Galley Talk: 'Same Difference'

By Laura Leonard -- Publishers Weekly, 2/19/2009

Laura Leonard of Hillsdale Public Library in Hillsdale, N.J., talks about a spring title.

Emily, a soon-to-be high school senior living in suburan, upper-middle-class New Jersey, decides to broaden her horizons by enrolling in a summer art program at a college in nearby Philadelphia. Initially Emily struggles to fit in with the other students, acknowledge her artistic talent, and balance her new friends with those who she has known for years. She is dazed by the clothes, hairstyles, and attitudes sported by her fellow art students. The individualism they exhibit is a stark contrast to her friends at home, who tend to shop at the same stores in the mall, snack at the same restuarants, and generally try to blend in. In order for her to fit in with this new crowd, she will have to begin the sometimes painful journey of self-discovery that adolescents must bear.

Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian (Scholastic, Mar.) is an especially good coming-of-age novel, for fans of Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti. The characters are interesting and believable. Vivian captures the wrenching experience that can occur as friends discover new interests and grow apart. Same Difference will speak to teens in a voice that is authentic and true.