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Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Book Summary

Reviewed byPam Gelman
The summer before their junior year of high school, Naomi Porter and her best friend Will, both co-editors of the yearbook, flip a coin to see who has to retrieve an expensive camera they left out. She loses, finds the camera, and trips on the stairs. The bump on her head takes away her memories of the past four years. She no longer remembers Will, her parents' divorce, body changes since the 6th grade, her boyfriend, or her likes/dislikes as a teen.

Along the way she and her boyfriend Ace break up and she connects with the boy who found her on the steps and rode with her to the hospital. His own dark past and journey in self-discovery help jump-start a romance between them. Once Naomi reevaluates who she is, she makes important changes involving meaningful relationships in her life.

Is It Any Good?

4

Author Gabrielle Zevin has nailed this one for teens. Amnesia or not, most teens want to erase and start over at some point in adolescence. MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC allows readers to live vicariously through Naomi, who's lost four years with one spill down the stairs. As Naomi gathers clues to her past, she discovers she likes and dislikes certain things about herself. Can she go back to being that person -- does she want to?

Her reevaluation has many consequences, including better relationships with her parents and friends, and a test of those relationships. This book offers a great opportunity for young adult readers to get to know a teen character as she forges a new identity. Her evolution may inspire teens to think about their own relationships and choices and what it takes to make positive changes in their own lives.

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