Kicks

by Janet Fitch

LAURIE THINKS CARLA IS THE LUCKIEST KID IN LOS ANGELES
After all, Carla has parents who let her do anything she wants. Laurie's mother keeps her on a short leash, demanding that she keep the house clean, cook for her sick father, and stay out of trouble. Still, at Carla's instigation, they manage to keep things on the street exciting. Sometimes it's shoplifting, sometimes it's hitching a ride, sometimes it's smoking and flirting on the beach with older guys. If Laurie could only be as brave and daring as Carla, she knows her life would be a lot more interesting.
But Laurie also knows that Carla sometimes takes crazy chances. And one night when Carla is in trouble only Laurie can help her--only Laurie and one other person, someone who loves Laurie more than she realizes, someone who would do anything to be with her. . . .
"Capture[s] the dark underside of growing up . . . Teens will empathize with Laurie's desire to be free from familial rules and responsibilities, and the realism of some scenes will horrify yet fascinate them."
--School Library Journal

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult

10 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 24, 1995

About the author

Janet Fitch was born in Los Angeles, a third-generation native, and grew up in a family of voracious readers. As an undergraduate at Reed College, Fitch had decided to become an historian, attracted to its powerful narratives, the scope of events, the colossal personalities, and the potency and breadth of its themes. But when she won a student exchange to Keele University in England, where her passion for Russian history led her, she awoke in the middle of the night on her twenty-first birthday with the revelation she wanted to write fiction. "I wanted to Live, not spend my life in a library. Of course, my conception of being a writer was to wear a cape and have Adventures." She has acquired a couple of capes since then, and a few adventures. And books.

Her current novels, THE REVOLUTION OF MARINA M. and CHIMES OF A LOST CATHEDRAL paint a portrait of a young poet coming of age during the Russian Revolution. Her last novel PAINT IT BLACK was made into a feature film, available on NETFLIX. Her novel WHITE OLEANDER was an Oprah Book Club pick and made into a motion picture.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel a great affection for this little novel, my first, a YA novel about a girl who wants nothing more than to be her more daring friend--until she comes to understand what lies behind that recklessness. It includes the first of many Russian characters in my fiction, the girl's mother Lena... I was just learning to write but still like it.

[Xander Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is compelling on multiple levels. For one thing, it's fascinating to see a great author get her start in the literary world. I see some similarities to Janet Fitch's other works, but I also see ways in which she has matured since Kicks was published 20 years ago.
But this novel is also noteworthy because of its ability to tap into the psyche of teenagers (particularly teenage girls, but there is definitely some universality in these experiences). It's a slow build and I have to admit not being fully hooked in the first few chapters, but as I gradually came to understand these characters and what the author is striving towards, I appreciated it more. There is not anything extraordinarily unique or revolutionary contained within, but everything is accessible. In the end, I found that I had more in common with Laurie than I could have imagined when I first cracked the book. I was also the "straight" one of my group of peers in high school and excused my way out of many uncomfortable situations. Because of this, Laurie was a wonderfully satisfying protagonist for me and I cheered her on as she escaped from the Wild Ones and then cheered even harder as she more fully connected with Lena and with Jonathan. She is also the character who, in many ways, I would want my own children to emulate. It's not that she doesn't "live" or ever take little risks (she ends the book by hopping into the driver's seat of a city bus), but she lives within her own comfort level.
I can't help but wonder if some people read this and find more of a connection with Carla. What would be those people's reactions to her character's journey.
I wonder.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me 2 1/2 years to get my hands on a copy of this book, I finally found a cancelled library book copy on Amazon a few months back. Janet Finch's 2nd novel 'White Oleander' has sat patiently unread on my shelf for over 3 years due to my anal idiosyncrasy of having to read an authors books in the order they were written (yes even if they have no link to each other)! It's a relief to now be able to pluck 'White Oleander' off the shelf for my next read!

'Kicks' was a great read. It's a Teen Fiction book from the early 90s which is quite surprising given the amount of sex and drugs in it. I thought that type of 'free writing' was brought into Teen Fiction in the mid 2000's. Maybe this was the book that opened the flood gates. Saying that, this copy is a cancelled library book from Nashoba Regional High School which is located in Bolton, Massachusetts. There are no sign out stamps on the docket, so I wonder if this book was pulled for sensorship or due to lack of interest from the students...
Really well written and am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Finally!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had my parents buy this book from me from one of those book catalogues they had in elementary or middle school. Then I never read the book but felt guilty about owning it so I kept it all these years. In my attempt to read books on my shelf I've never read (not getting a library card for my new town is helping this endeavor for sure) I picked this book up and read it.

I think it's kind of intense for the age group it's intended for, as I never read about drug overdoses as a child or even a teenager. But, the story was good and there were good moral lessons throughout.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I read this book 22 years ago yet I still remember the specific time and place I was reading it, random bits of it, and the parts of my teen years it influenced for the better. Unforgettable due to the intense nostalgia it induces in me, would love a re read but unfortunately I don't think there are copies available.

[Angela Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst very good, with great visuals, it was written for a young audience and was simpler than expected after reading White Oleander.

[Sosa Coleone · Rating 1 out of 5]

Your violent

[Gaith Gazala]

Hghgg

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I actually liked that very much.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of Fitch's books, it was written for a younger audience. It's a bit intense for a youth book, but not as much as White Oleander or Paint It Black. Still, a good read.