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I'm the author of 2 YA novels, SAY THE WORD (Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, March 2009)and BEFORE, AFTER, AND SOMEBODY IN BETWEEN (2007)--a Border’s Original Voice selection for August 2007; named a Book of the Week by Embracing the Child; and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, 2008.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Life sucks for fourteen-year-old Martha. Her now-sober, but completely crazy mom has moved them into a very rough neighborhood to shack up with her equally crazy boyfriend. As if putting up with these two isn’t bad enough, Martha’s terrorized on a daily basis by a bully at her new school. Her dream of becoming a professional cellist is all that keeps her sane—but even that goes up in smoke when her cello is stolen, and a desperate attempt to replace it ends in tragedy.But in an unexpected twist that would stun even Cinderella, Martha’s handed a chance to start over from scratch. Hiding her white trash past, she invents a new identity and moves in with the wealthy Brinkmans, the “normal family” she has always secretly longed for. But “normal” doesn’t mean “perfect,” because everyone has secrets…and sometimes those secrets can be even more terrible than your own.REVIEWSKirkus: “This gritty story has great appeal.”Midwest Book Reviews: “A poignant story of a girl's struggle to be some (body and to) escape dangers evolves in a complex plot highly recommended for older teens.”School Library Journal: “Martha is just a hairsbreadth away from being sucked under like so many around her. Readers will be pulling for her to beat the odds.”Publisher's Weekly: “There isn't much that doesn’t happen to Martha Kowalski, the 14-year-old protagonist in Garsee's down and dirty debut... Garsee's unwillingness to tie things up neatly lends the story realism and poignancy.”Booklist: “Fans of Mary Pearson's A Room on Lorelei Street (2005) will be a good target for Garsee's look at another troubled teen trying to escape her horrible circumstances... Teens will inevitably find Martha a compelling character and will root for her as she adapts to new challenges and a new name to fit her new environment. Readers are left with hope that Martha will always find her way.” TEENSREADTOO: “...a gritty and realistic tale of a girl trying to escape her parent's poor choices and make a life for herself. Told unflinchingly in the first person, Garsee doesn't hesitate from portraying teen violence, sex, and drug and alcohol use as the traps that they can be, but she does so with gentle humor and a compassionate eye.” RICHIE’S PICKS: “...an amazing action- and danger-filled plot-driven contemporary YA urban tale in which we find that alcoholic parents -- whether rich or poor -- can thoroughly poison their kids' lives, that it is not always easy to just say no, and that in the face of really bad stuff going down, some teens will make it to a better day while others are swallowed by the cracks.” BILDUNGSROMAN: “Jeannine Garsee's debut novel addresses abuse in various forms - alcohol, pills, verbal, physical - as well as recovery and redemption. Though no one is ever fully healed nor redeemed, that makes it all the more realistic.” VOYA: “Painfully realistic."CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: “Edgy...sure to provoke discussion and increased awareness of what many teens face daily

I'm the author of 2 YA novels, SAY THE WORD (Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, March 2009)and BEFORE, AFTER, AND SOMEBODY IN BETWEEN (2007)--a Border’s Original Voice selection for August 2007; named a Book of the Week by Embracing the Child; and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, 2008. ABOUT THE BOOK: Life sucks for fourteen-year-old Martha. Her now-sober, but completely crazy mom... More