Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 to 8
Sofia 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.
Problem is, Sofia can't bounce back, can't recharge like a cellphone. She decides to write Dear Kate, an advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine, 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.
SPEED OF LIFE is the heartbreaking, heartwarming story of a girl who thinks her life is over when really it's just beginning. It's a novel about love, family, grief, and growing up.
2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults - American Library Association
A 2018 Best Children's Book of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
2017 Best Fiction for Older Readers - Chicago Public Library
2019–2020 Young Hoosier Book Award Longlist
Four STARRED Reviews
Great for parents and educators looking for:
A tale of grief, love, and what it means to grow up
"Carol Weston's perceptive, funny, and moving new novel...I laughed out loud and I teared up while reading this novel. 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."—New York Times
"A wonderful book that takes us from loss to laughter."—Richard Peck, author of The Best Man and Newbery Gold Medalist A Year Down Yonder
"You won't want to put it down. But my advice is slow down and savor this delightful book, full of cariño, funny and heartfelt, and (spoiler alert) not just for teens."—Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies and Return to Sender
Carol Weston writes for all ages and has been the advice columnist at Girls’ Life since 1994. Her 16 award-winning books include Speed of Life, Ava and Pip, and Girltalk, which came out in a dozen languages. Speed of Life is a YALSA “Best Fiction for Young Adults,” and The New York Times calls it “funny, perceptive, and moving.” Carol has been a guest on The View, Today, Oprah, and CNN Español. Her website is carolweston.com.