This Golden State is a contemporary YA novel that combines a pulse-pounding mystery with a moving portrayal of the conflict between a young woman yearning for independence and her close-knit family.
Seventeen-year-old "copper"-haired Poppy and her family have been fugitives her entire life. Poppy and her younger sister, Emma, don't know their parents' real names or their crime, but the sisters do know that capture will mean separation. So the "Winslows" live by a series of rules to evade the law: "no using your real name," "no staying in one place too long" and "keeping our family together is everything." The family relocates to California and Poppy enrolls in a summer program to study math, a subject that she loves for being "clear, logical, and concrete," the exact opposite of her life. As Poppy grows close to a classmate, she imagines a future where she can "lay down roots" and attend college. This short-lived peace is shattered when Poppy unthinkingly submits an at-home DNA test and the results draw the police's attention. When the Winslows' pursuers close in, Poppy must decide if she’s willing to run away from her new life or risk never seeing her family again.
Marit Weisenberg (The Insomniacs) creates a suspenseful and surprising mystery. She also portrays messy family relationships with compassion and nuance. Poppy has "learned not to want anything for myself," afraid that "if I wanted more, I'd lose my family." Her dilemma is familiar to many adolescents: How can she grow up and become her own person without leaving her family behind? Readers looking for an uncommon take on the classic coming-of-age story will enjoy following Poppy on her journey. --Alanna Felton, freelance reviewer