Candidly Cline
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A must-read for fans of Julie Murphy and Ashley Herring Blake, this queer coming-of-age story from critically acclaimed author Kathryn Ormsbee sings with heart, warmth, and hope. An ALA Rainbow Book List selection!
Born in Paris, Kentucky, and raised on her gram’s favorite country music, Cline Alden is a girl with big dreams and a heart full of song. When she finds out about a young musicians’ workshop a few towns over, Cline sweet-talks, saves, and maybe fibs her way into her first step toward musical stardom.
But her big dreams never prepared her for the butterflies she feels surrounded by so many other talented kids—especially Sylvie, who gives Cline the type of butterflies she’s only ever heard about in love songs.
As she learns to make music of her own, Cline begins to realize how much of herself she’s been holding back. But now, there’s a new song taking shape in her heart—if only she can find her voice and sing it.
“Empowering, affirming, and sweet as all get-out.” —Lisa Jenn Bigelow, author of Drum Roll, Please
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When 13-year-old Cline Alden, a white aspiring singer named after Patsy Cline and obsessed with women country vocalists, learns about a singer-songwriter workshop only 40 minutes away from her small Kentucky town, she's determined to attend, despite the prohibitive $300 fee, her single diner-waitress mother's firm no, and worry over her grandmother's advancing Alzheimer's. But landing a childcare job at a local church and securing a ride from her mother's coworker, Cline secretly begins to attend the weekly workshop, where she's paired up with Sylvie Sharpe, a 13-year-old rock fan of Mexican descent. As the two collaborate on an original song, their close, supportive friendship leads to Cline's eventual first crush and helps her find the words to tell others in her life who she is and step into her full, unapologetic self as a musician and a queer person. Ormsbee (The Sullivan Sisters) renders Cline's coming out to friends and family with honesty and care, balancing some characters' hurtful reactions, such as that of Cline's religious best friend, with others' affirming and reassuring responses, including those of family members, friends, and an acquaintance within the church. Cline's growing understanding of her mother's choices to eschew music to provide for Cline and her grandmother add another layer of moving realism to this warm and hopeful story. Ages 8–12.
