Alive and Well in Prague, New York

Matisse Osgood is not exactly thrilled when she finds out that, due to her father's need of relaxation because of his severe case of Parkison's disease, she is being uprooted from stylish New York City, the capital of style and sophistication and plunked down into hick town of Prague, NY, where the biggest sources of excitement are hayrides and Czech Day. City girl Matisse all but fits in at her new high school with her big-city opinions and secrets that she wants no one to ever find out, which could be hard when her mother is trying to act like everything is "just fine" and arrange Matisse's social life. While nasty rumors about Matisse and her family spread around the school faster than a virus, Matisse finds loyal friends who she can relate to and tell everything to safely. Combine that with the beautiful countryside, some great romance, and a little time of reflection and you've got one compassionate, sincere novel for YAs by up-and-coming new author Daphne Grab!

   I absolutely adored reading this beautifully-written novel. I loved Matisse's character, and how you could really get into her head and relate to her through Grab's writing. All in all, I'd recommend this fantastic and charming novel to anyone I know older than 12 years old. I can't wait to see what's next from this seemingly-talented author!