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Title: Keep an eye on Jennifer Donnelly
Review: She is one of the most compelling new authors out there. After reading the excellent "Tea Rose" last year, I picked up her YA novel "A Northern Light." What a great and multilayered story. Maddie is a heroine that transcends generations. She is an intelligent girl with lofty dreams and a great personality. The reader is rooting for her from the very first page and feels her sense of confinement when she realizes that her family cannot hold together without her. The book also gives a very positive picture of what it means to be an intelligent woman, and to be proud of that. Even today, teenage girls feel that intelligence is an attribute to be hidden away for fear of offending someone or becoming unpopular.It is difficult to sell a historical to a YA audience, but this title is worth the effort. We'll be seeing more of Jennifer Donnelly, and I can't wait.
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