the year of secret assignments by jaclyn moriarty

In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. But who can resist Moriarty’s biting humor? (Fiction. This story does not feel as fresh as the author’s debut, as it borrows too much from Celia, such as a variety of writing formats (letters, diaries, e-mails, guided writings in the Notebook™, etc.), a parody of lawyers instead of ad executives, and madcap adventures with equally zany resolutions. This year of letter writing not only strengthens the girls’ friendship, but also guides them to find their own resolve. It takes drastic measures, like secret assignments, to rescue Cassie from plummeting self-esteem and teach her pen pal a lesson in respect. While Emily and Lydia’s correspondence leads to romantic involvements, Cassie’s mysterious, narcissistic pen pal turns cruel. This time risk-taker Lydia, self-assured Emily, and grieving, inhibited Cassie are all matched with boys who take an interest in them, resulting in dating lessons and plenty of covert operations. Like the namesake in Moriarty’s bestselling Feeling Sorry for Celia (many clever references creep in), three more Aussie teens must establish pen pals at a rival public high school.

The year of secret assignments by jaclyn moriarty