Gr 9 Up-Two voices alternate chapters in this aptly titled, lyrical Australian novel of unexpected friendship and self-acceptance. Charlie, a shy and lonely Melbournian, keeps her songwriting private and her thoughts to herself when spending her 16th summer in her grandfather's small town. She's always tried not to notice the snubs from the girl next door, Rose; her boyfriend, Luke; and their friend, Dave, who, Charlie notes, "hangs behind.like the backbeat to a song." This summer, however, Rose is bored and looking for a way to get to the city, and befriending Charlie might be her ticket. And then there's Dave, to Charlie, "a guy worth writing songs about." To readers he is indeed the perfect boy, ideal for a summer romance. Charlie's voice is unforgettable: every page sings with a music-related insight or metaphor: kissing him, "the stars sound like harmonicas." Rose's chapters initially are near-straight dialogue, her blunt locution showcasing her anger and ennui. But as she opens herself up to Charlie, they gain introspection and poetic phraseology: "the sky explodes around the two of us. The world is fat with color." The teens' language is also raw, but totally realistic. Give this incredible, satisfying book to fans of Sarah Dessen, Karen Foxlee, Melina Marchetta, Ellen Wittlinger-actually, give it to any teen girl who longs a little and feels too much-Australian or not.-Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Rose is a restless, passionate science student who longs to flee the Australian bush. Charlie is a lonely singer/songwriter from Melbourne who spends the summers with her widowed father and grandfather in Rose's small town. The two girls have never been close, but when Rose wins a scholarship to a city school, she ascertains that a friendship with Charlie may expedite her escape plan. Both girls are positively altered by the relationship, which is calculated on Rose's part but soon becomes sincere. Bold Rose learns compassion, while sensitive Charlie develops a thicker skin. Each teen is also navigating a complicated romanceRose with reckless Luke, whom she loves but would not hesitate to leave behind, and Charlie with Dave, a shy mechanic kept under his father's thumb. The dialogue is lively and realistic, and Charlie's quirky song lyrics add a pleasing poetic element to the narrative. Told in two distinct voices and replete with vivid images of ghosts, music and nature, this heartfelt, reflective novel is a natural read-alike to Jandy Nelson's The Sky Is Everywhere (2010). (Fiction. 13 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Told from alternating first-person perspectives, this musical coming-of-age story, originally published in Australia, quietly captures the private emotions of two girls. Charlie's father has completely withdrawn since the death of her mother, and after a close friendship ends, Charlie's only refuge is singing and guitar playing. In the country, where she and her father go every summer to stay with Charlie's grandparents (though her grandmother recently died), Charlie is drawn to Rose, who has shunned her in the past. But Rose, part of a tight trio with Dave and her boyfriend, Luke, is chafing miserably in her small town. When Rose gets a scholarship to a science high school in the city, she can think of only one way her mother might let her go: through Charlie. Their relationship begins on this false premise but takes both girls to new places, with Rose connecting to her own vulnerability and Charlie finding strength, as well as romance with Dave. Interspersed between the girls' chapters are the songs Charlie writes. Even secondary characters are fully realized in this touching exploration of friendship and its transformative potential. Ages 14-up. (June) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Guitar-playing city-girl Charlie summers in the small town where year-round resident Rose feels trapped. Set in Australia, the novel occasionally strains at lyricism, and the protagonists' voices aren't distinguishable enough. However, the dialogue is spry and the book's concerns--embarking on friendship, loss of a parent, longing for greener pastures--are surefire adolescent hooks. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Crowley's tale of love, loss, and betrayal in small-town Australia is built around music as a means of communication. In alternating chapters, city-girl Charlie Duskin and country-girl Rose Butler reveal their thoughts, desires, and plans. Charlie is a painfully shy but talented singer-songwriter who never performs for anyone and has always wanted to be part of Rose's circle during her frequent visits from the city. Rose longs to get away from the stifling small-town atmosphere and has won a scholarship to a prestigious high school in the city to study science. Rose sees Charlie as a ticket to a new life, while Charlie sees Rose as a friend, something she desperately needs in her dysfunctional family. Charlie's songs augment the text throughout, enhancing the already lyrical prose. Crowley captures quiet moments with aching beauty and tenderness; her empathy for teen girls recalls Deb Caletti and Sarah Dessen. Music-loving teens will appreciate Crowley's eloquent descriptions of performing and enjoying music, and how it becomes the means to express difficult messages.--Carton, Debbie Copyright 2010 Booklist