I Am Here Now is a coming-of-age novel in free verse set in the Bronx in the early 1960s.
Maisie is about to turn sixteen and her grandmother and brother Davy are only sometime allies in a very tumultuous household, with an abusive mother and a cheating father. Maisie struggles with friendship, her growing sexuality, and with her future—she wants to be an artist but her mother isn’t supportive.
Most of all, Maisie is struggling to discover herself—who she is and what she wants. In a home that tells her she is worth nothing, Maisie uses her creativity to draw a brighter future for herself, one where she is fully realized.
As heartbreaking as it is inspiring, Cellophane Girl is unafraid to show the messy parts of growing up, while revelling in the passion of young friendship, first love, sexuality, and art.
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