The Possibility of Now

November 2, 2015
All her life, Mara James has been the perfect daughter and the perfect student, winning a scholarship to a prestigious private school and staying on track to be valedictorian. Then she has a meltdown during a calculus test, an event someone tapes and shares online. Humiliated and shamed, Mara leaves San Diego to spend a semester with her biological father, a ski bum in Tahoe whom she hasn’t seen in nearly a decade. In a story about finding the delicate balance between hard work and fun, pleasing others and pleasing oneself, Culbertson (Catch a Falling Star) introduces a fragile heroine who embodies all the traits of a workaholic living for the future instead of the present. Other archetypal characters include Isabel, an Olympic hopeful with goals as lofty as Mara’s; Beck, a rich, spoiled rebel at odds with his conformist father; and laid-back Logan, who wins Mara’s heart. Anyone who has felt the pressure to be number one will empathize with Mara’s struggle to accept setbacks, move forward, and feel the joy of spontaneity. Ages 12–up. Agent: Melissa Sarver White, Folio Literary Management.

October 15, 2015
Normally at the top of the class, list-making Mara freaks out during a calculus test and travels to spend time with her dad, a former professional skier. The driven scholarship student has organized her life with the goal of becoming valedictorian of her posh, superdemanding private school. Then a video of her shrieking as she tears up all the tests she can reach goes viral. The school allows her to take a few months off but doesn't ease up on the homework. She sees the opportunity for a break in her estranged, biological father, Trick, who lives in a tiny cabin as a caretaker and works at a ski shop in Squaw Valley, near Lake Tahoe. There, she's attracted to both supermodel-handsome, rich Beck and ski bum Logan, who seems distant but volunteers to teach her to ski. As possible romance looms in the air, Mara struggles to come to terms with Trick, who has made no effort to be her father. She uncovers her parents' history and tries to recover from her breakdown but avoids therapy. Skiing is preferable to homework--maybe she could just live here? Culbertson throws enough romance and party fun into her story to keep readers engaged, but the main thrust of the story is how Mara comes to terms with who she is, what her relationship will be with her father, and discovering her real goals in life. Psychology with snow. (Fiction. 12-18)

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January 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Overachiever Mara James recently experienced her first panic attack. It happened in calculus class, and a humiliating video of the incident has gone viral. Mara leaves her competitive private school in San Diego to hide out in the slower-paced ski resort town where her father lives. In this new environment, she makes friends, explores different interests, and taps into what she really wants from life. Culbertson's choice phrasings concisely paint each scene with ease and clarity. Readers can imagine the ski slopes and coffee shops without being bombarded with superfluous details. What will further attract teens is that although the story touches on existential issues, the tone is never heavy-handed. The protagonist faces each complexity with an open-mindedness that allows readers to think for themselves about the bigger questions being asked. Mara recognizes that her obstacles are categorically first-world problems, but readers who are not as privileged will still be able to identify with her dilemma. Relentless testing, the college application process, and an unknown future are all pressures that will resonate with teens. The descriptions of snow skiing and wood-burning fireplaces make for a perfect excuse to momentarily forget about the stresses of school in preference of delving into a good book with hot cocoa in hand. VERDICT A solid read for realistic fiction addicts.-Jaclyn Anderson, Madison County Library System, MS

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2015
Grades 7-10 Junior year is intense enough without having your meltdown in calculus class caught on video and shared thousands of times online. That's one reason why superachiever Mara has decided to leave her hypercompetitive prep school in San Diego and hunker down in Tahoe for the rest of the school year. Getting to know her estranged dad is another. And so is learning to ski, upping her self-care, and kissing a cute snowboarder, all items on Mara's evolving Now List. Using her list as a springboard into new experiences that steadfast Mara might otherwise avoid, she dabbles in a life she's wholly unfamiliar withbut that unsurprisingly proves to be exactly what she needs. Culbertson (Catch a Falling Star, 2014) has once again crafted a cast of relatable teen characters and experiences and constructed a story reinforcing the idea that perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be. Both a cautionary tale against convention as well as an invitation to take uncharacteristic strides forward, this will hit close to home for many teens.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
When high-achieving Mara's breakdown during a calculus test is posted to YouTube, she escapes humiliation by fleeing to Tahoe to spend time with her heretofore minimally involved biological father. Amid the ski slopes, she reevaluates her priorities and has a brush with romance. Mara's privileged background will distance her from most readers, but themes such as excessive testing and college-prep pressures will resonate with many.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)