Bounce by Natasha Friend

Evyn has never felt like she’s completely fit in, but she can generally make do. And she was doing just fine with her wacky father, her nerdy older brother, and her best friend Jules, but now her father is getting remarried. It’s been twelve years since Evyn’s mother died, but Evyn doesn’t want to trade what little memories she has of her mother for a woman she barely knows and that woman’s six children, not to mention a new home in an entirely new setting. It’s almost too much change for Evyn to handle at once. How’s a girl supposed to accept all this new when all she wants is for the old to be back?

Bounce is a sweet and moving coming of age story. Friend captures the awkward tween/teen years so well in Evyn’s character. Thirteen is a borderline age, when the real teenage years loom ever closer and you’re torn between wanting to stay the same forever and wishing you were much cooler. Evyn has to deal with all this, her friends trading her for popularity and her new classmates’ appearances pressuring her to change the way she dresses, in addition to an even greater change—a new family. Evyn is very resistant to this change because all the new additions to her life are too overwhelming to just take in a stride. Friend portrays this angst so realistically, and in a way readers can relate to. Readers will love Evyn and sympathize with her because of the emotional trials she faces but also because of how she learns to deal with all the changes in her life. Though Evyn responds in a childish way at first, she matures throughout the story into a more understanding young lady. This understanding and eventual acceptance is what makes Bounce so sweet. It reminds the readers that the future always holds something to look forward to.

Bounce is a good pick for any teen or tween in a rut. I recommend this novel for fans of Perfect by Natasha Friend, Class Favorite by Taylor Morris, and The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from publisher Scholastic