Things We Have in Common by Tasha Kavanagh ***

Things We Have in Common by Tasha Kavanagh: Yasmin Laksaris is 16 years old, overweight, friendless, and bullied. In addition, her mother has remarried, and Yasmin doesn’t get along with her stepfather. At school, Yasmin is obsessed with Alice Taylor. When she noticed a man staring at Alice from outside the schoolyard, she imagined that he was a pedophile and planned to abduct Alice, after which Yasmin would rescue Alice, and they’d become friends. Alice eventually disappeared, but the remainder of Yasmin’s fantasy didn’t happen. The man is Samuel and Yasmin tells the story to him, “you.” A journey into Yasmin’s inner world and her teen angst. Caveat: The mystery is not resolved.

Alex Awards: The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. This book won an Alex Award in 2018. Yasmin wants to be close to the most beautiful girl in her school, but surely a freak like her has no chance. Unless that is, she can save her from the man who was staring at her from the woods.

Yasmin is overweight (“219 pounds 12.472 ounces” in Dr. Bhatt’s office, or “ninety-nine and a half kilos.”), but this novel is not about obesity. She eats chocolate Hobnobs, Turkish delight, and chips-so many chips-without guilt or self-loathing. She accepts her weight and ignores her judgmental stepfather and her dietician.

Yasmin is obsessive. She stalks Alice. It is obvious and the others tease her about it. She even had a box of Alice memorabilia including a sock and a hair band. Once she decides that the man in the woods is going to abduct Alice, she studies pedophiles to recognize them by their appearance.

By the time Alice disappears, Yasmin is friends with Samuel and his dog, Bea. This leaves her conflicted, but as she accepts her weight, she also accepts this.

The book explores teenage drinking. After she meets Samuel, he offers her a rum and Coke. She enjoys the relaxing feelings and warmth. She likes being with Samuel after a rum and Coke.  This is how teens become alcoholics, but the book has nothing to say about this risk.

If you think that teens are lackadaisical, this book will not argue.

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