Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Lila Beckwith has come a long way in the last three years. Ever since she ditched Beau, learned to tame her wild locks, befriended Carly Hollander, and landed Carly's older brother, Erik, as a boyfriend, she's been at the top of the North Valley High School social scene. And tonight she's going to secure that position.
Her parents are FINALLY, for the first time Lila can remember, going away for a few days. They are leaving Lila and her 8-year-old brother, Cooper, home alone. And Lila is throwing THE party of the year. It's the start of Christmas break and she's had everything planned to perfection for ages.
The only glitch in the problem is that before her parents leave, Lila gives Cooper such a hard time that he snoops on her computer and discovers her party plans. He tattles on her before they can leave, and Lila is totally grounded. Her parents are going to call and check in on her throughout the night, and she better answer the phone. If Lila has any hopes of getting her dream car for her 18th birthday in January, she can do nothing but agree. So the party is history, and one of her other friends jumps in and offers to have it instead.
In her misery, Lila goes and retrieves Cooper from his best friend, Tyler's, house. But when she gets there, she has to deal with her old boyfriend, Beau, Tyler's older brother. To make matters worse, Cooper and Tyler can't be found. In their house search, Lila and Beau discover an Amtrak map on the computer with a destination further north. Cooper saw an article on Santa and global warming that Lila had to study over the break, and now the two boys have taken it upon themselves to save Santa from disaster.
What ensues is a mad dash by Lila and Beau to intercept the boys on their train trip north. They only have two days to get the boys and safely return home before Lila's parents and Beau's mom discover them missing.
Reminiscent of such movies as "The Sure Thing" and even "Road Trip," the reader knows that there will be crazy adventures along the way. At the beginning, Lila can't imagine anything worse than being stuck in a car with Beau for such a long trip. But throughout the journey, Lila comes to know Beau and even herself far better than she ever expected.
As with all of Ms. Brian's works, EX-MAS will be gobbled up by teenage girls. The story is fast-paced and sweet, and just in time for this holiday season.
Lila Beckwith has come a long way in the last three years. Ever since she ditched Beau, learned to tame her wild locks, befriended Carly Hollander, and landed Carly's older brother, Erik, as a boyfriend, she's been at the top of the North Valley High School social scene. And tonight she's going to secure that position.
Her parents are FINALLY, for the first time Lila can remember, going away for a few days. They are leaving Lila and her 8-year-old brother, Cooper, home alone. And Lila is throwing THE party of the year. It's the start of Christmas break and she's had everything planned to perfection for ages.
The only glitch in the problem is that before her parents leave, Lila gives Cooper such a hard time that he snoops on her computer and discovers her party plans. He tattles on her before they can leave, and Lila is totally grounded. Her parents are going to call and check in on her throughout the night, and she better answer the phone. If Lila has any hopes of getting her dream car for her 18th birthday in January, she can do nothing but agree. So the party is history, and one of her other friends jumps in and offers to have it instead.
In her misery, Lila goes and retrieves Cooper from his best friend, Tyler's, house. But when she gets there, she has to deal with her old boyfriend, Beau, Tyler's older brother. To make matters worse, Cooper and Tyler can't be found. In their house search, Lila and Beau discover an Amtrak map on the computer with a destination further north. Cooper saw an article on Santa and global warming that Lila had to study over the break, and now the two boys have taken it upon themselves to save Santa from disaster.
What ensues is a mad dash by Lila and Beau to intercept the boys on their train trip north. They only have two days to get the boys and safely return home before Lila's parents and Beau's mom discover them missing.
Reminiscent of such movies as "The Sure Thing" and even "Road Trip," the reader knows that there will be crazy adventures along the way. At the beginning, Lila can't imagine anything worse than being stuck in a car with Beau for such a long trip. But throughout the journey, Lila comes to know Beau and even herself far better than she ever expected.
As with all of Ms. Brian's works, EX-MAS will be gobbled up by teenage girls. The story is fast-paced and sweet, and just in time for this holiday season.
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