As someone who is not a prolific YA reader, I would love some help on something. I'm trying to compare the story I wrote to other books in the marketplace, both to make sure I haven't written something that's already been done (I know--I should have done this before I wrote it) and to figure out how best to position it when talking to agents.
If any of you want to read the plot and then let me know any books I should check out, I'd love your help.
The basic premise is that it's a funny and earnest look at how a girl who was rich and popular in high school is forced to go to community college after her white-collar family goes broke when her dad gets arrested in an Enron-esque scandal. Against the eccentric backdrop of this Texas community college, we see her becomes more mature and gain independence after being taken in by the kids she ignored or made fun of in high school--the arty kids and the loners and the blue-collar kids from poorer families. They help her cultivate a DIY (do-it-yourself) mentality and teach her how to live paycheck-to-paycheck as her family struggles to adapt to their new (mis)fortune (and her dad's upcoming prison time).
I know that's not the best pitch in the world, but I'm just throwing it out there and actually making it more vague than I am in queries because I'm hoping that will make everyone think of more books.
There was one set in San Francisco (I think) that I came across, but I can't remember the name. Something about a girl whose mom stole a bunch of money and left the girl to fend for herself in a trailer behind a gas station.
I know it also resembles the plot of the movie Say Anything (I think it does a little in tone, too), but I'm comfortable with how different it is.
Anyway, if anyone has any ideas, I'd appreciate being pointed in the right direction. Like I said, I'm not really a voracious YA reader; it was just that the story I wanted to tell fit YA, so I read a couple of books in the genre and went from there.
If any of you want to read the plot and then let me know any books I should check out, I'd love your help.
The basic premise is that it's a funny and earnest look at how a girl who was rich and popular in high school is forced to go to community college after her white-collar family goes broke when her dad gets arrested in an Enron-esque scandal. Against the eccentric backdrop of this Texas community college, we see her becomes more mature and gain independence after being taken in by the kids she ignored or made fun of in high school--the arty kids and the loners and the blue-collar kids from poorer families. They help her cultivate a DIY (do-it-yourself) mentality and teach her how to live paycheck-to-paycheck as her family struggles to adapt to their new (mis)fortune (and her dad's upcoming prison time).
I know that's not the best pitch in the world, but I'm just throwing it out there and actually making it more vague than I am in queries because I'm hoping that will make everyone think of more books.
There was one set in San Francisco (I think) that I came across, but I can't remember the name. Something about a girl whose mom stole a bunch of money and left the girl to fend for herself in a trailer behind a gas station.
I know it also resembles the plot of the movie Say Anything (I think it does a little in tone, too), but I'm comfortable with how different it is.
Anyway, if anyone has any ideas, I'd appreciate being pointed in the right direction. Like I said, I'm not really a voracious YA reader; it was just that the story I wanted to tell fit YA, so I read a couple of books in the genre and went from there.
