Touch

by Francine Prose

Book Overview

Did they, or didn't they?Did she, or didn't she?Something happened to fourteen-year-old Maisie Willard--something involving her three friends, all boys. But their stories don't match, and the rumors... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061375179
• ISBN13: 9780061375170
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Harper Teen
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 7.2"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

A Touching Story for Teens

Forgive the pun in the title, but I think the title of the book, "Touch" has a lot of meaning to it, to what the book is about, and to how it feels to read it. Touching. This is the story of a girl, Maisie (but it could be any girl), who has to deal with issues that every girl must face. The issue of growing up, of watching friends change before your very eyes, of watching your own body change into something you can barely recognize. Because that's what happens. Nobody even really realizes the moment when other boys and girls start to lose their cooties. Suddenly girls/boys aren't icky, they're fascinating. This story is about that. It's about four friends who grow up and realize that they aren't friends but three boys and a girl. And as the four of them struggle to understand that, they take steps and make mistakes that (unfortunately) affect them for the rest of their lives. I loved the characters. Kevin and Chris, two of Maisie's friends, didn't really have personalities but they had an important role in the novel. The rest of the characters are amazing, even if you hate most of them as Maisie does. Maisie is a girl who could be any ninth-grade girl, dealing with problems that too many people have to face (losing friendship, divorce, and touching). Shakes was also amazing. I'm not sure why I liked him so much, considering what he did. Maybe because Maisie liked him so much. And while Kevin and Chris had, in a way, chosen to separate themselves, Maisie lost Shakes because of circumstances. And it hurt me as much as it hurt Maisie to see him drift away. This book reads very quickly. It may be some 300-odd pages, but it goes by fast because the pace is constant, never slowing. The story is told as a retelling most of the time, so it feels as if Maisie is sitting down and telling you everything (which, I'm sure, is how it's supposed to read). I was so desperate to know what happens that I had to resist the urge to skip pages just to learn if everything would turn out all right. And in a way, the ending was better than it could have been, but still was very realistic. Given the circumstances, you know from the beginning that there's no way to have a perfect, happy ending. Maisie knows that too. In the end, it was a quick read, but meaningful with no wasted space. I finished the book and thought about it for some time afterwards, so I know it left an impression. Especially if you're a teenage girl like myself (or maybe even a guy) you'll identify with this book in a lot of ways.

Very heavy

Prose does an excellent job of handling what is likely to be considered a difficult topic to address in young adult literature. Even though the main character is 14 and books featuring 14 year olds are typically read by 10-14 year olds, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone younger than 14. The aspects of Maisie's life regarding growing up, trying to find independence with two separate sets of parents, and her changing body are explored with tact and honesty, but everything involving `the incident' takes it from about 10mph to 70mph in no time flat. There is a level of ambiguity about the incident that plays up the story overall in an interesting way. However, personally I didn't enjoy reading the book, but I suppose that's not necessarily the point. I commend Prose on her courage in addressing difficult issues like sexual harassment and her honesty regarding all parties surrounding them. -Lindsey Miller, [...]

Enchanting Review: Touch

TOUCH FRANCINE PROSE Contemporary YA HarperTeen Rating: 5 Enchantments Maisie is a ninth grader living with her father, her stepmother, Joan, and Josh, her nine-year-old step-brother. Maisie has always been a bit of a tom-boy and grew up together with her best friends Kevin, Chris and Shakes. Maisie left for her 8th grade year to live with her mother and Geoff, her new step-father. When Maisie returned, she had developed physically and unlike some of her other classmates, she had developed a lot. She finds that her friends don't quite know how to treat her anymore and the awkwardness leaves Maisie feeling unsure how to handle the relationships. Shakes and Maisie still get together and seem to be sorting out their relationship and feelings for each other, but then Chris and Kevin react with jealousy and an incident occurs on the school bus. When the boys are afraid they will be punished, they react by lying about what happened and who did what. Maisie feels betrayed by Chris, Kevin, and Shakes. Her step-mother wants to respond with lawyers and expulsions and Maisie is still sorting out what happened to her friendships, her body, and what really happened on the bus. The author handled some very touchy subject matter with both honesty and delicacy. This is a great book for teens who are going through changes, whether it be their family structure, their bodies, their friends or other areas of their life. Even though Maisie has some struggles, nightmares and pressure at home and at school, she begins to discover who she is and to choose how much she will let other people's pressure affect her actions. For example when Maisie's step-mother takes her shopping, instead of getting caught up in her stepmother's drama and backhanded compliments, she chooses not to get into it with her stepmother at the store. She simply allows her stepmother to be happy buying two dresses Maisie never intends to wear. My favorite part is when Maisie has a very honest conversation with Shakes to let him know just how she feels about his part in the bus incident and afterwards. Francine Prose has written eighteen novels including ..Bullyville' and ..After' two young adult novels. She may be contacted at [...]. Kathy Johnson ENCHANTING REVIEWS July 2008

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Prose is the author of such YA titles as AFTER and BULLYVILLE, and TOUCH is sure to please her previous fans and help create new ones. TOUCH is the story of trauma and its ability to manipulate the truth. Maisie has three very good friends - Shakes, Chris, and Kevin. They've been friends since preschool, and even though this friendship between one girl and three guys may seem strange to some, it totally works for them. That is, it works until the year Maisie goes to live with her mom and stepdad. After a bitter divorce that started with Maisie's mother leaving her husband to find a different life, Maisie has lived with her dad and Joan, his new wife. Uncomfortable with her stepmother, Maisie decides to spend her 8th-grade year living with her mother in Wisconsin. As with many such experiments, Maisie learns the grass is not always greener on the other side, and she returns to live with her father when the school year is over. Things would probably have just gone back to normal, except while living in Wisconsin, Maisie has blossomed as a young woman. She returns feeling the same but looking a bit different. She has boobs. Her three childhood friends have changed a bit, as well. They now have a young man's appreciation for things like boobs. Although they try to resume their friendship as before, it is strained at best. Maisie and Shakes have always had a special bond. When school starts in the fall, they find themselves boarding the bus first. As the only two people riding for a good twenty minutes, they head to the back seat. Amazingly, they are able to remain seated there even when the seniors climb aboard. As the weeks pass, Maisie and Shakes stumble across a way to pass the time before the other students are picked up. It begins with experimental kissing and soon turns into twenty-minute make out sessions. They are very careful to time their groping to end just before others begin to board the bus, but one day they are caught. It is quite a shock for everyone, but especially for Chris and Kevin, who never thought about Maisie as girlfriend material. Once the secret is out, the friendship takes a turn that shocks the entire school community. Maisie has become the subject of cruel gossip and speculation because she seems to have allowed the three boys to stray beyond the bounds of decency. What really happened in the backseat of the bus? Can Maisie really remember things objectively, and can her life ever return to normal? Francine Prose takes readers into the mind of a confused young girl. Maisie is trying to justify her actions and the decisions that led to those actions. She battles with her angry feelings toward her friends, her parents and stepparents, her fellow classmates, and herself. Coping with trauma and moving on are the central issues of TOUCH. Teens will no doubt see a bit of themselves and also their peers when they read about Maisie's ordeal. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"