Sophie Pitt-Turnbull Discovers America

This humorous young adult novel follows Sophie Pitt-Turnbull, a prim and proper English teenager, who anticipates a sophisticated summer in France. Instead, her mother arranges a daughter-swap with an old art-school friend, landing Sophie unexpectedly in a lively, working-class Brooklyn neighborhood. Initially aghast by the culture shock, lost luggage, and the need to share a room, Sophie slowly begins to shed her narrow-mindedness. The story cleverly explores mutual stereotypes about nationality, race, and class, as Sophie navigates new friendships, family dynamics, and the challenges of adapting to an unfamiliar environment. It's a delightful read for ages 12-18, offering both laughs and meaningful insights into personal growth and cultural empathy.

While spending the summer in Brooklyn with her mother's former schoolmate, Sophie, a sheltered English teenager, makes new and unlikely friends and finds a new side to her formerly "dull and passive" personality. Suggested level: intermediate, junior secondary.