Today’s post is from Youth Services Director Noreen Bernstein.
In this time of werewolves, vampires, zombies, and dystopian worlds, it is refreshing to find a teen novel about real people and a real time. Allie’s story starts in 1939 when she is living with her mother in Tennessee. Her mother is suffering from brain cancer and Allie is coping as best she can. Her neighbor Sam tries to help but Allie is not sure that she wants his assistance. Sam has a crush on Allie but she is too wrapped up in caring for her mother to care. And on one of the days she does spend time with Sam, her mother dies, leaving Allie alone and thinking that if she had been there she could have saved her mother.
Allie is adopted by Miss Beatrice in Maine. After a brief transition period, the book moves to 1943. While Allie has adapted somewhat to her new life, she still holds onto her mother, her mother’s fervent belief in atheism, and her need to keep her emotions carefully hidden. She does find friends at school, and becomes somewhat close to Miss Beatrice’s older daughter. And who returns to her life? Sam, who is visiting a relative living next door to Miss Beatrice. A new relationship begins between Allie and Sam.
The book is set against the background of World War II and includes all the emotions of teens growing up and finding their place in the world. The developing relationship between Allie and Sam, while a little predictable, rings true as does Allie’s search for the meaning of life and for a way to hold on to her late mother while learning to accept the love of Miss Beatrice and her new friends.
Interrupted is a first novel by Rachel Coker who is 16 years old and a longtime user of Williamsburg Regional Library. As a children’s librarian at WRL for many years, it is amazing to read a book written by a young lady we’ve known as a child. Seeing a library user grow up and produce a book that has been well reviewed and is well worth reading is the perfect gift for those of us at Williamsburg Regional Library.
Interrupted is a good read for younger teens as well as adults. The characters, setting, and emotions are real and many teens will identify with Allie, Sam, and the other characters.
Check the WRL catalog for Interrupted: Life Beyond Words.
Blogging for a Good Book 
This sounds like an excellent book written by a brilliant young lady. Just reading about her and her novel gives me hope for future generations. Young people need models like Rachel and her fictional characters.
I like books with a good story and a moral compass. I especially like romances that focus on healthy developing relationships as opposed to meaningless sex.
I wrote a novel in a genre similar to Rachel’s book. My novel is called “The Prince in the Tower” (a modern gothic romance) suitable for ages 15 to 95.
Congratulations to Rachel Coker for a successful writing career beginning at age 16. (My favorite novelist, Augusta Evans Wilson, also wrote her first book when she was a teenager and continued to write successful novels throughout her life.)