Title: The White Bicycle
Written by: Beverley Brenna
Series: Wild Orchid series
Publisher: Red Deer Press
Publish Date: October 30, 2012
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 216
Source: Borrowed from Library
Buy the Book: The White Bicycle
Synopsis: The White Bicycle is the third stand-alone title in the Wild Orchid series about a young woman with Asperger’s Syndrome. This installment chronicles Taylor Jane’s travels to the south of France where she spends a summer babysitting for the Phoenix family. Including flashbacks into Taylor’s earliest memories, along with immediate scenes in Lourmarin, a picturesque village in the Luberon Valley, The White Bicycle results in a journey for independence both personal and universal, told in Taylor’s honest first-person prose. (Via Amazon)
Brian’s Review: I’ve been on a kick lately of reading both new and old winners of the Michael L. Printz award. About a year ago Shaunta and I made it our mission to track down and read as many Printz books as we could find, to the point where I even made a cheat sheet list that we both carry around at all times (true story!). When the five winners of 2012 were announced, I thought two things. One, where the hell is The Fault in Our Stars (too popular?). And two, I need to read all five of these as humanly possible. Well, it’s been three months, and I’ve gotten to three of them. Not bad! I found last year’s winner In Darkness a little cold, but absolutely adored Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, easily one of my favorite three reads so far in 2013.
And now we arrive at The White Bicycle, the least publicized, the least discussed Printz Honor book this year (it currently has one single review on Amazon!). It’s a Canadian book about a girl named Taylor with Asberger’s syndrome who travels to the south of France for the summer. It’s an easy read, the kind of book that flows from one chapter to the next with ease. I was never greatly wrapped up in the narrative because the writing I felt to be almost too simple, with not a lot of depth to some of the scenes and supporting characters. But what I really enjoyed about the book was its depiction of France from a teenage girl who lives on the other side of the Atlantic. It reminded me of all the fears and joys I had when I studied abroad in Germany in 2005, and all the great memories I got out of the experience.
Taylor is a well-drawn character who acts as the first person narrator. As we delve further into her time in Paris, we get flashbacks to her early life, as well as glimpses into an unexpected she has in the second half of the book with an older woman who has a lot to teach her. I was surprised to learn that this was the third title of a series that Beverley Brenna as written, because it definitely stands alone as a complete book, I’d be curious to see what the other two books are about. In the end this was a pleasant read for a couple days but isn’t one of the Printz books that will stick in my mind very far in the future. I think teenage girls will enjoy it most. If you’re looking for a lighthearted way to spend a couple hours, you could do a lot worse than The White Bicycle.
