{"product_id":"speed-of-life-9781492660835","title":"Speed of Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom award winning author Carol Weston comes an uplifting, heartfelt tale of bravery and strength in the face of loss and grief, perfect for tweens, teens and adults alike.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I will eagerly place it on my daughter's bookshelf, so that she, like Sofia, can find her own resilience and voice in our painful, joyful, speeding world.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e--New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSofia lost her mother eight months ago, and her friends were 100% there for her. Now it's a new year and they're ready for Sofia to move on. But being a motherless daughter is hard to get used to, especially when you're only fourteen.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProblem is, Sofia can't bounce back, can't recharge like a cellphone. She decides to write Dear Kate, an advice columnist for \u003cem\u003eFifteen Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e, and is surprised to receive a fast reply. Soon the two are exchanging emails, and Sofia opens up and spills all, including a few worries that are totally embarrassing. Turns out even advice columnists don't have all the answers, and one day Sofia learns a secret that flips her world upside down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults - American Library Association\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA 2018 Best Children's Book of the Year - Bank Street College of Education\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2017 Best Fiction for Older Readers - Chicago Public Library\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2019-2020 Young Hoosier Book Award Longlist\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFour STARRED Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead the first page from \u003cem\u003eSpeed of Life\u003c\/em\u003e: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWARNING: This is kind of a sad story.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt least at first. So if you don't like sad stories, maybe you shouldn't read this. I mean, I'd understand if you put it down and watched cat videos instead. I like cat videos too.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen again, this book is already in your hands. It starts and ends on January 1, and I was thinking of calling it \u003cem\u003eThe Year My Whole Life Changed\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eOr Life, Death, and Kisses\u003c\/em\u003e. Or maybe even \u003cem\u003eThe Year I Grew Up\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor me, being fourteen was hard. Really hard. Childhood was a piece of cake. Being a kid in New York City and spending summers in Spain, that was all pretty perfect, looking back. But being fourteen was like climbing a mountain in the rain. In flip-flops. I hoped I'd wind up in a different place, but I kept tripping and slipping and falling and wishing it weren't way too late to turn around.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book does have funny parts. And I learned two giant facts: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumber one: everything can change in an instant--for worse, sure, but also for better.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumber two: sometimes, if you just keep climbing, you get an amazing view. You see what's behind you and what's ahead of you and--the big surprise--what's inside you.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWeston, Carol:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Carol Weston writes for all ages and has been the advice columnist at\u003cem\u003e Girls' Life\u003c\/em\u003e since 1994. Her 16 award-winning books include \u003cem\u003eSpeed of Life\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAva and Pip\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eGirltalk\u003c\/em\u003e, which came out in a dozen languages. \u003cem\u003eSpeed of Life\u003c\/em\u003e is a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, and \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e calls it funny, perceptive, and moving. Carol has been a guest on \u003cem\u003eThe View\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eToday\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOprah\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eCNN Español\u003c\/em\u003e. Her website is carolweston.com.","brand":"Sourcebooks Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50492646719762,"sku":"9781492660835","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_4acb010a-cfc8-4e47-bfb5-33d0698d9768.jpg?v=1730601060","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/speed-of-life-9781492660835","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}