Overview
Brit has had her driver’s license only 11 days when her parents drop her off to stay at her grandmother’s house for two weeks while they go on vacation. Little do they know Brit is headed for a three-state road trip with Nannie to pick up her college roommates, Florence, Aurelia, and Daisy, and bring them to their alma mater for their 65th—and most likely final—reunion.
A reluctant recruit at first, Brit is anxious as well as annoyed when she finds herself responsible for her fragile passengers. But things change as she sits behind the wheel up front and listens to “the girls” in the backseat laugh and reminisce about their 65 years of friendship. Inspired by their lifelong loyalty, Brit is willing to do whatever it takes to get the former college roommates to their reunion safely.
From bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney, a heartwarming look at friendship, both young and old.
Sixteen-year-old Brittany acts as chauffeur for her grandmother and three other eighty-plus-year-old women going to what is supposedly their college reunion, on a long drive that involves lies, theft, and kidnappings.
Synopsis
Brit has had her driver’s license only 11 days when her parents drop her off to stay at her grandmother’s house for two weeks while they go on vacation. Little do they know Brit is headed for a three-state road trip with Nannie to pick up her college roommates, Florence, Aurelia, and Daisy, and bring them to their alma mater for their 65th—and most likely final—reunion.
A reluctant recruit at first, Brit is anxious as well as annoyed when she finds herself responsible for her fragile passengers. But things change as she sits behind the wheel up front and listens to “the girls” in the backseat laugh and reminisce about their 65 years of friendship. Inspired by their lifelong loyalty, Brit is willing to do whatever it takes to get the former college roommates to their reunion safely.
From bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney, a heartwarming look at friendship, both young and old.
From the Hardcover edition.
Publishers Weekly
Cooney's (Code Orange) latest novel accelerates from 0-60 in its first three pages, when Brittany is put in the driver's seat (literally) of a wild scheme masterminded by her normally placid grandmother. Nannie is determined to attend her 65th college reunion in Maine but unable to drive the minivan she has rented. After picking up Nannie's former college roommate Flo, the three then "kidnap" another college roommate, Aurelia, from the nursing home to which her "dreadful wicked son," Aston, has committed her. A novice driver who has had her license for less than two weeks, Brit soon finds herself chauffeuring her 86-year-old passengers along highways from Connecticut to Long Island and on to Massachusetts, along the way accomplishing such feats as backing up, parallel parking, and even driving onto and off of a ferry. Moral support comes from an unexpected source: Brit's long-time crush, Cooper, who has spent the past six months acting distant, but whose frequent cell phone calls to her indicate a different set of feelings. The novel's pacing is well above the speed limit, and Aston turns out to be a formidable villain whose presence lends some urgency to the thoroughly enjoyable novice-driver slapstick. Skillfully woven through the adventure are some thoughtful and touching observations about what it means to be merging onto the highway of adulthood while a loved one's exit ramp is soon approaching. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Cooney's (Code Orange) latest novel accelerates from 0-60 in its first three pages, when Brittany is put in the driver's seat (literally) of a wild scheme masterminded by her normally placid grandmother. Nannie is determined to attend her 65th college reunion in Maine but unable to drive the minivan she has rented. After picking up Nannie's former college roommate Flo, the three then "kidnap" another college roommate, Aurelia, from the nursing home to which her "dreadful wicked son," Aston, has committed her. A novice driver who has had her license for less than two weeks, Brit soon finds herself chauffeuring her 86-year-old passengers along highways from Connecticut to Long Island and on to Massachusetts, along the way accomplishing such feats as backing up, parallel parking, and even driving onto and off of a ferry. Moral support comes from an unexpected source: Brit's long-time crush, Cooper, who has spent the past six months acting distant, but whose frequent cell phone calls to her indicate a different set of feelings. The novel's pacing is well above the speed limit, and Aston turns out to be a formidable villain whose presence lends some urgency to the thoroughly enjoyable novice-driver slapstick. Skillfully woven through the adventure are some thoughtful and touching observations about what it means to be merging onto the highway of adulthood while a loved one's exit ramp is soon approaching. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.VOYA -
Brittany Bowman has had her driver's license exactly eleven days when she is shanghaied into chauffeuring her grandmother and friends to their sixty-fifth college reunion. It is not exactly a Sunday drive, and she soon finds herself illegally piloting a rental van, kidnapping one of the "girls" from her nursing home, and then evading police and the kidnappee's son-as well as getting an eye-opening view of old age and fielding sudden attention from a formerly unfriendly crush. As the escapade spins out of control, Brittany must decide whom to believe-a possible Alzheimer's patient or a son who claims to want the best for his mother. Before Brittany decides, however, everyone shows their true colors, and Brittany and "the girls" must act fast to save their futures. Although the would-be heart of this book is friendship, the more compelling themes are loss of power and choice in old age and the dilemma of the young about how best to serve the elderly. Unfortunately Brittany's revelations come across as a message to be delivered, and eliminating her need to choose between mother and son leaves the reader feeling somewhat cheated. In addition, the frenetic endgame strains credulity, turning realistic adventure into melodrama-complete with sneering villain and last-minute rescue by charming young heroes. Still thoughtful readers may come away with more sympathy for grandparental foibles, and others will just enjoy Brittany's hapless adventure and romantic quandary. For another look at kidnapping/rescuing an elderly woman for a road trip, see Deb Caletti's Honey, Baby, Sweetheart (Simon & Schuster, 2004/VOYA August 2004).KLIATT
AGERANGE: Ages 12 to 18.To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 2006: Brittany Anne Bowman is standing at her grandmother’s house as her parents take off for a trip to Alaska. Dumped on the doorstep, or so she thinks. As it turns out, this is not going to be a dull stay--her Nannie Scott has other plans, plans that include illegal driving and kidnapping. Nannie and Nannie’s dearest friends, Flo, Aurelia and Daisy, are planning on attending their college reunion in Massachusetts, even though they no longer have driver’s licenses and Aurelia has been sent to live in an assisted living facility against her will. What’s a granddaughter to do? Join them, of course. This is a delightful romp through the generations, from white gloves and tea parties through cell phones and the Internet. But what emerges is a sense of family values, of listening to each other and of respect for both teens and the aged. Nannie and her friends are determined not to miss their 60th college reunion and though Brittany isn’t sure why, she comes to understand that the women see it as their last one together. That realization propels Brittany into the adventure as driver and kidnapper, wanting the four friends to have this opportunity. Along the way, Brittany keeps in touch with girlfriends and the crush of her life, Coop, through her cell phone and text messaging. Cooney delivers with humor the poignant interaction between young and old. Reviewer: Janis Flint-Ferguson
March 2008 (Vol. 42, No.2)