YA, Why Not?: Supergirl Mixtapes by Meagan Brothers

Maria is getting her wish: she's off to spend the school year (and maybe longer) with her long estranged mother. She hasn't even seen her since a brief encounter at age 13. Now 16 and a junior, she's had a rough summer - rough enough that her dad and overly protective grandmother are willing to let her go and stay with her mom the artist.

Her memories of her mother are few and far between, but they are happy ones. Maria can't wait to experience NYC, and the life of an artist. Arriving at her mother's one bedroom apartment, where she has been relegated to the futon in the living room, she can tell things are going to be very different. Victoria (her mom) has a new boyfriend that seems to be only a few years older than Maria, and they stay out late most nights. Maria doesn't mind. She is used to taking care of herself.

That's what she tells herself anyway; artists live differently. Maybe that's why, when she starts skipping school, Victoria doesn't notice. Her grandmother does, however, and arranges for her to go to public school. Nina - her grandmother's liason - has a better idea: she will homeschool Maria. Of course, Victoria doesn't notice that either. That's when the lies start piling up. Maria meets a boy (Gram) at the record store, and falls into a lie about attending a local university, and gets invited to a party. Just a little white lie, right?

Things start spiraling out of control, slowly at first and then suddenly at a breakneck pace. Is Maria out of her depth in this huge city? The lies are starting to get her in real trouble, but she's not the only one keeping secrets.

This is Brothers' second novel, and I loved her debut Debbie Harry Sings in French. This doesn't disappoint, and includes a drool-worthy list of music references. The title refers to the mix tapes her best friend makes for her, and they pepper the novel. Some of the characters were underdeveloped, and some loose ends were unresolved. Overall a good second novel, and recommended for high school.

"I took Mom's jacket off as carefully as I could, trying not to rip the sleeve any more. Maybe my mom had already forgotten that night. Or maybe this record didn't make her as sad. She climbed through the boxes again, back to the living room, where the turntable sat on the bare floor. She took off the Talking Heads and put the Patti Smith record on. That line was playing right when I walked in. Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine," (Brothers pg. 72, 2012).