Bassackwards

=//Bass Ackwards and Belly Up//=

All Aboard the Dream Train! By Stefanie Senior //Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain 386 pages. Little, Brown and Company, 200. $8.99//

Sophie Bushell, Kate Foster, Harper Waddle, and Becca Winsberg are best friends fresh out of high school. All of them have made plans for college in the fall, but when Harper doesn’t get accepted to NYU- the only school to which she applied- she convinces her friends that she’s taking a year off to pursue her dream of writing the “next Great American Novel.” Taking a cue from Harper, each of the girls decides to pursue her own dream: For Sophie, that means moving to L.A. and becoming a star; for Becca it’s heading off to college to ski on the Middlebury ski team for Coach Jackson Maddix; and for Kate, it means taking a trip backpacking around Europe in hopes of finding herself and her purpose. Craft and Fain have created four funny, endearing characters from completely different backgrounds and did an excellent job of portraying four girls who get along better than family. On their respective journeys, the girls encounter some turbulence with each other as well as in their own lives. Harper, still living at home, begins a romance with her recently-former English teacher; Sophie hits the Hollywood scene with a supporting role in a movie alongside one of the hottest young stars, Trey Benson, and almost gets her heart broken; Kate falls deeply and madly in love with a mysterious Swedish man named Magnus who helps her discover her true self; and Becca tries, per the request of her friends, to fall in love, while at the same time trying to prove her worth to her dream coach. Craft and Fain has given each girl a quality that will allow young girls to connect to one girl, while still having an affection for all four girls. The four unique storylines are funny and light while at the same time being accessible to girls from their teens all the way into their twenties. Also, the two authors have their own writing style that still melds together well. It is never specified which writer writes for which characters; however, a careful reader will spot the differences, but a first glance will make it incredibly difficult to tell that the book has two writers. At the same time, the writing is different enough that each character is given a unique voice. Each storyline has a common theme of self-evaluation while also trying to living in the moment. Harper, for example, is very sarcastic and doesn’t have much hope for herself; Sophie comes across as motivated, but lacking appropriate amounts of drive; Kate is extremely sheltered and seeks affection in place of the pressure her parents constantly put on her; and Becca strives for some normality in her life. This book is an inspiration for girls everywhere: Four young ladies set out on their own to discover what makes them truly happy. For example, while Kate is in Europe, she receives a list from her friends of things to do while there. “Kate looked over the list as she sipped her citron presse. Then she picked up her guidebook and slowly flipped through its frayed pages. For two weeks, the book had been her security blanket, her crutch. It had given her structure, and a sense of accomplishment each night when she checked off the things she had done and seen. But no more. Because the first thing on the list, with everyone’s initials next to it, was ‘Toss the guidebook, babe.’ From now on, Kate was on her own.” Though they come across obstacles- some big, some small- they all learn to cope and recover from any terminal damage. In this way, it becomes a great novel for budding young feminists. It shows the power that women can have on their own, so long as they have the drive to use it. This book also appeals to younger girls because it also proves that even eighteen-year-old recent high school graduates can do amazing things- without any assistance, resources, or parental support; it can even be called a coming-of-age story. The beauty of it being a bildingsroman is that each girl comes of age in her own way, and entirely separate from her friends. “’Do you think I’m a loser?’ [Harper asked]. The label was her worst fear. It’s what had driven her to lie to family and friends. Mrs. Waddle set down her masher and looked Harper in the eyes. ‘You took a bad situation and turned it into something wonderful. Into an opportunity to fulfill your dream.’ She ran a finger down Harper’s cheek. ‘Would a loser do that?’” With its quirky, witty, and sometimes heartfelt writing, Bass Ackwards and Belly Up is a perfect choice for young girls who want to pursue their dreams. This novel shows that, with the right amount of determination and just a little spunk, a woman can do anything she sets her mind to, and she can do it independently.