We Shall Thrive Now: and Other Stories

With subtle elegance and a spark of romance, each of the stories in this debut collection—and the original illustrations that accompany them—ask what it means to be young, and in love. Thirteen-year-old Ed struggles to understand his pregnant step-mother while spending a week at his father's house (“Love Child”). Nathan, an actor and star of his high school's rendition of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, is so distracted by his attraction to another member of the cast that he can't remember his lines (“We Shall Thrive Now”). Rosalynn is determined to get the boy she likes to notice her, but the scandalous secrets that her best friends are keeping could ruin more than just her chances (“Colorblind”). From the ups-and-downs of friendship and family ties, to the complicated emotions of love, heartbreak, and betrayal, these six stories highlight the joys and sacrifices of losing one's youthful innocence and entering into adulthood.