Songs for a Teenage Nomad by Kim Culbertson

Standalone. Sourcebooks Fire (September 2010) Own

What is the soundtrack of your life?

After living in twelve places in eight years, Calle Smith finds herself in Andreas Bay, California, at the start of ninth grade. Another new home, another new school...Calle knows better than to put down roots. Her song journal keeps her moving to her own soundtrack, bouncing through a world best kept at a distance.

Yet before she knows it, friends creep in-as does an unlikely boy with a secret. Calle is torn over what may be her first chance at love. With all that she's hiding and all that she wants, can she find something lasting beyond music? And will she ever discover why she and her mother have been running in the first place?

Songs for a Teenage Nomad is a book that I've been wanting to read for years. It looked like it was similar to my favorite books so I had to read it. I also have love books about music so I knew this was going to be an instant hit for me. What I didn't realize was that this was going to be so sad. I felt sorry for Calle because she has never been able to keep her friends. She keeps people at arm's length and when she starts to let go and have friends one of them completely messes with her mind. She also has never known her father. Her mother has refused to talk about her father all her life. Every time she moves to a new place her mom gets a boyfriend and settles in. Then she starts acting different and they need to move again. Calle starts getting friends and she wants to stay this time around. She's so used to never settling and not having close relationships. It's really unfortunate that she feels she can't get close to anyone or that when she starts liking this guy he's acts very wishy washy towards her. He likes her, but then he avoids her - that type of situation. 

Calle and the relationships she forms are really exciting to see because you want her to be happy. It would really suck if I couldn't have a stable relationship which I don't believe she had with her mother. Her mom was clearly hiding something and that's not a stable relationship. Calle's love interest Sam is ridiculous. I don't care about his problems to the extent where he takes his insecurities out on Calle. That's not cool. Calle had her own insecurities, but she never treated anyone like he treated her. Things were complicated for both of them so I understand some of Sam's actions and Calle's actions at points yet Sam didn't have an excuse in some situations. I love the friendship that Calle gets from Cass. She's another big outsider like her that Calle doesn't fully understand. I thought Cass was awesome. She becomes a great friend to Calle and I love friendships like they had.

Calle and her music. She has a song journal where she writes down the name of a song and links it together with a memory. It's kind of like when you smell or taste a food you haven't had in a while and it reminds you of your childhood. I love the idea of a song journal. Linking memories to songs, food, smells, etc. would be great to see written down. I really liked this contemporary read. Sam was a pain for me although I understood his reasoning somewhat. I remember also not liking the end as much although I enjoyed everything else. Seeing Calle grow and obtain friendship and love was wonderful.