Meg Richardson's first novel, Paradise Pawn, tackles a poignant coming-of-age in a colorful community. Jackie and her best friend, Kayla, have grown up side by side, working with their fathers in a pawn shop in Cherry Beach, Fla. They are adept at sales, bargaining, and assessing customer psychology. The challenges of growing up, however, prove more daunting.
The girls have always been inseparable, but now, at 14, their differences begin to make themselves apparent. Kayla is maturing more quickly, physically and otherwise, and Jackie fears being left behind; Kayla embraces or at least accepts change, whereas Jackie wishes she could freeze them both in time. The complications of being a 14-year-old girl are myriad: bodies, periods, shaving, sex, evolving friendships, new schools.
Class differences are becoming increasingly obvious, too. Poised to start high school, the girls plan to attend the exclusive St. Bridget's, for which Jackie's dad will take out a loan against his truck. When Kayla's scholarship doesn't come through, the girls hatch a plan. Paradise Pawn, which has been their home base all their lives, will either prove their salvation or their downfall.
Jackie is pulled in all directions at the cusp of girlhood. For all her naivete, she is compassionate and wise to the ways of humans. Richardson expertly portrays a Florida beach community in which the very rich live alongside the struggling, under stifling heat and a relentless pressure to appear cool and beautiful. Paradise Pawn captures the sweetness of female friendships and familial love, the pain of change and growth, and the absolute yearning of youth. This debut novel is funny, heartbreaking, and unforgettable. --Julia Kastner, blogger at pagesofjulia