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Counting Backwards Laura Lascarso Books

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Counting Backwards Laura Lascarso Books

[The reviewer received a review copy/ARC from Simon & Schuster, but no other remuneration for this book review]

First, I don't usually read YA, but when one of my draft readers suggested it, I was intrigued and had an ARC sent to me. I'd seen it at Powell's, or rather the big poster they had on the window. Sure, I said, I'll check it out.

And found a tale inside that hits close to home, and by that I mean the very serious real-life things that can happen to us when we're young people, like the consequences of Taylor's auto theft. The reason Ms Lascarso's COUNTING BACKWARDS is such a gem is that it contains truths and lessons for us. Not in italics, not in silly melodrama (which is what some readers of fiction seem to expect for "emotional depth"), but in the quiet tones of Taylor's inner voice.

For instance, for me the most touching (and emotionally harrowing) scene comes right near the end, in just a few precious lines. Read it too fast and you'll miss the tremendous symbolism. No spoilers here. It has to do with a gift. And gifts, when they appear in fiction and in life, must be acknowledged. Why? Because a gift can show us another person's hopes for us, their confidence that we will throw off our blinders, make up for our blunders if we can, and perhaps even one day become the fuller, better version of ourselves the gift-giver can see but we cannot.

Taylor's journey, inner and outer, is a powerful one, and immediately recognizable as one many of us go through as teens: outsiders vs insiders, the powers of institutions (such as the "boarding school") in shaping our personalities, the way families struggle to help kids in trouble and how we are defined by our reactions to crises such as Taylor's.

Ms Lascarso is one emerging writer who will stand the test of time, because she knows that STORY is what matters in fiction, whatever the genre. The story is there in COUNTING BACKWARDS.

Now I hear Ms Lascarso is working on a new book. That makes me very happy.


Tags : Amazon.com: Counting Backwards (9781442406902): Laura Lascarso: Books,Laura Lascarso,Counting Backwards,Atheneum Books for Young Readers,1442406909,Social Themes - Depression,Social Themes - General,Social Themes - Runaways,Boarding schools,Boarding schools;Fiction.,Family problems,Schools,Schools;Fiction.,Self-control,Self-control;Fiction.,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12),Family & home stories (Children's Teenage),Family - General,Fiction,Fiction-General,JUVENILE,JUVENILE FICTION Love & Romance,JUVENILE FICTION Social Themes Depression & Mental Illness,JUVENILE FICTION Social Themes General (see also headings under Family),JUVENILE FICTION Social Themes Runaways,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile FictionFamily - General (see also headings under Social Themes),Juvenile Grades 10-12 Ages 15+,TEEN'S FICTION - GENERAL,United States,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Depression,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes General (see also headings under Family),YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Runaways

Counting Backwards Laura Lascarso Books Reviews

Lascarso's novel deserved the gold medal it won in the Florida Book Awards. I downloaded the book some time ago and it got lost on my behind a bunch of travel guides. Luckily, I remembered I had bought it and went looking for it. Pitch-perfect prose and a flawless, fast-moving plot define this novel. Though pegged as a Y/A title, any adult reader will also find much to love about this book. The protagonist, Taylor, is a troubled girl you will cheer on until the final pages when you know she is going to make her way in the world. Complicated family relationships, friends, bullies, and first love combine into a memorable tale, one I would have been thrilled to teach in my high school classes.Highly recommended.
I fell in love with the main character and was very much able to relate to her. This is a beautiful story of a troubled girl who faces her fears and struggles against it but eventually grows to find herself and happiness. Loved it!
Grade C-

One Word Description Unremarkable.

After stealing a car, Taylor is sent to a juvenile therapeutic facility. She's angry, wearing her bad attitude on her forehead, intent on running the first change she gets.

Pained by her mother's alcoholism and father's coldness, Taylor is a difficult protagonist to embrace. She has almost no regard for her teachers, peers and parents. Lying comes easier than telling the truth. She wants what she wants and doesn't consider the impact of her behavior on those she considers friends.

Laura Lascarso used the clichéd script MC with bad attitude enters hospital/treatment/therapy determined not to cooperate because s/he doesn't need help. Her depiction of the facility included a lot of creative liberties that could have been avoided with some research. For instance patients participate in team meetings and are aware of their goals and objectives from the get go.

Lascarso's use of voice in Taylor's narration was the strongest quality of COUNTING BACKWARDS. I enjoyed the minor characters, although most were one dimensional.

THEMES alcoholism, mental health, anxiety, friendship, light romance, family, parents
[The reviewer received a review copy/ARC from Simon & Schuster, but no other remuneration for this book review]

First, I don't usually read YA, but when one of my draft readers suggested it, I was intrigued and had an ARC sent to me. I'd seen it at Powell's, or rather the big poster they had on the window. Sure, I said, I'll check it out.

And found a tale inside that hits close to home, and by that I mean the very serious real-life things that can happen to us when we're young people, like the consequences of Taylor's auto theft. The reason Ms Lascarso's COUNTING BACKWARDS is such a gem is that it contains truths and lessons for us. Not in italics, not in silly melodrama (which is what some readers of fiction seem to expect for "emotional depth"), but in the quiet tones of Taylor's inner voice.

For instance, for me the most touching (and emotionally harrowing) scene comes right near the end, in just a few precious lines. Read it too fast and you'll miss the tremendous symbolism. No spoilers here. It has to do with a gift. And gifts, when they appear in fiction and in life, must be acknowledged. Why? Because a gift can show us another person's hopes for us, their confidence that we will throw off our blinders, make up for our blunders if we can, and perhaps even one day become the fuller, better version of ourselves the gift-giver can see but we cannot.

Taylor's journey, inner and outer, is a powerful one, and immediately recognizable as one many of us go through as teens outsiders vs insiders, the powers of institutions (such as the "boarding school") in shaping our personalities, the way families struggle to help kids in trouble and how we are defined by our reactions to crises such as Taylor's.

Ms Lascarso is one emerging writer who will stand the test of time, because she knows that STORY is what matters in fiction, whatever the genre. The story is there in COUNTING BACKWARDS.

Now I hear Ms Lascarso is working on a new book. That makes me very happy.