Roadside Assistance

Title: ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
Author: Amy Clipston
Publisher: Zondervan
April 2011
ISBN: 978-0-310-71981-6
Genre: Inspirational/youth

Emily Curtis is struggling. Her mother has recently died from cancer, wiping the family out financially. Her dad was forced to lose both his home and his business, leaving them homeless. So, Emily and her dad moves in with his sister, Aunt Darlene and her perfect, rich family.

But Aunt Darlene seems to be unhappy with Emily. Em likes working on cars, and her aunt believes she should be a girly-girl, into manicures, shopping, and pink. Emily is everything but. In fact one of her first friends is another mechanic wannabe, Zander Stewart, who lives next door.

As Emily gets used to living with her aunt, things begin to bug her. Her dad seems to be shutting her out, and her aunt keeps embarrassing her by giving her hand-me-downs. How can Emily ever find her way back to the Lord, when she feels she keeps getting slapped down?

ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE is Ms. Clipston’s first nonAmish novel. It is a very well-written young adult book, a bit melancholy at times, perhaps, bringing tears to my eyes, especially with Emily’s journal entries. But it is a great book that any teenage girl will love to read.

Emily is a nontraditional young adult heroine with a hobby that is different than most teen girls, still, I enjoyed getting to know her, and I know that girls will relate to her especially with her feelings about being accepted and loved for who she is and not who they want her to be. If you are looking for a great young adult book, then ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE is a book you’ll want to read. $9.99. 282 pages.