Write Naked

An ancient black Royal typewriter seems to beckon sixteen-year-old Victor from a yard sale in his small Vermont town. Assured by the man who gives it to him that there is a story in it, Victor finds himself lugging the heavy typewriter on his bicycle and by foot to his uncle's cabin hidden in the woods. He likes to stay under the radar, and working on the old Royal in the hideaway seems the perfect way to express himself without being watched. He had seen a drawing of a bearded man wearing only wire-rim glasses and declaring that being naked is the way to write. In the privacy of the cabin, Victor tries it, and sure enough, words flow out of him. But then the face of a girl appears at the window. Home-schooled Rose Anna knows the woods and has been writing her eco-fable about a newt with a gold fountain pen from her grandmother. Later she and Victor agree to meet at the cabin to write and to read each other's work. Awakened to the connection between them, Victor is transformed by the sudden clarity of first love. The converging personal journeys of two thoughtful young people unfold beautifully in Victor's quirky but honest voice and in Rose Anna's self-revealing fable. The engagingly youthful narration is authentic yet rich with sensual detail and figurative language-the Royal is like a Model T waiting to take someone for a ride. Young adult readers will not want to put down this exceptional debut novel.-VOYA Reviews 2008 June

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