Letting Go of Lisa

Nathan Malone has been homeschooled his whole life. He’s never spent much time with kids his own age and he’s never dated. His mother is now busy with his new twin sisters, so Nathan must enroll at the local high school for his senior year. On the first day, a girl on a motorcycle catches his eye and Nathan is excited to discover the girl is also in his English class.

Not only does Lisa ride a motorcycle to school, but she’s a loner who seems to come and go as she pleases. She doesn’t care what anybody thinks of her. Nathan is intrigued—he’s never met anyone like her or had such strong feelings. When he and Lisa finally start spending time together, he’s the happiest he’s ever been.

But Lisa has a tragic secret and, when she decides she’ll handle it herself, Nathan has to make a choice. Can he ever let go of Lisa?

Nathan Malone has been homeschooled his whole life. He’s never spent much time with kids his own age and he’s never dated. His mother is now busy with his new twin sisters, so Nathan must enroll at the local high school for his senior year. On the first day, a girl on a motorcycle catches his eye and Nathan is excited to discover the girl is also in his English class.

Not only does Lisa ride a motorcycle to school, but she’s a loner who seems to come and go as she pleases. She doesn’t care what anybody thinks of her. Nathan is intrigued—he’s never met anyone like her or had such strong feelings. When he and Lisa finally start spending time together, he’s the happiest he’s ever been.

But Lisa has a tragic secret and, when she decides she’ll handle it herself, Nathan has to make a choice. Can he ever let go of Lisa?

VOYA

Nathan Malone begins Crestwater High for his senior year. He has been homeschooled by his overprotective mother and is not particularly savvy about the opposite sex or the Machiavellian dynamics of secondary education. The highlight of his day is Mr. Fuller's creative writing class, where he sits behind the beautiful, rogue motorbike rider, Lisa Lindstrom. Lisa rebuffs Nathan's repeated attempts to get to know her better. When she begins to leave class several times during the week for parts unknown, Nathan's interest is piqued. He cuts class one day and follows her, thereby discovering her secret. McDaniel's latest addition to the adolescent romantic tragedy genre will not disappoint her legion of devotees. There are enough swoon-worthy moments and pathos to please the regular fan, plus poetry to appeal to the more literary-minded reader. In contrast to the author's typical abstinence stance of her characters, her newest novel contains a veiled reference to sexual activity. Aside from the covert copulation, this book is nothing new for McDaniel: melodrama and cloyingly sappy writing wrapped in a morbid package of teenage death. This book is the weaker of McDaniel's 2006 publications; the superior offering is Briana's Gift (Delacorte, 2006/VOYA review this issue). Fans will expect the library to carry both.

Lurlene McDaniel began writing inspirational novels about teenagers facing life-altering situations when her son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. "I want kids to know that while people don't get to choose what life gives to them, they do get to choose how they respond."