Thisbe has always wanted to be a writer.  She has filled journals with her prose, bits of stories, character names, short, character bios, all kinds of snippets. Finally she has started doing all of her writing online and has folders and folders on her desktop.

Her freshman year has not been going particularly well.  She and her closest friends are drifting apart, her parents (who BTW are writers themselves – but they don’t write FICTION) are on an extended holiday in England, which means Grandma Ed (for Edna) and her stinky dog are coming to stay. Thisbe finds she is happiest when she is alone with her words. So when her English teacher gives her an assignment about Audience (with a capital A) which is a group project, Thisbe is dismayed.  Until she learns that one of the options is to pair with a student from another school online.

Thisbe meets Iphis, who becomes her new BFF. And she learns a lot more than just about audience throughout the course of the story.  The most delightful thing about this coming of age book is Thisbe’s voice.  It is authentic; it is lyrical and often hilariously funny. Much of the book is written in journals, text speak, emails, and IMs. And since Iphis is into writing poetry, there is plenty for prose and poetry lovers alike.  Chick lit, sure.  But good.

And BTW, it is set in the PNW, an added bonus.