Though it's one of the brightest (literally and metaphorically) of literary landscapes, books set in Austin--or, for that matter, in the central time zone--are rare. This is especially true of novels about young adults; however, the fates have gifted us with a recent gem:
MY ROAD TRIP TO THE PRETTY GIRL CAPITAL OF THE WORLD by Brian Yansky (Cricket, 2003). In this journey to the self (and from Iowa to Austin), Simon’s struggling to keep things together. He’s skating the law, recently dumped, and dealing with a dad who just doesn’t understand. Overwhelmed, he hits the road to find his biological parents and wisdom about evil advertisers, scary giants, witches, ETs, friendship, nature/nurture, and, well, pretty girls. One part magic, two parts tall tale, this YA debut is one to read and remember. Ages 12-up. Yansky's novel has received tremendous attention, including nods from the Texas Institute of Letters, which honored it as the winner in the YA division, and League of Texas Writers, finalist in longer works, award programs.
