Stay with Me

by Paul Griffin

Overview

A heartbreaking urban romance from award-winning author Paul Griffin

Fifteen-year-olds Cece and Mack didn't expect to fall in love. She's a sensitive A student; he's a high school dropout. But soon they're spending every moment together, bonding over a rescued dog, telling their secrets, making plans for the future. Everything is perfect. Until Mack makes a horrible mistake, and suddenly the future they'd planned becomes impossible. In this stark new reality, both of them must find hope in the memories of what they had, to survive when the person they love can't stay.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101529430
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/08/2011
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Lexile:	HL570L (what's this?)
File size:	409 KB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Paul Griffin lives, writes, and trains dogs in New York City. His novel, The Orange Houses was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults Top Ten, an International Reading Association 2010 Notable Book for a Global Society, a Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Book of 2009, and an Amelia Bloomer Project Award Winner.

Editorial Reviews

This funny, wrenching, often heartbreaking novel,…brings contemporary characters and authentic street atmosphere, not to mention dogs and dysfunction, to the age-old story of two teenagers—here, same side of the tracks but different ends of the academic spectrum—in the bliss of first love…Griffin gracefully answers questions and solves mysteries, leaving us with hope and a smile without making things falsely shiny and bright.
—The New York Times Book Review

Cathi Hanauer

In a narrative spanning 102 days, Mack and CéCe, co-workers at a restaurant and co-narrators of the story, are set up by CéCe's brother, Anthony, and slowly hit it off. CéCe is heartbroken when Anthony joins the army, leaving her alone with their alcoholic mother, whose condition Griffin (The Orange Houses) delicately conveys with profound emotion. Mack, whose mother left him with a bitter alcoholic father, is gentle with the dogs he trains, but he's mentally disturbed—psychologically tormented by a hissing noise, "Like when you roll the radio to static and dial up the volume." When the hissing gets loud, generally as a reaction to injustice, Mack turns chillingly violent. As tension builds, readers will likely anticipate that this violence will ignite the conflict that brings Mack and CéCe's relationship to an end, but each step of that journey is authentic, painful, and heartfelt. Griffin's gift at giving voice to deeply flawed, disadvantaged characters without patronizing or oversimplifying their circumstances shines in this moving novel of loss, acceptance, and the possibility of redemption. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Griffin gracefully answers questions and solves mysteries, leaving us with hope and a smile without making things falsely shiny and bright." — The New York Times

* "A haunting story of love and heartbreak. Bittersweet, stellar, with genuine dialogue and drama, this book will appeal greatly to teens, especially dog lovers." — School Library Journal, starred review

* "Unique and genuine. This is romance but also true tragedy. Heart-wrenching." — Horn Book, starred review

* "Heartbreaking . . . extraordinary . . . vividly depicted through affecting prose and believable dialogue. Remarkable characters abound. Achingly, authentically emotionally resonant, this sad, never-saccharine tale will have absorbed readers reaching for the Kleenex. An outstanding love story." — Kirkus, starred review

* "Sweet, sensual, utterly engrossing, drawing readers in with engagingly authentic dialogue and fully realized characters." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"Exquisite, unforgettable, an intense portrait of first love, family ties and the bond between man and dog." — The Sunday Herald Sun

"Realistic underlined. Will find its way to the 'favorites' shelf right next to S.E. Hinton's classic The Outsiders." — VOYA

"Authentic, painful, heartfelt. Griffin's gift shines in this moving novel of loss, acceptance, and the possibility of redemption." — Publishers Weekly

" . . . a strong title in the competitive teen romance genre. With tragic Romeo-and-Juliet elements, this is a fast,paced, refreshingly honest, and surprisingly realistic urban love story." — Booklist

Official selection — Junior Library Guild

From the Publisher

Official selection

Junior Library Guild

" . . . a strong title in the competitive teen romance genre. With tragic Romeo-and-Juliet elements, this is a fast,paced, refreshingly honest, and surprisingly realistic urban love story."

Booklist

"Exquisite, unforgettable, an intense portrait of first love, family ties and the bond between man and dog."

The Sunday Herald Sun

* "Sweet, sensual, utterly engrossing, drawing readers in with engagingly authentic dialogue and fully realized characters."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

* "Unique and genuine. This is romance but also true tragedy. Heart-wrenching."

Horn Book

"Griffin gracefully answers questions and solves mysteries, leaving us with hope and a smile without making things falsely shiny and bright."

The New York Times

Gr 10 Up—Céce doesn't think much of herself. Although she is studying to take a gifted and talented test, works part time at Vic's pizza shop, and patiently looks out for her alcoholic mother, it isn't until she meets Mack, a fellow employee, that she begins to notice her strengths. When her older brother ships off to boot camp, he asks Mack to look after his sister. Timid Mack cannot even look her in the eye (or anyone else for that matter), but he agrees to help, and Céce begins to fall for the handsome, sensitive teen. Even though Mack has dropped out of school and has learning problems, she sees past that to the sweet boy who rehabilitates abused pit bulls, who has dreams and shares secrets, and who is also battling an oppressive home life. She overcomes her fear of dogs and is ready to open her heart to a rescue animal. A romance ensues, one that is as passionate and frantic as first love often is. Then Mack, who has anger issues, strikes out at a vindictive neighbor and changes everything. Told in alternating chapters between the two teens over the span of just 102 days, Griffin's novel weaves a haunting story of love and heartbreak. Céce's transformation is realistic and bittersweet as she moves from "Who am I without him?" to a girl who dreams her own dreams. And although Mack's actions are brutal, one cannot help but feel empathy for him and hope for his redemption via his work training service dogs. A stellar story, with genuine dialogue and drama, this is a book that will appeal greatly to teens, especially dog lovers.—Lauren Newman, Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School, East Columbus, NJ

School Library Journal

Annie Henk portrays Céce, an ambitious college-bound inner city student. Henk gives Céce a believable spark and conveys her conflicting emotions as, against her better judgment, she falls for Mack, a high school dropout who’s done jail time. Narrator Mark Zeisler portrays Mack, conveying his kindness as well as his instability. Listeners will be as swept up with Céce and Mack as they are with each other, and when things begin to fall apart, it feels both inevitable and heart-wrenching. Griffin’s strength is that he makes his characters, even minor ones, multidimensional, and Henk and Zeisler support that strength by creating distinct and rich voices. The story of opposites attracting is a common one, but this take is fresh and affecting. A.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

MAY 2012 - AudioFile

Their relationship is doomed from the start.

For 15-year-olds Céce and Mack, it's nearly love at first sight—not an easy feat, since they're so remarkably different. He's a dyslexic dropout with a police record. She's an excellent student, studying for an entrance exam to a gifted-and-talented program. Each comes from a hard-drinking, single-parent family, although Céce's mother exudes heartfelt affection while Mack's father is a misanthropic hate-monger. When provoked, Mack's anger is nearly uncontrollable, yet his transcendent sensitivity toward Céce and the pit bulls he rescues and cares for is extraordinary. Pushed together by Céce's brother, the heartbreaking depth of their relationship is vividly depicted through affecting prose and believable dialogue. After Mack gets into serious trouble, their resulting separation marks the end; each of them has to find a way to continue on, horribly damaged, but not destroyed. Remarkable characters abound: Vic, the wily fellow who employs them both in his quirky restaurant; Anthony, Céce's brave older brother; Wash, a compassionate prison guard; Mr. Thompkins, an impatient, drill-sergeant on a mission; and, notably,a pair of slobbering, devoted pit bulls. Even a too-convenient climax doesn't detract but rather gives readers and characters the relief they need. Achingly, authentically emotionally resonant, this sad, never-saccharine tale related in alternating voices will have absorbed readers reaching for the Kleenex.

An outstanding love story peopled by a wealth of memorable characters. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews