cover image The Next Great Jane

The Next Great Jane

K.L. Going. Penguin/Dawson, $16.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-8037-34753

Jane Austen fan and aspiring writer Jane, 12, can’t wait to meet a published author—when bestselling romance novelist J.E. Fairfax visits her tiny Maine town, she looks forward to learning “the secret to literary success.” Unfortunately, it’s also the night of the worst hurricane in a decade, and after a series of misadventures, Jane must grapple with two unwelcome visitors: Fairfax’s irritating son, Devon, and Jane’s own screenwriter mother, who arrives suddenly from Hollywood with her new fiancé. Jane, who has always been happy living with her oceanographer father, is terrified that her mother’s sudden interest in joint custody will mean having to leave loved ones behind. To tip the scales in her father’s favor, Jane decides he needs an impressive girlfriend and schemes to set him up with Fairfax. Going (Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump!) offers a fitting depiction of life in a small coastal town—three grades share a single classroom at the small school—and shrewdly imbues her lively romantic comedy with timely discussions of natural science and climate change, as well as advice on what it takes to become a successful author. Ages 10–14. [em]Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (May) [/em]