Presley Ann Marr prefers to stay out of the spotlight. She’s a bright eighth grader, but being the smart kid rarely translates into being popular, and when Presley feels the pressure, her mind whirls into action . . . alphabetizing. Instead of a quick comeback when the popular kids poke at her, it seems all Presley can do is rearrange the letters of the insult into alphabetical order.
Presley’s refuge is her two-year-old nephew, Luke. With Luke, Presley can relax and be calm, but that doesn’t mean that the world around her is calm. In fact, it seems to be just the opposite. Presley is sure the universe is sending her some sort of message . . . she just can’t put the pieces all together.
At school, Presley deals with the pressure of student government – especially when the goofy kid in class, Conrad, nominates Presley for student president and her nerves make her tongue-tied in a very embarrassing way!
At home, Presley’s older sister is struggling with being a teenage single mom. As much as Presley, her sister, and their mom love Luke, Linda (Luke’s mom) is debating the idea of granting sole custody of Luke to his father, Ty. It’s a course of action that steals the breath from Presley.
The Twelfth of Never is a sweet coming of age story about finding the courage to be yourself and being brave enough to act even when you’re afraid. Author Brenda Ortega has a well-written young adult story that deserves a wide readership. This is a great read – a welcome change from the other books on my reading list and one that I’ll be recommending as one of my favorites of the summer.
The Girl with Book Lungs 