True to Form

Publisher’s description:

In this warm and engaging novel, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Berg revisits the heroine she so lovingly brought to life in Durable Goods and Joy School.

It is 1961, and thirteen-year-old Katie is facing a summer full of conflict. First, instead of letting her find her own work for the season, Katie’s father has arranged for two less-than-ideal baby-sitting jobs — one for the rambunctious Wexler boys and another for Mrs. Randolph, a kind but elderly, bed-ridden neighbor. To make matters worse, Katie has been forcibly inducted into the “loser” Girl Scout troop organized by her only friend Cynthia’s controlling and clueless mother. A much-anticipated visit to her former home in Texas and ex-best friend Cherylanne proves disappointing. And then comes an act of betrayal that leaves Katie questioning her views on friendship, on her ability not to take those she loves for granted, and, most important, on herself.

“One thing to say about you, Katie, is that you are true. You should be proud of it, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise,” Cherylanne insists. But whether or not Katie will ever feel true to herself remains to be seen.

From the writer whose work The New Yorker calls “strong” and “timeless,” True to Form is a delicately told tale of a young girl wise beyond her years, whose growing pains finally awaken her to the clarity of forgiveness and a greater understanding of the complicated world around her. Full of the anguish and the joys of adolescence in a much more innocent time, True to Form is sure to make readers remember and reflect on their own moments of discovery and self-definition.