This story of first love tells of the nascent intimate relationship between narrator Liza Winthrop, the young protagonist of the story, and Annie Kenyon, whom she first encounters in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Even though Liza attends an exclusive suburban private school, Foster Academy, and Annie attends an overcrowded public school in the city, the two girls share a love of learning, museums and beautiful outdoor spaces. Despite the socioeconomic gap between them, they have much in common and begin to fall in love, although neither of them has any experience with pursuing a lesbian relationship. All goes well until the two get caught in a compromising position while housesitting for two Foster teachers—also lesbians—who have gone away for spring break. Some ugly and uncomfortable encounters ensue when Foster's administrators subject Liza to a disciplinary hearing, which means her family is informed about the incident and, therefore, her assumed sexual orientation. This novel has aged surprisingly well over the past 25 years. Contemporary readers might find some of the students and administrators at Foster Academy overly stuck-up and wooden as they overreact to Sally's setting up an ear-piercing pagoda on school property one day and treat Liza like a leper when the prying Mrs. Baxter "outs" her to the school. Unfortunately, some characters' homophobic responses may still feel familiar to gay readers, but so will the tender parts of the novel as Liza and Annie come to know and enjoy one another. Enough remainsrelevant and familiar in this novel to keep it on the YA classics list for many years to come. Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin, Ph.D.
School Library Journal
Published more than 25 years ago, Nancy Garden's moving and poignant love story (Farrar, 1982) still rings true today. Liza and Annie, both 17 and attending different high schools, meet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and fall in love. Narrator Rebecca Lowman touchingly brings their story to life as they discover each other and the harsh and confusing realities that surround them. The teens face uncertain feelings and questions about their emotional and physical relationship. Told in the third person and through letters Liza is trying to write to Annie after they both are at college, Lowman does a fine job portraying the girls' emotions as well as the stark reactions that the other characters have toward them when their relationship is discovered. With quietly distinct voices and subtle pacing that matches perfectly the unfolding of the young romance, this audiobook will stand the test of time. Listeners will be swept up by and find themselves fully immersed in the story. Margaret Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award winner Nancy Garden is featured in an interview at the end of the book. A must-have for all GLBTQ collections.
-Stephanie A. Squicciarini, Fairport Public Library, NY
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