Payton's life is falling apart. She just discovered the bad news that her parents had been hiding from her for a long time. Sure they always meant to tell her, but the time never was right, even though her older brothers both knew. She's gone from reveling in her brand new color coded executive deluxe day planner to not matching socks or paying attention in class and completely ignoring her parents.
Due to her take on teenage rebellion, her parents arrange for her to meet with the school guidance counselor. Not happy about this (or anything really), Payton does not look forward to meeting with the messy Ms. Callahan, but looks forward to her assignment: start a focus journal. Her focus journal will be a place where she focuses on an object to take her mind off her dad, until she is ready to talk about him. Her next class is Biology, and as Mrs. Marietta puts in another video, Payton gets to work brainstorming on the ideal "focus object".
Of course, the perfect focus object is sitting right in front of her: Sean Griswold's head. Due to alphabetical order (Griswold/ Gritas) it has always been there since about third grade, and unlike other objects it will change and be interesting to write about. Soon her best friend Jac is on assignment to help her find out all there is to know about Sean, and soon Sean is more than just the guy sitting in front of her.
Part family drama (with a sense of humor), part romance (light romance, but it's there) and part school story, Sean Griswold's Head is a great summer read for those of you looking for something light that won't make you blush. Sure it deals with "big" issues, like Payton's dad's MS and the family conflict that comes from this, but in a realistic way. Just like real life, there is drama with friends and family mixed in with the craziness and fun that is life.
Fans of realistic fiction like Jordan Sonnenblick's Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie will find Peyton's story a good read.
I'll see you @ the library!
Katie (Now reading Sarah Dessen's What Happened to Goodbye.)