The Blog

When Britney Spears sang, I’m not a girl / …not yet a woman, she was describing precisely how half the human population feels from ages 13-17. Such wise words.

For a more nuanced treatment of the adolescent years, we recommend Nina Stibbe’s new novel “Paradise Lodge“, which tells the coming-of-age story of a 15-year-old named Lizzie Vogel. Lizzie is British and comes from an intensely chaotic family. In order to obtain a sense of stability and also some pocket money, she takes a job at a local nursing home. Light mayhem ensues. Lizzie also falls in love, is pursued by truant officers for skipping school, is possibly complicit in a death, and helps arrange a wedding.

So much action! This one is a feast for the senses, the brain, AND the funny bone. Add it to your summer—wait, no—fall reading rotation.

Tags: Britney Spears, euphemisms, moreish, Nina Stibbe, Paradise Lodge, pudding, shepherd's pie, Summer reading