Girl from Nowhere

May 15, 2020
A teen fleeing from international terrorists takes refuge in a small town in Montana. Sixteen-year-old Sophia, daughter of American diplomats, arrives in small-town Waterford, Montana, less than 48 hours after a traumatic incident inside a safe house in Tunis. Though fluent in 14 languages, an expert skier, a concert-level pianist, and a skilled survivalist accustomed to carrying a loaded pistol at all times, Sophia hasn't been to school in 18 months. However, she quickly makes friends and is intrigued by a senior boy named Aksel, whose marksmanship saves her, on the first day at school, from an attack by a grizzly bear. Aksel lives alone in a lush mountain home, his parents having died in a plane crash two years before; he confesses to remembering Sophia from seeing her inside the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. She doesn't question this coincidence, preferring to dwell at length on Aksel's stunning green eyes. But a man she vaguely recognizes seems to be stalking her. Rosenhan's debut is absolutely crammed with action, international name-dropping and intrigue, and sizzling, though PG, scenes between Sophia and Aksel. It's missing consistency, clearly defined characters, and a well-developed plot--many things happen, but not all of them make sense. Sophia's desires are never clear, and she often doesn't ask obvious questions. Neither Sophia nor Aksel are credible high school teens; they read much older. Main characters are white. Adeptly written but full of inconsistencies. (Fiction. 14-18)

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June 1, 2020
Grades 8-12 Sophia Hepworth and her diplomat parents have settled down. After a life of hopscotching countries (94), changing schools (31), learning languages (14), and dodging bullets meant for her (2), she's ready to live like a normal 16-year-old in a resort town in Montana. Just as she begins to fit in, her past is resurrected, and the combat survival training her parents drilled into her may be the only thing that will keep her alive. What should be a typical high-school romance with handsome, mysterious Aksel turns into a life-saving alliance when betrayal and secrets catapult the Hepworths back into an international game of cat and mouse with Sophia as the prize. Strong and capable, Sophia never backs down in the face of chases, kidnappings, gunplay, physical violence, and interrogation by colorful characters on a global scale. Heart-pounding international action fuels this novel at an unrelenting pace. Thoroughly different from most YA offerings, readers who are able to suspend disbelief completely will enjoy this twisting, turning thriller from beginning to end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

July 20, 2020
Growing up moving from country to country due to her parents’ diplomatic duties, Sophia Hepworth,16, is not like other girls her age: she is fluent in 14 languages, has training in various weaponry, and retains several traumatic memories. But when her parents retire to settle in the Montana ski town of Waterford, Sophia must try to fit in and make friends. Catching the eye of Aksel Fredricksen, a Waterford High senior with sharpshooting abilities who seems to be hiding something, Sophia begins to adjust to life, even as her training and sixth sense warn her that someone may be following her. As Sophia’s past catches up with her and her relationship with Aksel deepens, she begins to discover more about her parents, their true jobs, and who she really is—including her role in the machinations of an international terrorist conspiracy. Unpolished prose, gratuitous gun violence, and a plot that includes a grizzly attack and an avalanche in quick succession may deter readers, but for those who don’t mind suspending disbelief, debut novelist Rosenhan writes a fast-paced spy thriller with enough twists and turns to keep readers entertained. Ages 13–up.

July 17, 2020

Gr 9 Up-Sophia, the daughter of diplomats, has been to almost 100 countries, speaks more than a dozen languages, and knows how to defend herself with a weapon. She wants nothing more than to be an average teenager, and she finally gets the opportunity when her parents are ready to settle down in Waterford, MT. Eighteen months prior, Sophia was kidnapped by members of a dangerous Chechen terror cell, and her family has been running ever since. With the two key people dead or imprisoned, Sophia and her parents are finally safe-or so she's been told. Sophia begins to let her guard down, making friends, and falling in love. But she soon realizes that almost everything she has been told is a lie and she must once again confront those who want her dead. While the beginning of the novel focuses on Sophia trying to fit in at school and her budding romance with Aksel, the pace quickly picks up as the story develops into an international, high-stakes spy novel. Readers will figure out long before Sophia that her parents are not your typical diplomats, but the action and other twists will keep readers engaged. VERDICT Recommended for young adult collections where spy novels are popular.-Marissa Lieberman, East Orange P.L., NJ

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