There were something about this book. How to put my finger on it, it was just good.

It's the story of Calle, a girl who truly is a teenage nomad. Her mum finds a guy, lives with him, or marries him, is happy, but then leaves. Calle goes from school to school, and the only thing constant is her journal. There she writes down memories when she hears different songs. Now she is at a new school, she actually gets friends, she falls for a boy, and she longs to stay. Then there is the mystery concerning her father, and why her mum keeps on running.

First I must say that I found the name a bit funny, since here it's a boys name, and I kept thinking of my second cousin. Anyway...

Calle is a great girl, she loves her mum, even if they move all the time. She is really creative, and smart. She falls for a guy, who I can't make up my mind about at first. But then he also has secrets.

What I also like is that it's not too much drama, I mean there is drama, a lot of serious stuff, but not those cliché YA dramas, and not drinking or fooling around either. She is just a normal teenager living at the fringes of High School. But there is one mean girl though, isn't there always one.

This books also deals with some big secrets, and slowly she finds out about her dad, her mum, and what is going on with that boy she likes. And in the end I got some tears in my eyes, because it was lovely, happy, and sad too.

A great YA book, for everyone, and I really enjoyed her creative side. It made me think what songs I associate for things that have happened. ( )

Calle Smith feels like no place is home. After all, she's moved twelve times in the past eight years. That's not exactly great for feeling a sense of community or making friends, but she's learned to rely on herself and keeps a song journal as a balance wheel.
This time things are different, despite the same old story about her dad being a complete loser and her mother having finally found and married Mr. Right (for the umpteenth time). Her mom has always told her that her father abandoned them, but as Calle starts making connections and friends, she also begins to question whether her mother has been honest with her.
Making friends is a strange, new experience, but one that grows on her, particularly the kids involved in drama. Sam, enigmatic Sam, intrigues her from the day he sits beside her and she feels a connection. Unfortunately, he won't treat her in public like he did that day and despite her attraction to him, she begins to think that he's only playing her. As time goes on, however, she discovers they have more secrets and sadness in common. Near the end of the book, Calle not only has to deal with the truth about her parents' relationship, but with the reasons, both sad and complex, that make Sam unable to be open about his feelings for her. They are ones she can understand and can help him work through. The ending, while sad and with a real tragedy, is satisfying.
This is an excellent story with extremely well-crafted characters. Teens who like a book that has strong emotional appeal, or who have had difficult family experiences growing up will really relate to it. ( )

3.5 stars. Calle (pronounced Callie) and her mom have bounced from town to town each time her mother's relationships fall apart. She's been the new girl many times, and she doesn't see why Andreas Bay will be any different. But it is different—right away the drama kids accept her into their group of friends, and she begins an unlikely friendship (and maybe more) with popular football player Sam. She begins to really enjoy life in this small town by the sea. Unfortunately, her mother's relationship with her new husband starts to go south, as usual, so Calle is not sure how long it will last. Once again she faces the prospect of leaving, until she uncovers something that might point out a new reason why she and her mother always seem to be running.

I stumbled across this book through the database Novelist when it suggested this as a read-alike for another series I loved. It was nothing like that other series, but nonetheless I found it to be a great read. If you are a music fan, it's worth picking this one up. Each chapter is titled after a song, followed by a snippet of Calle's memory connected to the song. Music is what gets Calle through her constant moves and constant loneliness. She was also easy to relate to, with a voice so genuine you'll think of your own high school experience.

The plot certainly kept me reading, as well as my investment in the characters. Because we're hearing the story from Calle's perspective, we don't know the long history of the people in Andreas Bay. It all gradually comes out, both things in which Calle is alone in her ignorance and family secrets that only she and those involved know about. The secrets really strengthen the bonds between her and those she shares them with, though it takes a while for the trust to build.

In the meantime, we get all the teenage emotions with none of the over-dramatics. Calle is quiet and dignified in her struggles at school and in her family. She wants to learn more about her father, who she was told left her and her mom when she was a baby, but her mother won't even let her bring him up. She has wondered for years about him, and when new things come to light she isn't sure what to do or whether or not she can trust her mother anymore. In addition to all this, she is navigating uncharted territory with Sam, who is sending such mixed signals that it's almost like he's two different people. It's all for a reason of course, though it doesn't condone his behavior, and ultimately the confusion and pain make Calle a stronger person.

All in all, this is a great read with a real, genuine narrator and a compelling story. Plus, music!

Review originally posted here: http://tahleenreads.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-songs-for-teenage-nomad-by-kim.h... ( )

This is a story about being true to yourself as well as truthful with others. Calle has moved around all her life. Her father left her and her mother when she was a baby, or so she is led to believe. Her mother dates a number of men who all coincidentally drive Ford model cars. As each of her mom's relationships end, they end up moving to another town. The story centers on Calle living in her current town and how she assimilates and makes friends in her new high school. There are the typical cliques we are all familiar with and the drama group ends up befriending her even though she's not into acting. She develops a crush with the football player, Sam, and he has his own unique story that is revealed. In the end, she finally finds out about her father and the real reason her mother has kept them moving all these years.

I liked this book better than I thought I would. Even though the main character is a teenager, I didn't find her whiny/spoiled and she didn't get on my nerves. Despite this girl's problems, she's real, she's strong, and she's as normal as can be expected. Each chapter begins with Calle's journal entry of a scene from her past characterized by a song. This book is an easy quick read for fans of YA fiction. ( )

So very lame and boring. Just felt like I was eavesdropping at some high school and their melodramatic lives, with name-dropping of musical artists peppered in for good measure.

I was intrigued by the book because I thought it might be connected to music in an interesting way. Not so. Instead I got the story of Calle, who is deeply connected to listening to music on her portable CD player and writing in her "song journal", and her nomadic lifestyle instigated by her mother moving her around (eight times in 14 years) the state of California every time she breaks up with a guy.

The story follows Calle's freshman year in Andreas Bay, where she has the usual teenage drama: unrequited love; popular girl as arch-nemesis; overly concerned teacher; mother who won't listen to her; being photographed in her skivvies and pic posted on MySpace. Every piece of the action felt so disjointed, which is odd because all of it is very relatable to teens. I just don't think that transcribing the high school experience for no reason whatsoever makes for very good storytelling.

There's the sub-plot, or maybe it's actually supposed to be the main plot, of Calle wanting to find out more about her long lost father that walked out on her and her mother when she was a baby. The conclusion to that is so wildly unbelievable that it was offensive.

And I'd never thought I'd say this about a book, especially a book I regard so poorly, but I actually thought all of the supporting characters were way more interesting than the narrator! They all rose above Calle in personality and spunk, and I found myself wishing the story was about any one of them instead. ( )