Thursday, June 14, 2012

A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan


Farrah "Digit" Higgins may be going to MIT in the fall, but this L.A. high school genius has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year. But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group's number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping-- all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously. So much for blending in...

A funny story. Digit has great voice and a great way of dealing with the smart side of herself. She hides in plain sight, but in the process she closes herself off from others and doesn't really get to know them. For someone so smart, there are a whole lot of things she misses. I loved that about her. Then, she meets John, someone who understands how it feels to hide your personality because it seems easier than dealing with the consequences of being yourself. She begins to wake up, so to speak, and let her real self, Digit, out for the sake of saving lives. Once she does this, she can't put Digit back in her box.

There are some very interesting themes going on in this story. I think many teenagers probably feel they are hiding their true selves from everyone else. I sure felt that way at that age, and I think teens will connect with Digit. She’s quirky, but not too quirky. She’s funny and even pretty normal in her abnormal way. I really liked her, and I loved following her through all the spy adventures across the country.

The romance was clunky, though. I didn't quite understand Digit's attraction to John, and I didn't see the signs that John was falling for her. Then all of a sudden they are a couple, sort of, and in love. It wasn't instalove, but we weren't close enough to either Digit or John to really feel what they were feeling. As a result, I wasn’t as invested in the ending as I wanted to be.

Still, this is a fun, fast-paced story that will bring a smile to your face. For a chance to win an ARC, go here and fill out the form. 

5 comments:

Kelly Hashway said...

Sounds good. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.

Kiersi said...

I hope I win the giveaway! I'd like to check out this book.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Very nice book. Digit sounds like a neat character. Must take a look at this book. Thanks.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Mmm. I thought I posted but it didn't show up. Will try again. Hope you don't get it twice.

Digit sounds like a neat character. Must take a look at this book. Thanks for the giveaway.

Unknown said...

Well, the romance may not have worked but at least this book had believable themes (according to your balanced and insightful review). I'm getting pretty sick of the 'lightness' of most YA novels and the shallow, unbelievable characters I see. I enjoyed the post. Thanks.

(Laura, YALitChat)