Gr 9 Up—Mary "Mim" Malone, using money from her stepmother's coffee-can savings, defiantly boards a bus from "Mosquitoland" (as she calls Mississippi) to visit her mom in Ohio. A bus wreck, a threatening encounter, a chance meet up under a bridge, a cute boy who makes her heart thump: Mim describes it all. The story skips back and forth in time, and Mim, while unflinchingly honest, sees it from her single point of view. And, she reminds readers, she is currently blind in one eye. Debut author Arnold introduces quirky and mostly believable characters, though a few seem over the top, such as the veterinarian who treats Mim's human companion. Narrator Phoebe Strole manages an array of voices, including Mim's English-accented mother, and Walt, a socially naïve Rubik's cube genius. VERDICT Listeners will appreciate Mim's wisdom, wit, and ability to produce snappy comebacks in awkward situations. Mim's sly, keenly observant narrative will appeal to fans of A.S. King's Glory O'Brien's History of the Future (Little, Brown, 2014) and John Corey Whaley's Noggin (S. & S., 2014).—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

Gr 7 Up—Mary Iris Malone, aka Mim, has moved from Cleveland to Mississippi (or Mosquitoland as Mim derisively calls it) with her father and new stepmother, who want her to forget her old life and even her mother. Mim is already struggling, but when she becomes convinced that her stepmother is keeping them apart, the teen steals money and hits the road to Cleveland to save her mother. The journey has bumps along the way—from a bus crash to unsavory characters. There are allies too, including romantic lead Beck and Walt, a homeless young man with Down syndrome. Mim grows on the trip and is forced to confront hard truths. Debut author Arnold's book is filled with some incredible moments of insight. The protagonist is a hard-edged narrator with a distinct voice. There is a lot for teens to admire and even savor-but there are also some deeply problematic elements. There's cultural appropriation: Mim uses lipstick to paint her face to soothe herself, calling it "war paint" and assuring readers that this is fine because she's "part" Cherokee. Walt's characterization veers close to stock, being only an inspiration for Mim. She and Beck have to take Walt to a veterinarian during a medical emergency. They joke that he is "kind of our pet." The revelations about Mim's mother's mental health, and her own mental health, arrive without clear foreshadowing and feel somewhat disjointed—particularly Mim's ultimate decision about her own medication. Recommended for larger collections, this is a readable, original story with strong writing, but the issues cannot be ignored.—Angie Manfredi, Los Alamos County Library System, NM