DECEMBER 2015 - AudioFile
Lindstrom’s debut introduces 16-year-old Parker, who has been blind since age 7, when she lost her mother and her sight in a car crash. Lauren Fortgang’s narration is uneven as she delivers this story, written in Parker’s voice as she copes with the recent loss of her father and the reappearance of an ex-best friend/boyfriend, Scott. She succeeds in projecting Parker’s self-assurance, which often veers into meanness, cousin Shelia’s boredom, cousin Petey’s enthusiasm, and a love-sick friend’s sobbing, overwrought longing. But missed punctuation cues make some sentences sound slightly off, and we don't hear the Australian accent Parker assigns to Scott in her text-to-sound phone software. Still, the story provides interesting insights into a strong character who is coping with a disability. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
09/21/2015
An old writing adage suggests that plot boils down to getting a character up a tree and then throwing rocks at him. In Lindstrom’s debut, the tree is high, and the rocks are jagged. Parker Grant lost her sight and her mother in a car crash; as the book opens, she’s coping with her father’s sudden death. A high school junior, Parker gets around well on her own (so much so that she runs at a nearby field in secret) and has some strict rules to keep her life manageable. Some are reasonable (warn her before touching her, don’t assume blind means stupid), some less so (no crying, no second chances). That last rule, inspired by the middle-school boyfriend who broke her heart, is tested when he reappears. The byplay between Parker and her friends is believable, and in creating a heroine whose drive for independence brings both risks and rewards, Lindstrom adds a note of complexity to his gripping depiction of how Parker learns to trust and forgive. Ages 15–up. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. (Dec.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Not If I See You First:
A Top Ten Winter 2015 Indie Next List Selection
An Amazon Best Books of December 2015 Selection
A Kirkus Best Teen Books of 2015 Selection
A 2016 CCBC Children's Choice
* "Lindstrom's immersive portrayal of the dimension Parker's blindness adds to both atypical and everyday angst imbues his protagonist with mature complexity...An unflinching exploration of trust, friendship, and grief."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Not If I See You First is thoughtful and honest, with characters that made me laugh, cry, and surprised me at every turn. It's a book I'll recommend for years to come."—Kody Keplinger, New York Times bestselling author of The DUFF and co-founder of Disability in KidLit
"Bursting with complex, lovable, and, best of all, real characters, Not If I See You First is a beautiful story about love, loss, friendship, and the difference between looking at and truly seeing. Parker Grant feels like a friend now — a friend I want to laugh with, to cry with, and especially...to run with."—Jennifer Brown, author of Hate List
"Parker Grant is unforgettable: vivid, feisty, and absolutely loveable. This book broke my heart, but left me smiling."—Fiona Wood, author of Wildlife and Six Impossible Things
"This book is fierce, funny, and honest. And get ready for some of the most likable characters you've read in years."—Deb Caletti, National Book Award Finalist
"The byplay between Parker and her friends is believable, and in creating a heroine whose drive for independence brings both risks and rewards, Lindstrom adds a note of complexity to his gripping depiction of how Parker learns to trust and forgive."—Publishers Weekly
"[Not If I See You First] possesses crackling wit, intense teen drama, and a lively pace that pulls readers in, as do the everyday details of Parker's world: spoken-word texts, clever methods of finding her way, and a guide runner who helps Parker when she considers joining the school track team. This unique coming-of-age tale is off and running from the start."—Booklist
"Characterization is fantastic-very few high school stereotypes, and lots of challenged expectations about mean girls, pretty girls, blind girls, fat girls, jocks, and coaches. Parker has just the right degree of acerbic wit to be likable even when she's bitchy, and when she falls apart, her insight into her own character is heartbreaking. And Scott?-oh, Scott, may your tribe of boys who respect boundaries and learn from mistakes increase. This will have broad appeal for readers who need to learn a thing or two about how to shepherd themselves and their friends through difficult times."—BCCB
"Lindstrom's realistic and humorous dialog breathes life into an eclectic cast of characters. Parker's relationships, including the one with herself, do not sugar-coat the mental struggles familiar to many teenagers. Readers will laugh through tears, with the novel ending on a note of hope and maturity."—School Library Connection
DECEMBER 2015 - AudioFile
Lindstrom’s debut introduces 16-year-old Parker, who has been blind since age 7, when she lost her mother and her sight in a car crash. Lauren Fortgang’s narration is uneven as she delivers this story, written in Parker’s voice as she copes with the recent loss of her father and the reappearance of an ex-best friend/boyfriend, Scott. She succeeds in projecting Parker’s self-assurance, which often veers into meanness, cousin Shelia’s boredom, cousin Petey’s enthusiasm, and a love-sick friend’s sobbing, overwrought longing. But missed punctuation cues make some sentences sound slightly off, and we don't hear the Australian accent Parker assigns to Scott in her text-to-sound phone software. Still, the story provides interesting insights into a strong character who is coping with a disability. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2015-09-16
"Rule #1: Don't deceive me. Ever.…Rule #INFINITY: There are NO second chances." Parker Grant doesn't trust surprises—her blindness intensifies them too much. After she finds her father dead of a drug overdose, she's further disoriented when her overprotective aunt and aloof cousin move in and junior year starts. Disorientation becomes dizziness when she meets Jason, who knows "how to talk to a blind girl," and it escalates to panic when she encounters Scott, the ex-boyfriend who betrayed her in eighth grade. She finds stability in running, but her outward equilibrium is maintained only by the gold stars she awards herself for not crying. Fortunately, she has her best friend, Sarah, and a no-nonsense, dark-humored outlook that she parlays into tough-love peer counseling because she can't see people flinch. But with so many changes and memories, is it enough? Lindstrom's immersive portrayal of the dimension Parker's blindness adds to both atypical and everyday angst imbues his protagonist with mature complexity. Like the Army vest covered in slogans or the colorful blindfolds she wears like a "Rorschach test," Parker's snarky bravado is not only for armor, but for input—a way to gauge other people's capacity for honesty, critical for navigating her world. Parker herself does not escape analysis (or sympathy), ultimately confronting her problems through what others reveal. An unflinching exploration of trust, friendship, and grief. (Fiction. 14 & up)
