1. Sarah Dessen Along For The Ride

Fans of Sarah Dessen's best-selling young adult novels have a new coming-of-age tale to look forward to just in time for beach season. In June 2013, Dessen will return with her 11th novel, The Moon and More.
The North Carolina-based author is known for her popular stories about growing up, such as The Truth About Forever and Along for the Ride, which peaked on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list at No. 11 in 2009.

In The Moon and More, Emaline works at her family's vacation rental company the summer before she leaves for college. She must confront her values, goals and choices as her relationship with city-boy Theo evolves and she's forced to say goodbye to the beach town where she grew up.

Take a first look at the book jacket and read an excerpt of the novel, which will arrive on June 4:

Download The Sarah Dessen Free eBook Sampler is the ultimate introduction to the highly acclaimed author of ten beloved young adult novels. Featuring excerpts from three New York Times bestsellers, Lock and Key, Just Listen, Along for the Ride, and her newest novel What Happened to Goodbye, this free eBook preview gives just a taste of Dessen’s trademark graceful writing, great characters.

Chapter 1:
Here they come.
'—or I promise you, we'll turn right around and go back to Paterson!' the woman behind the wheel of the burgundy minivan was shouting as it pulled up beside me. She had her head turned towards the backseat, where I could see three kids, two boys and a girl, staring back at her. A vein in her neck was bulging, looking not unlike the interstate, thick and unmissable, on the map held by the man in the passenger seat beside her. 'I am serious. I have had it.'
The kids didn't say anything. After a moment of glaring at them, she turned to look at me. She had on big sunglasses with bedazzled frames. A large fountain drink, the straw tinged with lipstick, was parked between her legs.
'Welcome to the beach,' I said to her, in my best Colby Realty employee voice. 'May I—'
'The directions on your Web site are garbage,' she informed me. Behind her, I saw one of the kids frog-punch another, who emitted a stifled shriek. 'We've gotten lost three times since getting off the interstate.'
'I'm so sorry to hear that,' I replied. 'If you'd like to give me your name, I'll grab you your keys and get you on the way to your rental.'
'Webster,' she told me.
I turned, reaching into the small rattan bin that held all the envelopes for that day's check-ins. Miller, Tubman, Simone, Wallace . . . Webster.
'Heron's Call,' I read off the envelope, before opening it to make sure the keys were both in it. 'That's a great property.'
In reply, she stuck out her hand. I gave the envelope to her, along with her complimentary beach bag full of all the free stuff—Colby Realty pen, giveaway postcard, area guide, and cheap drink cooler—that I knew the cleaning crew would most likely find untouched when they checked out. 'Have a great week,' I told her. 'Enjoy the beach!'
Now, she gave me a wry smile, although it was hard to tell if she was truly thankful or just felt sorry for me. After all, I was standing in a glorified sandbox in the middle of a parking lot, with three cars lined up behind her, most likely full of people in the exact same kind of mood. When the final stop on a trip is paradise, being the second to last is no picnic.
Not that I had time to really think about this as they pulled away, signal already blinking for their turn onto the main road. It was three ten, and the next car, a blue sedan with one of those carriers on top, was waiting. I kicked what sand I could out of my shoes and took a deep breath.
'Welcome to the beach,' I said, as they pulled up beside me. 'Name, please?'
'Well,' my sister Margo said when I came into the office, sweat-soaked and depleted, two hours later. 'How did it go?'
'I have sand in my shoes,' I told her, going straight to the water cooler, where I filled up a cup, downed it, and then did the same with two more.
'You're at the beach, Emaline,' she pointed out.
'No, I'm at the office,' I replied, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. 'The beach is two miles away. People
will get to the sand soon enough. I don't see why we have to have it here, too.'
'Because,' she replied, in the cool voice of someone who had spent the day in air-conditioning, 'we are the one of the first impressions our visitors get of Colby. We want them to feel that the moment they turn into our parking lot, they are officially on vacation.'
'What does that have to do with me standing in a sandbox?'
'It's not a sandbox,' she said, and I rolled my eyes, because that's exactly what it was, and we both knew it. 'It's a sandbar, and it's meant to evoke the majesty of the coast.'
I didn't even know what to say to this. Ever since Margo had graduated from East U the year before with a double degree in hospitality and business, she'd been insufferable. Or more insufferable, actually. My family had owned Colby Realty for over fifty years; our grandparents started it right after they got married. We'd been doing just fine, thank you, before Margo and her sandbox or sandbar, or whatever. But she was the first one in our family so far to get a college degree, so she got to do whatever she wanted.
Which was why, a few weeks earlier, she had this sandbox/Tiki Hut/whatever it was made and put it in our office parking lot. About four by four feet, with waist-high walls, it was like a wooden tollbooth, with a truckload of playground sand dumped in and around it for good measure. Nobody questioned the need for this except me. Then again, no one else had to work in it.
I heard a snicker, muffled, and looked over. Sure enough, it was my grandmother, behind her own desk, making a phone call. She winked at me and I couldn't help but smile.
'Don't forget about the VIP rounds,' Margo called out, as I headed in that direction, chucking my cup in the trash on the way. 'You need to start promptly at five thirty. And double-check the fruit and cheese platters before you deliver them. Amber did them and you know how she is.'
Amber was my other sister. She was in hair school, only worked for the realty company under duress, and expressed her annoyance by doing everything in as slipshod a way as possible.
'Ten-four,' I replied, and Margo exhaled, annoyed. She'd told me ten times that it sounded so unprofessional, like trucker talk. Which was exactly why I kept saying it.
My grandmother's office was right at the front of the building, with a big window looking out onto the main road, now packed with beach traffic. She was still on the phone but waved me in when she saw me in her doorway.
'Well, yes, Roger, I sympathize, believe me,' she was saying as I pushed some brochures aside to sit down in the chair opposite her desk. It was messy as always, piled with papers, file folders, and several open packs of Rolos. She always misplaced one after opening it, only to do the same with the next, and the one after that. 'But the bottom line is, in rental houses, door handles get a lot of use. Especially back door handles that lead to the beach. We can fix them as much as possible, but sometimes you just have to replace the hardware.'
Roger said something, his voice booming from the receiver. My grandmother helped herself to a Rolo, then extended the pack to me. I shook my head.
'The report I received was that the handle fell off, inside, after the door was locked. The guests couldn't get back in. That's when they called us.' A pause. Then she said, 'Well, I'm sure they could have climbed in through a window. But when you're paying five grand for a week, you can claim certain privileges.'
As Roger responded, she chewed her Rolo. The candy wasn't the best habit, but it was better than cigarettes, which she had smoked up until about six years earlier. My mother claimed that when she was a kid, a constant cloud had hung in this office, like its own personal weather system. Weirdly enough, even after multiple cleanings, new curtains and carpet, you can still smell the smoke. It's faint, but it's there.
'Of course. It's always something when you're a landlord,' she said now, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her neck. 'We'll take care of it and send the bill. All right?' Roger started to say something else. 'Great! Thanks for the call.'
She hung up, shaking her head. Behind her, another minivan was pulling into our parking lot. 'Some people,' she said, popping out another Rolo, 'should just not own beach houses.'
This is one of her favorite mantras, running a close second to 'Some people should just not rent beach houses.' I've often told her we should have it needlepointed and framed, not that we could hang it up anywhere in this office.
'Another busted handle?' I asked.
'Third one this week. You know how it goes. It's the beginning of the season. That means wear and tear.' She starts digging around on her desk, knocking papers to the floor. 'How did check-in go?'
'Fine,' I said. 'Only two early birds, and both their places were already cleaned.'
'And you're doing the vips today?'
I smiled. The VIP package was another one of Margo's recent brainstorms. For an added charge, people who were renting what we called our Beach Palaces—the fanciest properties, with elevators and pools and all the
amenities—got a welcome spread of cheese and fruit, along with a bottle of wine. Margo first pitched the idea at the Friday Morning Meeting, another thing she'd instituted, which basically forced us all to sit around the conference table once a week to say everything we'd normally discuss while actually working. That day, she'd handed out a printed agenda, with bullet points, one of which said 'VIP Treatment'. My grandmother, squinting at it without her glasses, said, 'What's a vip?' To Margo's annoyance, it stuck, and now the rest of us refused to call it anything else.
'Just leaving now,' I told her. 'Any special instructions?'
She finally found the sheet she'd been looking for and scanned it quickly. 'Dune's Dream is a good regular client,' she said. 'Bon Voyage is new, as is Casa Blu. And whoever's in Sand Dollars is there for two months.'
'Months?' I said. 'Seriously?'
Sand Dollars was one of our priciest properties, a big house way out on the Tip, the very edge of town. Just a week would break most budgets. 'Yep. So make sure they get a good platter. All right?'
I nodded, then got to my feet. I was just about to the door when she said, 'And Emaline?'
'Yes?'
'You looked pretty cute in that sandbox this afternoon. Brought back memories.'
I smiled, just as Margo yelled from outside, 'It's a sandbar, Grandmother!'
Down the hallway in the back storage room, I collected the four platters Amber had assembled earlier. Sure enough, the cheese and fruit were all jumbled up, as if thrown from a distance. After spending a good fifteen minutes making them presentable, I took them out to my car, which was about a million degrees even though I parked in the shade. All I could do was pile them on the passenger seat, point every A/C vent in their direction, and hope for the best.
At the first house, Dune's Dream, no one answered even after I rang the bell and paged them from the outside intercom. I walked around the extensive deck, peering down. There was a group of people around the pool below, as well as a couple walking down the long boardwalk to the beach. I tried the door—unlocked—and stepped inside.
'Hello?' I called out in a friendly voice. 'Colby Realty, VIP delivery?' When you had to come into people's houses—even if they'd only just moved in, and then just for the week—you learned not only to announce yourself, but do so loudly and repeatedly. All it took was catching one person unaware and partially clothed to bang this lesson home. Yes, people were supposed to let it all hang out on vacation. But that didn't mean I wanted to see it. 'Colby Realty? VIP delivery?'
Silence. Quickly, I moved up to the third-floor kitchen, where the views were spectacular. On the speckled granite island, I arranged the platter, chilled bottle of wine, and a handwritten card welcoming them to Colby and reminding them to contact us if they needed anything at all. Then it was on to the next house.
At Bon Voyage, the door was locked, the guests most likely out for an early dinner. I set up the platter and wine in the kitchen, where the blender was still plugged in, the carafe in the sink smelling of something sweet and tropical. It was always so weird to come into these houses once people were actually staying there, especially if I'd just been in the same morning to check after the cleaners. The entire energy was different, like the difference between something being off and on.
At Casa Blu, the door was answered by a short woman with a deep tan, wearing a bikini that was, honestly, not really age appropriate. This was not to say I knew how old she was as much as that, even at eighteen, I wouldn't have attempted the same skimpy pink number. There was a white sheen of sunscreen on her face, a beer in a bright yellow coozy in her free hand.
'Colby Realty, VIP delivery,' I said. 'I have a welcome gift for you?'
She took a sip of her beer. 'Great,' she said, in a flat, nasal tone. 'Come on in.'
I followed her up to the next level, trying not to look at her bikini bottom, which was riding up, up, up as we climbed the stairs. 'Is it the stripper?' someone called out as I stepped onto the landing. It was another woman around the same age, midforties, maybe, wearing a bikini top, a flowy skirt, and a thick, gold braided necklace. When she saw me, she laughed. 'Guess not!'
'It's something from the rental place,' Pink Bikini explained to her and a third woman in a shorty bathrobe holding a wine glass, her hair in a messy topknot, who were looking down from the deck at something below. 'A welcome gift.'
'Oh,' the bathrobe woman said. 'I thought this was our present.'
There was a burst of laughter as the woman who let me in walked over to join them, looking as well. I arranged my platter and bottle, put up the card, and was about to leave discreetly when I heard one of them say, 'Wouldn't you just love to take a big bite of that, Elinor?'
'Mmmm,' she replied. 'I say we dump dirt in the pool, so he has to come back tomorrow.'
'And the next day!' Flowy Skirt said. Then they all laughed again, clinking their glasses.
'Enjoy your stay,' I called out as I left, but of course they didn't hear me. Halfway down the stairs to the front door, I glanced out one of the big windows, spotting the object of their ogling: a tall, very tan guy with curly blond hair, shirtless, wielding a long, awfully phallic looking pool brush. I could hear them still whooping as I went out the door, easing it shut behind me.
Back in the car, I pulled my hair up in a ponytail, secured it with one of elastics hanging around my gearshift, and sat for a moment in the driveway, watching the waves. I had one more stop and plenty of time, so I was still there when the pool guy let himself out of the fence and headed back to his truck, parked beside me.
'Hey,' I called out, as he climbed up into the open bed, coiling a couple of hoses. 'You could make some big money this week, if your morals are loose enough and you like older women.'
He grinned, flashing white teeth. 'Think so?'
'They'd devour you, given the chance.'
Another smile as he hopped down, shutting the tailgate, and came over to my open window. He leaned down on it, so his head was level with mine. 'Not my type,' he told me. 'Plus, I'm already taken.'
'Lucky girl,' I said.
'You should tell her that. I think she takes me for granted.'
I made a face. 'I think it's mutual.'
He leaned in and kissed me. I could taste the tiny bit of sweat above his lip. As he pulled back , I said, 'You're not kidding anyone, you know. You are fully capable of wearing a shirt when you work.'
'It's hot out here!' he told me, but I just rolled my eyes, cranking my engine. Ever since he'd taken up running and got all cut, you couldn't keep a top on the boy. This was not the first house that had noticed.

Sarah Dessen Along For The Ride

1. “Another pitch-perfect offering from Dessen.” —Booklist, starred review Also by Sarah Dessen: Along for the Ride Just Listen Keeping the Moon Lock and Key The Moon and More Someone Like You That Summer This Lullaby The Truth About Forever What Happened to Goodbye.
2. About The Moon and More. From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Once and for All In her eleventh novel, Sarah Dessen returns to the beach town of Colby, setting of some of her best-loved books. Emaline is a Colby native, and so summer at the beach for her means hard work and a new population of beach goers.

'So we still on for tonight?'
'What's tonight?'
'Emaline.' He shook his head. 'Don't even try to act like you've forgotten.'
I thought hard. Nothing. Then he hummed the first few bars of 'Here Comes the Bride,' and I groaned. 'Oh, right. The cookout thing.'
'The shower-slash-barbecue,' he corrected me. 'Otherwise known as my mother's full-time obsession for the last two months?'
Oops. In my defense, however, this was the third of four showers that were being held in preparation for the wedding of Luke's sister Brooke. Ever since she'd gotten engaged the previous fall, it had been all wedding, all the time at his house. Since I spent much of my time there, it was like being forced into an immersion program
for a language I had no interest in learning. Plus, since Luke and I had been together since ninth grade, there was also the issue of everyone making jokes about how we'd be next, and his parents should go ahead and get a two-for-one deal. Ha, ha.
'Seven o'clock,' Luke said now, kissing my forehead. 'See you then. I'll be the one with the shirt on.'

The Moon and More is Sarah Dessen's eleventh book, published in June 2013^[1], and is a young adult novel. The protagonist, Emaline is a Colby native, a small beachside town, and so summer at the beach for her means hard work and a new population of beach goers. During this, her last summer before college, Emaline meets Theo while working for her family's rental business. He's a city boy who's come to Colby as the assistant to a high-strung documentary filmmaker who's in town to profile a reclusive local artist. Emaline knows he's not her type, but she can't help feeling drawn to him. And as their relationship develops, Emaline finds herself questioning her own goals, values, and choices.^[2]

Plot summary[edit]

Emaline is spending the summer working for her family's real estate agency and getting ready to head to the local college in the fall.^[3] Her plans for the summer involve working at her family's realty, while hanging out with her two best friends Daisy and Morris, and her boyfriend Luke. She plans to attend the local university in the fall, East U, with her high school sweet heart Luke, on a full ride scholarship. Emaline longs for a summer like a tourist, one where she isn't a supporting character in someone else's summer romance; but where she is the lead in hers.

But things don't go according to plan. First, Emaline's biological father turns up in Colby. He had been urging Emaline to apply to Ivy League schools and even offered to help pay her tuition, but mysteriously rescinded his offer once she got into Columbia. Her father brings along her half brother Benji who she has to spend time with. Then Emaline starts noticing that she and Luke aren't as much in sync as usual, and that they haven't been since earlier that spring in April. Finally, a documentary filmmaker from New York shows up in town to interview Clyde Conway, a mysterious artist who disappeared at the height of his career. The filmmaker, Ivy, has brought along her young assistant, Theo, who is eager to impress his boss by getting Emaline to show him the lay of the land in Colby.

After she finds out that Luke cheated on her, Emaline turns to Theo and experiences the summer romance she always wanted. Except, her summer romance doesn't turn out to be what she thought it would be, she realizes Theo is selfish and has been using her for his own agenda. Emaline also learns that her father and his wife are getting a divorce, which is why he couldn't pay for her college tuition. She also tries to help Benji cope with his families divorce.

In the end Emaline realizes what is really important to her: family. She no longer longs for a life outside of Colby. She doesn't end up with either guy, although she remains good friends with Luke. The novel ends with Emaline interning for Ivy in New York City. Morris is helping Clyde with an art tour.^[4]

Characters[edit]

Emaline: a local girl in a small beach town by the name of Colby. She is in her summer between college and high school, with a summer job of working at her family's real estate agency; Colby Realty. At the start of the book she is in a relationship with local golden boy Luke who embodies the town of Colby. She is best friends with Daisy who works at her family's (and the town's only) nail shop, Wave Nails. Emaline later meets a film student from New York, an aspiring documentarist named Theo, who introduced her to all the wonders outside of Colby. Emaline is faced with many life decisions of whether to face her fears and venture out into the world of uncertainty or stay with the familiarity.

Luke: cleans pools in order to make money. Loves to walk around shirtless. Restore iphone ipsw without itunes. Is an all-around nice guy.

Theo: hipster from NYC. He's an intern for Ivy, trying to make a name in the art world.

Morris: a local boy from Colby as well who has grown up with Emaline, Daisy and Luke. He is the lazy one is the group, really laid back and if he is given instructions, they need to be very detailed instructions. His personality is hinted at because he has not had a father in his life and his mother is all but interested in his life. Emaline has looked out for Morris since the third grade no matter how frustrating he may be. Rob, Emaline's stepdad, even gives Morris a job and doesn't fire him because he feels the same way Emaline does about Morris. Morris is also the boyfriend of Daisy.

Daisy: fashion-forward Asian friend. Dating Morris.

Benji: Emaline's half brother. 10 years old. Loves Luke. Struggling to come to terms with his parent's divorce.

Ivy: famous documentary maker. Goes to Colby to film a documentary on Clyde. Appears mean but is very nice in the end.

Clyde: owns the bike shop and the laundromat. Used to be a very famous artist but left NYC to return to Colby.

Joel: Emaline's Biological father, who left when she was little. (he comes back into the book a few times, in the beginning a little, and a little later in the book.) Was married to Leah but they end up getting divorced.

Leah: Benjis mom

Major themes[edit]

Like in most Sarah Dessen novels, a big theme is identity. Emaline is trying to figure out who she is and what world she belongs to. She has become confused with the ideals of a new wonderful life outside of Colby, to be different and try new things; yet still feels the pull of home. She has grown up in Colby all her life and has had life long friends who will always be there, but she also has an ure to leave Colby and see what else is out there. Theo represents life outside of Colby and Luke represents Colby. In the end she learns she does not need to pick one or the other but that she can have both: she can see the world and always have a place to return to.

The theme of family is very important in the novel. Emaline's biological father is always been a mythical creature in a sense while her step-dad has been there all her life. The words father and dad in the novel mean two different thing; a dad means family and love, while father is just a title. Rob, Emaline's stepdad, is not related to her but throughout the novel references to similar qualities they share, while she and her father only share the common interest in school. She treats her step sisters Margo and Amber more like family than her half brother Benji. She equates familiarity and warmth with the idea of family.

Ambition and values is also another theme. Clyde, when he was younger, became obsessed with fame. He was a rising artist who gained fame quickly but also realized it didn't make him happy. He quickly returned to Colby where he could focus on what was important. Theo was very ambitious and used whoever he needed in order to get ahead, even if that means using the ones he loves. Emaline studies hard to get into Ivy Leagues and see the world, but also works hard to help support her family and community. In the end she figures out that college isn't what's really important in life.

Allusions to other books[edit]

Clyde is a semi important character in the book Along for the Ride. He owns the bike shop and the laundromat mentioned in the novel.^[5]

Auden is the main character in Along for the Ride. She and her stepmother Heidi were at Clementine's (Heidi's shop) where Daisy works. Before they got there they also ran into Maggie from the same book (Along for the Ride) – the one Daisy tried to give the flyer to.^[5]

Spinnerbait from This Lullaby is playing a gig while Emaline is on a date with Theo.^[6]

Wes and Burt from The Truth About Forever are mentioned as cousins with Luke.^[7]

'Gerts' bracelets from What Happened to Goodbye are worn by several characters.^[8]

References[edit]

1. ^Deutsch, Lindsay (November 8, 2012). 'Cover reveal and excerpt: 'The Moon and More' by Sarah Dessen'. USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
2. ^Doll, Jen (2013-06-04). 'Sarah Dessen's Secret to Y.A. Success: Stay Forever Young'. The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
3. ^'The Moon and More - Book Review'. www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
4. ^Dessen, Sarah (2013). The Moon and More. Melbourne, Victoria: Penguin. ISBN0141348291.
5. ^ ^abDessen, Sarah (2011). Along for the ride : a novel. New York: Speak. ISBN0142415561.
6. ^Dessen, Sarah (2002). This lullaby. New York: Speak. ISBN0142501557.
7. ^Dessen, Sarah (2004). The truth about forever. New York: Speak. ISBN0142406252.
8. ^Dessen, Sarah (2011). What happened to goodbye (1. ed.). New York: Viking. ISBN9780670012947.