by Julie Buxbaum
Delacorte Press, 2019, 306 pages, Young Adult Fiction
On Abbi Hope Goldstein’s first birthday, she became a national treasure. On that day, September 11, 2001, a picture of her holding a red balloon as she was being carried from the wreckage of the Twin Towers made national headlines. Even now, when people find out that Abbi is Baby Hope, they all feel compelled to tell her their September 11th stories. This is especially hard since Abbi lives in the town that experienced the most deaths per capita on September 11th. Looking for a chance to get away from it all, Abbi gets a summer job two counties away as a camp counselor.
When Noah Stern, aspiring comedian, head of the school newspaper, and fellow camp counselor recognizes Abbi, he sees this as his lucky break. Noah has been obsessed with the photograph of Baby Hope as long as he can remember. With Abbi’s help, he wants to find out as much as he can about all of the other people in the iconic Baby Hope photograph. But Abbi isn’t interested in revisiting the day she became Baby Hope. Noah will have to do all he can to charm himself into Abbi’s good graces.
I was really impressed with the way Buxbaum balances the elements of a light teenage romance with a heavy subject. She’s not afraid to discuss topics such as the health effects survivors of 9/11 face, or the trauma and loss that they experienced. At the same time, this book is full of the promise and possibility that new friendship and love brings. In doing so, this book becomes a great way of honoring the people who went through a horrible tragedy without becoming too depressing. But the main reason people will read this novel is because Abbi and Noah are both likeable and real (and slightly nerdy). It was fun to see their grudging friendship turn into something more.
MB
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