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Reviewed by:
  • Starting from Here
  • Claire Gross
Bigelow, Lisa Jenn . Starting from Here. Amazon Children's, 2012. [288p]. Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-7614-6233-0 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-7614-6234-7 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 9-12.

Colby is about ready to give up on people: her girlfriend Rachel dumps her and immediately moves onto Colby's opposite (a nice Jewish guy who does well in school), her mom is dead, and her dad is a frequently absent truck driver to whom she still hasn't come out. Only her best friend, Van, can bring her out of her shell. Then she adopts Mo, a friendly but wary stray dog, and life starts to move again: the local vet becomes her mentor and surrogate parent, she develops a hesitant interest in Amelia, who writes a school paper feature on Mo, and she starts to get over Rachel. Colby's tight-knit community is both a comfort (people look out for her when her dad is away) and a pain (Rachel's new boyfriend, newly educated in LGBT issues, starts to participate in the same school organizations and online forums that have always been Colby's safe spaces). Colby's connections with other Rainbow Alliance members allow Bigelow to grapple realistically with the issues surrounding coming out from many different angles, but the book wisely keeps its focus on Colby's personal journey, which unfolds in a haze of hormones, awkwardness, and sweetness. No one is all good or bad here—even Rachel is redeemable, while Colby is hopelessly mixed-up and often a terrible friend—and the story explores real-life problems with humor, warmth, and nuance. Any animal lover will be moved by the life and companionship Mo brings to Colby's empty house, and they'll root for Colby and all of her friends as they get their lives together and prepare for a more hopeful future.

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