's only refuge is singing and guitar playing. In the country, where she and her father go every summer to stay with Charlie's grandparents (though her grandmother recently died), Charlie is drawn to Rose, who has shunned her in the past. But Rose, part of a tight trio with Dave and her boyfriend, Luke, is chafing miserably in her small town. When Rose gets a scholarship to a science high school in the city, she can think of only one way her mother might let her go: through Charlie. Their relationship begins on this false premise but takes both girls to new places, with Rose connecting to her own vulnerability and Charlie finding strength, as well as romance with Dave. Interspersed between the girls' chapters are the songs Charlie writes. Even secondary characters are fully realized in this touching exploration of friendship and its transformative potential. Ages 14–up. (June)

VOYA - Dotsy Harland

Charlie and her dad are spending the Christmas holiday with her grandfather in the country. Charlie is still grieving for her mother who has been dead for seven years. To make matters worse, this is also the first Christmas since the death of Charlie's grandmother. Charlie's grandfather is depressed, her dad seems distant, and her best friend Dahlia is slipping away. And Charlie does not look forward to crossing paths with Rose, Luke, and Dave, three seemingly aloof teens who live near her grandfather. But Charlie is a gifted singer and songwriter, and her music helps her cope, even though she is too shy to perform for others. Rose is completely frustrated with small town life. Even though she has laughed at Charlie in the past, she realizes that if they can become friends, Charlie could be her ticket to the city. Charlie is skeptical when Rose tries to befriend her, but the girls begin to genuinely enjoy each other's company, and Charlie even finds her first boyfriend in Dave. Though everything begins to unravel when Charlie discovers Rose's plan, all ends well when Rose convinces Charlie that their friendship is real, Charlie's dad opens up, and Charlie enters and wins the local talent show. Crowley's prose is lyrical and lovely, her characters are beautifully crafted, and her portrayal of teen life in Australia is a delight. This novel about self-exploration is told in first person with chapters alternating between Charlie and Rose. Female readers especially will enjoy this upbeat tale. Reviewer: Dotsy Harland

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Two voices alternate chapters in this aptly titled, lyrical Australian novel of unexpected friendship and self-acceptance. Charlie, a shy and lonely Melbournian, keeps her songwriting private and her thoughts to herself when spending her 16th summer in her grandfather's small town. She's always tried not to notice the snubs from the girl next door, Rose; her boyfriend, Luke; and their friend, Dave, who, Charlie notes, "hangs behind…like the backbeat to a song." This summer, however, Rose is bored and looking for a way to get to the city, and befriending Charlie might be her ticket. And then there's Dave, to Charlie, "a guy worth writing songs about." To readers he is indeed the perfect boy, ideal for a summer romance. Charlie's voice is unforgettable: every page sings with a music-related insight or metaphor: kissing him, "the stars sound like harmonicas." Rose's chapters initially are near-straight dialogue, her blunt locution showcasing her anger and ennui. But as she opens herself up to Charlie, they gain introspection and poetic phraseology: "the sky explodes around the two of us. The world is fat with color." The teens' language is also raw, but totally realistic. Give this incredible, satisfying book to fans of Sarah Dessen, Karen Foxlee, Melina Marchetta, Ellen Wittlinger—actually, give it to any teen girl who longs a little and feels too much—Australian or not.—Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

Rose is a restless, passionate science student who longs to flee the Australian bush. Charlie is a lonely singer/songwriter from Melbourne who spends the summers with her widowed father and grandfather in Rose's small town. The two girls have never been close, but when Rose wins a scholarship to a city school, she ascertains that a friendship with Charlie may expedite her escape plan. Both girls are positively altered by the relationship, which is calculated on Rose's part but soon becomes sincere. Bold Rose learns compassion, while sensitive Charlie develops a thicker skin. Each teen is also navigating a complicated romance-Rose with reckless Luke, whom she loves but would not hesitate to leave behind, and Charlie with Dave, a shy mechanic kept under his father's thumb. The dialogue is lively and realistic, and Charlie's quirky song lyrics add a pleasing poetic element to the narrative. Told in two distinct voices and replete with vivid images of ghosts, music and nature, this heartfelt, reflective novel is a natural read-alike to Jandy Nelson's The Sky Is Everywhere (2010). (Fiction. 13 & up)