cover image Nick and June Were Here

Nick and June Were Here

Shalanda Stanley. Knopf, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-399-55658-6

“This town wasn’t a place for beginnings,” says high school senior June. She feels constricted by her small Arkansas hometown, but she’s not sure where to head instead. Nick, her childhood friend turned boyfriend, feels that he has no choices, and his only escape is through his art. Since Nick’s father went to prison two years earlier, and his mother left town with her boyfriend, Nick has begun to follow in his father’s footsteps, stealing cars to help him and his aunt pay bills and tackle his father’s debts. When June has a mental health crisis and Nick faces a grave challenge of his own, the two confront their choices: stay and deal with the consequences, or hit the road. Alternating chapters in Nick and June’s intimate voices detail their joy, stress, and fear. Despite what may seem like a melodramatic premise, this novel by Stanley (Drowning Is Inevitable) features fully dimensional characters in realistically complex situations, and their process of making their own map for the future is inspiring. Ages 12–up. [em](Feb.) [/em]