After living in twelve places in eight years with her drifting mother, fourteen year old Calle Smith finds herself in Andreas Bay, California, at the start of ninth grade. Fearful of putting down roots anywhere, but armed with her song journal, she moves to her own soundtrack through a world that bounces her between the school drama crowd, a mysterious loner, and an unlikely boy who will become her first love. But it's the troubling truth Calle uncovers about the father she thought abandoned her that forces Calle to face the toughest choice of her young life.

[Read additional excerpts.]

purchase

hpp_logo

 


Songs for a Teenage Nomad

a novel by kim culbertson

What is the soundtrack of your life?


2008 Ben Franklin Award Winner:
Best New Voice in Children's/YA Fiction

Silver Medal YA Fiction: 2008 IPPY Awards

book    teacher
kims      event

rocknread

"SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD is a wonderful book. It is a high school classic reminiscent of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, only it is more appropriate for a slightly younger audience. Calle is a wonderful character and, as the reader, you want her to succeed in all areas of her life....The most unusual part of this book is that it has a great soundtrack. You are able to listen along with Calle, giving more dimension to her character and the book....This is a novel that you will want to experience over and over again, just like a great song."
-- Teensreadtoo.com 5 Star Review, Reviewed by: Becca Boland

"As if being a freshman in high school isn’t hard enough, Calle Smith has to endure a rootless life with a mother who can’t seem to settle down in one town or with one guy.  Told through a blend of prose, song lyrics, and musical references, Songs tells the story of a girl whose life resembles a random-shuffle playlist struggling to become comfortable in her own skin."
-- AzTeen Magazine, a "Book Club" selection for Jan/Feb 2008 issue

"Culbertson has crafted a world true and honest to the teenage experience, with characters you love immediately. Her storytelling reminds me of the classic teen book and movie titles of the '80s, like The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink, and I'm thrilled to be working with her on the film adaptation."
-- Loretta Ramos, MFA Producers Program, UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television

" Kim Culbertson understands me. I hear my own voice, my own confusion, pain, happiness, and self-discovery echoed through Calle's narrative. From start to finish, I relate to Calle on a level that I have never before experienced in a book."
-- Michaela, age 16, Portland, OR

   
  Designed by wittzend.com   Copyright © 2007 Kim Culbertson. All rights reserved.