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Songs for a Teenage Nomad

by Kim Culbertson (Goodreads Author)

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 756 ratings · 176 reviews

After living in twelve places in eight years with her drifting mother, fourteen-year-old Calle Smith finds herself in Andreas Bay, California, at the start of ninth grade. Fearful of putting down roots anywhere, but armed with her song journal, she moves to her own sound track through a world that bounces her between the school drama crowd, a mysterious loner, and an unlik...more

Paperback, 204 pages

Published June 1st 2007 by Hip Pocket Press

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Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn

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Nov 08, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Becca Boland for TeensReadToo.com

Music has a great effect on listeners. It can lift you up when you feel depressed or help to heal a broken heart. For Calle it is more than that. Music is her home and her memories. Music is the tie to the father that she's never known and the memories of all of the places she has lived.

Calle moved to Andreas Bay after her mom remarried (again) and threw a penny onto a map of California. Unlike all of their other moves, Calle finds a place in Andreas...more

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Aug 27, 2008 Kori rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I started reading this book I wasn't quite sure about it, but as I moved forward I started realizing that I had never really read a book like this before. The writing was very different and unique then what I was use to reading. The writing was more "modern" to me, it felt like I could relate to most of it. The story was kind of typical but at the same time this author made it her own original thought process. I enjoyed reading this book and if your a teenager I think you will too.

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Apr 06, 2012 Sandra Howard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cover-love, realistic-novels, stand-alone

I only listen to a song if I could relate to its meaning.
There are a couple of songs I like because of the beat or the melody but mostly I have to like the lyrics first before I really like a song.
I have always been fascinated with music.
I never leave the house without my Ipod.
It’s a constant companion.
Sometimes I feel like a part of me is missing when I am not listening to music.
Music has that same value to Calle the main character of this book.

Calle and her mother have never stayed in one plac...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Precious rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

see full review here.

Culbertson did an awesome job in showing readers what life really was about. At some point, it was hardly about the constant moving at all. It was all about Calle – who she was and who she could be. It was about discovering the truth, learning to accept that her life was not perfect and finding the answers to her questions. The writing was so beautiful, easily reflecting whatever emotion Calle was feeling in the subtlest ways.

I loved the format of Songs for a Teenage Nomad....more

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Dec 04, 2008 Weirdo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Weirdo by: Kim

It is almost difficult to describe this book. The language is modern and relatable, but also colorful and rich at the same time. Kim takes ordinary problems considered cliche' to most and writes them in a way that makes them new and exciting.
Her characters are much like her style- modern and relatable, yet rich and colorful.

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Jan 16, 2008 Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Calle Smith never lives in one place long enough to call it home. While her mother runs from relationships, lonely Calle finds solace in music, creating a song journal as a way to cope with her uprooted life. Kim Culbertson’s intelligent writing provides insight into the longings of this fourteen-year old with heart-rending emotion. Not only a must-read for teens, this book presents topics and ideas that make it essential for parents as well. A high school educator for over ten years, it is easy...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Good Golly Miss Holly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-swap

I was definitely surprised to find myself picking Songs for a Teenage Nomad off my bookshelf a few days ago, after re-reading the blurb it came across as a lot more interesting than I'd first imagined and I was hoping it'd live up to the critical acclaim it seemed to hold with so many professional reviewers.

Initially, I was drawn to this novel for the promise of an honest music background but surprisingly, the bulk load of music references seemed to pass me by without really making an impact on...more

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Jun 16, 2008 Diane Prothro rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Diane by: Kirk

I read this while on a 12 hour road trip and I needed something to distract me from the driving habits of my chauffeur...having said that, I did enjoy the book. It's for a young adult, you know coming of age/high school angst type of thing. Anyway, Calle finds herself in a new city (again) and hoping to make new friends (again)and we see all the teenage problems associated with newness/weirdness added, or I should say burdened by the marrying habits of her mother, (6 times). It has some nice twi...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Tahleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen, young-adult, drama

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 relationsh...more 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...(less)

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Oct 11, 2012 Stephanie A. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-ya, girl-protagonists

Let's get one thing straight: the musical theme makes or breaks this book. Personally, I was so excited to recognize "Get Out The Map" right off the bat that I couldn't resist flipping through to see what other songs were used, and only got giddier as I realized I actually recognized the vast majority - and even liked most of them. I always enjoy when authors include playlists, but the sad truth is that usually it's indie stuff that I don't know and/or pretentious bands college students tend to...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Anam Ali rated it 2 of 5 stars

Truth is when I read the title and words like 'song journal' in the blurb of this book, I was hoping that the music would actually play a part in this book. In that I was sadly disappointed. I was further disappointed in the plot - or lack thereof. The book is beautifully written, no doubt. The writer is a gorgeous wordsmith, the metaphors and similies are beautiful and heartbreaking. But beautifully composed sentences do not a plot make. Halfway through the book I was just pissed at Calle with...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Natali rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-reading-list-2011, favorites, recommended-for-girls

Such a great book! I loved the metaphors and the hidden meanings of the story and the main character herself. She was just so deep and complex, it was difficult to know exactly what she was thinking. There were some loose ends that I thought were not tied up as neatly as I wanted and Sam (love interest) just really bugged me, I really enjoyed it. Music lovers and song writers will appreciate!

For the past 8 years, 15 year old Calle has been living the same life over and over and over again. Her m...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this book on my kindle for a $1.34 a couple days ago and I thought for the price, it was really worth it. It's not completely original (I recently read a similar book that I think is a bit better, Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John. It does have some plotting points that are intriguing enough to keep the pages turning, but watch out for some conventional characterizations and narratives. I really liked the format of the book- the protagonist of the book, Calle, keeps a song journal- anyti...more

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May 24, 2011 Kristy ConQueso rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-all-day, i-want-to-cuddle-it, high-school-flashbacks, contemporary, romantical, srs-bsnss

I actually got this for free on Kindle and quite frankly, I wasn't expecting much from it. Kindle freebies are pretty hit & miss, with emphasis on the miss. I wasn't prepared to be completely hooked from the beginning & unable to put it down until the end.

I think one thing that appealed so greatly to me was how gloriously average the main character, Calle Smith, is. She's the kind of believable average that you just don't see in many YA novels. She doesn't have every guy at school falli...more

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Oct 09, 2010 Krista Ashe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-110-of-2010-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What's not to love about a book that starts off with a quote from Bob Dylan? As someone who loves to use songs for everything from mood music while writiting to using song lyrics to teach figurative language in classroom, I have never really read a book that used music as such a part of the setting to where it's almost another character. The closest would be Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, I suppose.

You have the character of Calle who has criss-crossed through the state of California with her mom....more What's not to love about a book that starts off with a quote from Bob Dylan? As someone who loves to use songs for everything from mood music while writiting to using song lyrics to teach figurative language in classroom, I have never really read a book that used music as such a part of the setting to where it's almost another character. The closest would be Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, I suppose.

You have the character of Calle who has criss-crossed through the state of California with her mom. They've never lived in one place long, and her mom is also one whose also had several boyfriends and several husbands for them to move away from. But in their latest town, Calle actually hooks up with a group of theater friends: Eli, Alexa, and Drew. And for the first time, she's happy and likes it in a place. She's also intrigued by Sam, a football player who shows signs of being anything but the typical jock. And in those moments when he can get away from his A-crowd friends, he talks to Calle, works on a project with her, and ends up kissing her. Then he gives her the cold shoulder. But you can't hate Sam too much because there's a lot going on at home. First, we're led to wonder if his dad is an asshole, then his mom's an alcoholic, and then we find out the sad truth that she's mentally ill, and Sam is taking the brunt of caring for her.

In the midst of all this, Calle comes across a picture of her father--the one that was supposed to have left her and her mom when she was just a baby. A desire burns in her to find out about him, and she tries an internet search. Then when she's digging in her mom's drawers, she finds letter from her father to her. She finds out her dad's last name isn't Smith but Winston. When she confronts her mom about it, her mom says her dad wasn't someone they should be with. Then later Calle discovers a locked box, and inside, there are newspaper clippings where her dad had been arrested.

Later on as she's at a coffeeshop, she runs into her father, and they have a talk. He's everything she always dreamed he would be. She doesn't tell her mom about meeting up with him. And when he tells her a few days later he has to leave town, Calle is sure she'll never see him again. A couple of days or weeks later, she comes home to find her dad talking to her mom, or fighting. Turns out, he was a drug dealer, and has been on drugs all these years, and that's why Calle's mom has always been running from him. When he starts to hurt her mom, Calle comes in and tells him he should leave. Calle's mom tells her they have to pack and leave, but Calle refuses. She says it's always been about her mom, and she wants to stay.

Backtracking here some, but there's a great scene at the dance when Eli and Calle go as friends and Sam doesn't like them dancing together, so he shoves poor Eli. But Sam continues to have problems being with Calle, until he finally tells her that he likes she's different from everyone else and he wants to be with her, but it's just been hard for him. We also find out that Cass, the rebel, wild child of a girl at school, is Sam's half sister....she turns out to be a great friend and support of Calle.

Okay, so I've rambled long enough in this review, so let me wrap it up. At the end when Calle and her mom are going to have to leave town, they come upon a wreck. Someone plowed into a tree, but there's no skid marks. It's Calle's dad. The last few paragraphs of the book are GUT WRENCHING! A friend of Calle's dad's brings her stuff of his, and there's a journal just like she keeps and in it he talks about how proud he is of her, that he's seen her places, and to top it all off, there's a recording of him singing Mr. Tambourine Man, a song Calle always hears in her dreams and thinks of her father singing. AUGH, I was in tears!!! (less)

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Sep 11, 2010 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-bitten

Immediately I was sucked into Calle's head, her music, her story and her voice. You have this girl forced into a nomadic existence seemingly because her mother's a flake and moves around to start new lives after the old boyfriends ditch her. Even after the whys come to the surface, I can only feel for Calle. Yeah, I get it. Her mother did what she did for her daughter's good. But why keep her in the dark about it? Why force her to follow blindly, without question, just because she's the mother a...more Immediately I was sucked into Calle's head, her music, her story and her voice. You have this girl forced into a nomadic existence seemingly because her mother's a flake and moves around to start new lives after the old boyfriends ditch her. Even after the whys come to the surface, I can only feel for Calle. Yeah, I get it. Her mother did what she did for her daughter's good. But why keep her in the dark about it? Why force her to follow blindly, without question, just because she's the mother and she knows what's best? You know, I get the whole underage thing but teens aren't stupid and I just loved how Calle planted her feet and bit back against her mother. While her mother was curled up on the floor crying, I was with Calle, rooting her on. She had a right to get angry and I got angry with her.

I just loved the whole realness of this entire novel. There was nothing fantastical about it. No love-at-first-sight. Just reality. Calle liked someone but she tried to keep her distance because, she knew, before long her feet would be walking again. But she couldn't help it. Too many people had taken her in and accepted her this time around. It was going to be harder to let go when she had to. But this boy turned out to come from as screwed up of a family as Calle's and instead of hiding it and pretending to be someone dumber as a means of not having to live it outside of his home, Calle brings about the strength in those around her, including her crush, because of the strength she held in herself. She really is an amazing character.

I was literally in tears at the end. While I felt the scissors swooped in and cut the bad out of the picture a little too smoothly, I didn't care. Finally Calle was going to have some semblance of normalcy and closure. I was so happy for her, but it was a jaded kind of happy. Considering the situation she received it, it just can't be a full-fledged happy.

And I just couldn't help but adore her love for older music (although some of that "older" music was stuff from the 90s, god, carbon date me, why don't you), her fight against the iPod (considering one kid made the news for taking 3 days to figure out how a cassette worked, how many teenagers actually know/how to use a Walkman?) and how stuck in the past she was. It's so psychological. The past is firm, solid. That's where memories are. By holding onto these older songs, Calle was able to grow some semblance of roots, even though it was just in her own mind. They were her sole Gibraltar comfort among the constant chaos of her life. I love seeing these old soul type of teens that really don't care much for the modern.

Read this book if you want something real; if you want it to touch the center of your heart and blossom. If you want to connect to a troubled girl that isn't involved in drugs or anything illicit; if you want to reach out and help someone like this but don't know how. If you just want to read a damn good book.(less)

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Sep 09, 2010 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD, by Kim Culbertson, is a marvelous story of a girl finally finding a place to fit in and learning the truth of her past. Culbertson created a fantastic world that focused on music and what it is like to be different and not caring if you fit in. Calle was used to moving around California with her mother and was okay with that until she found people that she truly cared about and wanted anything but to lose them. She finally was able to have a "normal" high school life u...more SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD, by Kim Culbertson, is a marvelous story of a girl finally finding a place to fit in and learning the truth of her past. Culbertson created a fantastic world that focused on music and what it is like to be different and not caring if you fit in. Calle was used to moving around California with her mother and was okay with that until she found people that she truly cared about and wanted anything but to lose them. She finally was able to have a "normal" high school life until she fell in love and discovered family secrets that threatened her relationship with her mother.

I am the type of music-lover that knows when I like a song but have no idea who it is by or when it was done (or re-done for that matter). Culbertson showed me how music can really affect and dictate a person's life. For Calle, music reminded her of her mother's past relationships and she kept them in a diary like a photo-album of her life. It was fascinating how Calle did not shy away from her feelings of her mother's past husbands/boyfriends, but saw them as events in her life that were stepping stones. I enjoyed getting into Calle's mind. She is a great character that is so strong and full of love. I loved her sass and sarcasm even when she found it embarrassing when talking to Sam.

There were so many dimensions in this book that were unexpected and kept me glued to the book. I actually finished it in one sitting! Just when I thought I knew what was going on, I was pushed into another direction completely. Nothing was what it seemed and I think that was the point. In high school (and anywhere else for that matter), rumors can blow up out of proportion and family/relationship secrets are wrongfully spread. I was very surprised after peeling the layers of each of the characters down to the core that everyone had issues and no one was perfect. I think, especially in YA books, that this is a great concept to comprehend because that popular boy that you think you have no chance with, may just need someone like you in his life.

Overall, this was a great romantic and musical read and I definitely recommend it.(less)

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Sep 05, 2010 Patty The YayReader rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, own, read-in-2010

Calle has lived on too many places in a little time but when she settles into Andreas Bay, she hopes that this would be the last place she'd ever have to move to. Calle has now to navigate through uncharted territory and find out the hard way, the truth about love, friendship, and family.

Calle is a wonderful narrator. She's very laid-back and likable. I also thought she was realistic at all times with her decisions and her way of handling things. I loved the fact that she had a song journal and...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Jenna rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ho-hum, young-adult

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 (eig...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5

A little angsty, melodramatic, with an ending that was was too neat for my taste... but this was not a dud!

I like a character that knows what he or she wants and goes after it. The main reason I like the teenage nomad herein is that she knew what she was, what she wanted (and didn't want,) as well as what she had to offer, (and even if she veered away from those things. well, at least she got back to them at some point.) I respected her. I'm not so sure I can say the same thing about Sam. Ev...more 3.5

A little angsty, melodramatic, with an ending that was was too neat for my taste... but this was not a dud!

I like a character that knows what he or she wants and goes after it. The main reason I like the teenage nomad herein is that she knew what she was, what she wanted (and didn't want,) as well as what she had to offer, (and even if she veered away from those things. well, at least she got back to them at some point.) I respected her. I'm not so sure I can say the same thing about Sam. Everything her friends said about him rang true for me. HE did not deserve HER. She was much too good for him. So what if his Mr. Popular with his football and cute friends? So what if she's "big boned," in the drama club and a little in her own world most of the time? So what if he had issues? She did too! What's that thing about looking and acting like a duck? Well, he behaved like a coward, and I love that she called him out on it. That he turned a new leaf eventually came too late. My dislike for him had become too ingrained; I'd much rather have seen her with the likes of Eli (her clutzy, funny, drama club buddy!)

Apparently, I like my YA contemporary on the serious side. This comes as a surprise me, lover of Anna & Ettiene, as well as all things funny and snarky. More likely, I like my contemps to pick a slot and not be the watered-down version of what they claim to be (case in point the last two books that I didn't enjoy so much.) I didn't like the book that ended with -upid because it was a pale version of what I found funny in rom coms it poked fun at. I don't have the time (nor the energy) for "problems" that aren't real problems. Now, this book is filled to the brim with people with problems. My main issue with it is while they do have problems, some of those things could have been so easily resolved. Again: a problem where there really shouldn't be one.

An affirmation of what I've already discovered: I like music in books. I enjoy how the music in a book can make me connect just a little more with a character, or put me in more of a mood to read what's going to hapen next (yes, this is despite a really cheesy, ansgty song written by one character to another.)

I liked it. Except that ending, it was too happily-ever-after for me; I imagine lot's of things hapening to them other than that ending.

(less)

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Feb 26, 2011 Cami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction

I'm kind of torn on rating this. Four stars means "I really liked it." I did. The characters listen to the soundtrack to Almost Famous at one point...as for this book: it was almost perfect.

Calle is a sophmore aged girl who has been moved from place to place (twelve in eight years) by a seemingly flaky mother who can't hold on to a relationship to save her life. At the end of each one, they flip a penny onto a California map and head that direction. Mom finds a job, a new place and a new man.
In...more I'm kind of torn on rating this. Four stars means "I really liked it." I did. The characters listen to the soundtrack to Almost Famous at one point...as for this book: it was almost perfect.

Calle is a sophmore aged girl who has been moved from place to place (twelve in eight years) by a seemingly flaky mother who can't hold on to a relationship to save her life. At the end of each one, they flip a penny onto a California map and head that direction. Mom finds a job, a new place and a new man.
In Andreas Bay, Calle seems to be luckier than usual in that she's taken in by a group of drama clubbers and has an instant group of good friends willing to watch her back and buoy her up. Up until now, she's been quite alone.
To stave off loneliness and to piece together memories she writes in her journal. Each chapter of the book begins with a song title and a blip of memory that Calle attaches to it.
I thought this technique was very effective. It gives you bits of her troubled past, but doesn't interfere with the momentum of the story. Calle has good taste, too, for the most part, so that was good for me.
Despite friends, Calle still struggles to navigate the waters of adolesence. She also learns that her mother hasn't exactly been telling her the truth about the men, the moves or about her father that has been trying to contact her for all of her fourteen years.

My first issue with this book is so nit-picky. Every time someone asks her about herself, she tells them the whole story. Each time it happens the author uses some variant of "I tell her/him my story." That line ends the scene and we move on. A bit repetitive.

Lastly, and I have to use caution lest I spoil something, the ending was just too perfect, lacked the heart that I'm sure was intended and really left me flat.
If it hadn't been for the wonderful visual writing throughout and clear, well-formed characters, this would be getting three stars, but honestly, I really liked this book and I understand all the teenage praise filling the front two pages of this edition.

p.s. This gets über bonus points for being 97% free of foul language and being wonderfully clean in all other aspects.(less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit

For some reason I seem to be attracted to teen books that have to do with songs. I'm starting to get a little sick of the repetition in song choices, but overall I liked this book. Even though I liked the book there were a few things that I found hard to believe.
1. The issues that these teens all had was a little too soap opera for me, a drug dealing father, a criminal mother, and one that it severely depressed all in the same town just seemed a little too much for me.
2. Calle's insistence in l...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, arc, young-adult, blog-tour

I like books that center around music. In Songs for a Teenage Nomad, Calle keeps a song journal that recounts events in her life through the song that was playing at the time. The song that moves through the entire book is “Tambourine Man,” a fantastic Bob Dylan song, and Calle dreams about the song regularly. And other songs are mentioned, sans lyrics, which I would have liked to have had access to.

See, Calle and her mother are nomads. After Calle’s father left them when she was a baby, they be...more I like books that center around music. In Songs for a Teenage Nomad, Calle keeps a song journal that recounts events in her life through the song that was playing at the time. The song that moves through the entire book is “Tambourine Man,” a fantastic Bob Dylan song, and Calle dreams about the song regularly. And other songs are mentioned, sans lyrics, which I would have liked to have had access to.

See, Calle and her mother are nomads. After Calle’s father left them when she was a baby, they began moving, usually with men her mother dated or married, sometimes by using a penny to throw on a map of California. So right at the start, we can see that Calle has never had any permanence in her life at all. Her mother is scatter-brained, flightly, and, in my opinion, not a very good role model at all for Calle. The men moving in and out of her life are certainly not winners, and her mother falls in and out of love so completely and passionately every time she meets someone. However, despite all this, Calle seems to have a good head on her shoulders.

The book starts in a new place for Calle, so we get her history in pieces. One thing I didn’t like — and don’t like in most similar YA novels — is the fact that Calle’s mother refuses to be honest with her. So while the story is told from Calle’s POV, and we know what she knows, it becomes clear very quickly that Calle’s mother is hiding something. When Calle finds a letter, addressed to her, from her father, it isn’t a surprise.

There is a lot going on in this book. Calle starting at a new school. A botched relationship Calle tries to have with a football player who has problems of his own. Her new drama clique friends. Finding the letter from her father. Her mother fighting with her father’s new boyfriend. It’s definitely an interesting picture of a broken-family home and a girl who lives inside of music and her own head.

The climax didn’t surprise me, though the actual ending felt contrived. I gave this book 3.5 stars because it was an easy, mostly enjoyable read, yet I got hung up with the choppy prose and disjointed storytelling. I don’t come from a broken family, and yet I feel like the majority of books out there for teens paint that picture as normal. For a lot of kids, of course, it is. But can’t we, for once, write a teen novel that isn’t about a girl who doesn’t have a stable family?

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May 09, 2011 Maureen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: recommended

I really lost myself in this novel, Kim Culbertson's debut YA novel that tells the story of 15 year "nomadic" Calle. Her mom is stuck in a cycle of relationships with men who drive Fords and drive away in them just as quickly. Every time Mom is dumped, she and Calle pack up and move to wherever the penny lands on their map of California. We pick up Calle's story as she settles into life at a new high school with husband #6; she makes friends, joins the drama club, falls in love with the inconven...more I really lost myself in this novel, Kim Culbertson's debut YA novel that tells the story of 15 year "nomadic" Calle. Her mom is stuck in a cycle of relationships with men who drive Fords and drive away in them just as quickly. Every time Mom is dumped, she and Calle pack up and move to wherever the penny lands on their map of California. We pick up Calle's story as she settles into life at a new high school with husband #6; she makes friends, joins the drama club, falls in love with the inconveniently unavailable boy, and is heartbroken when her mother tells her they'll be leaving once again.

Admittedly, this seems like well-tread territory. There is no shortage of YA lit with outcast female protagonists (which, incidentally, I don't think is all that bad a thing), and the heartbreak of teenage romance is also a familiar concept, but I believe this book has much more to offer. Songs was elevated beyond "typical" YA by Culbertson's smart writing and an interesting structure. Using songs as titles, each chapter opens with an excerpt from Calle's "song journal," a little notebook she uses to record the memories she associates with the music of her life. These excerpts are beautifully drawn, often unrelated to what will follow in the chapter; instead, they describe the mother-daughter relationship in fits and starts, giving insight into Calle's life in a way that would seem too self-aware if inserted into the first-person narration itself. I think it's a nice choice, demonstrating that YA lit doesn't need to be dumbed down into a purely linear plot so kids will "get it." Culbertson's writing maintains the youthful voice that one would hope for from a teenager and manages to be smart without pretension. The other thing worth mentioning is that the plot takes some interesting twists and tackles some really ugly but important topics, and I applaud the author for handling it so well.

The only reason for my 4 is the ending; for the last 10% or so of the novel, I couldn't decide if I wanted Calle to get the happy ending (which would have seemed a bit hackneyed) or if I wanted the author to go with the more realistic - yet decidedly less Disney - conclusion. Wouldn't you know, I ultimately decided and ended up not loving the way it played out. I don't think this had anything to do with the way the author handled the ending, but is merely a reflection of what I was hoping for. **Trying REALLY hard not to give spoilers here!**

All in all: an excellent read. And not to be biased, but since I'm an English and theatre teacher myself (as is the author), I LOVED the way she worked in the drama kids and their world. /geek
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Sep 07, 2010 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, fiction

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 concernin...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book does such an excellent job of following the new girl through the trials of a new school. Calle has moved so much she knows she will never be the cookie cutter cute popular girl and she doesn't have any friends anywhere, because when you move so frequently, why bother? Andreas Bay is the first place she can really call home and the first place she makes friends.

Calle is a great character who has flaws but isn't an over the top stereotype. She is just a teenager trying to find out why sh...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Karla rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YA fans

Recommended to Karla by: free kindle book

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 cli...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Page Turners Blog rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Also posted on Pixies personal goodreads

I feel like Songs For A Teenage Nomad, was a book that was judge by it's original cover. Although it's an award winning novel, it's not one that I had heard about until recently. It received a new cover and is being re-released by another publishing company. Hopefully, with all the buzz about this book, it will get the credit it deserves.

The story is told through Calle, in present day time. Each chapter starts off with a clip from her journal, so you learn...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Kerri rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Songs For A Teenage Nomad" by Kim Culbertson is a refreshing unique story with many magical moments throughout. Calle has moved so often that she has it down to a science. She knows how to fit in without getting too comfortable. But when she settles into Andreas Bay she makes unexpected friends and finds a welcoming niche with a unique group of drama students. I loved the way that Kim Culbertson starts each chapter off with a song from Calle's song journal. Through the memories that are evoked...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Jenny - Book Sojourner rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-copy, read-in-2012

This was a good clean read about Calle and her somewhat nomadic life with her mother and her many relationships. I enjoyed learning about Calle through music, watching her finally develop friendships at her new school, and go through a somewhat painful and confusing romance. But the characters developed along the way, and we learn about the secret/reasons behind her mom's many moves. It was a good read that I did in an afternoon. I liked the musical tie-ins. I liked how the characters started to...more

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About Kim Culbertson

Kim Culbertson is the author of the teen novels Songs for a Teenage Nomad (Sourcebooks Fire 2010) and Instructions for a Broken Heart (Sourcebooks Fire 2011).

She believes books make the world a better place and likes to be on the look out for books she really connects with and loves. Any book she reviews on Goodreads is one of these finds.

Happy reading.

Each month I write a newsletter called Poin...more

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