LitPick Review
Imagine getting sick, falling asleep, and waking up to find out an entire decade has passed in the blink of an eye. That's what happened to sixteen-year-old Floe Ryan in the new book I Was a Teenage Popsicle. Floe grew very sick very quickly, afflicted with the same horrible disease that attacked her parents, who opted to be vitrified (frozen) until a cure was found. They froze Floe also, wanting their eldest daughter to be saved too. Ten years later, Floe is thawed out. She discovers that her younger sister is all grown up and that her parents are still vitrified. While her life was suspended, it completely changed.
Opinion:
It sounds heavy, but it is actually a very light read. A comedy suitable for middle school and high school readers, Popsicle has plenty of laugh-out-loud licks. Though there are spots of science, the book is set not too far in the future and is more about family and friends than sci-fi and experiments. The book's central plot -- saving the cyrogenics center where her parents are, er, residing comfortably -- makes the story more about social action, and the main character's main concerns are fitting in, being accepted by her new classmates, and reconnecting her family. These universal themes, funny bits and hip Southern California setting are sure to make this Popsicle irresistible to teens.
