The Carnival at Bray

Foley depicts a struggle of finding oneself and learning where one belongs, and holding onto the everchanging definition especially when the geography surrounding us suddenly changes. Maggie and her family migrate from Chicago to Ireland, leaving behind her favorite uncle, and musical influence, the wayward Kevin. Add to this the backdrop of the anticipation of attending a Nirvana concert and you have all the fixings for a well-rounded tale of love, loss, and living. Having had the pleasure of meeting Foley a time or two, I can attest that her sense of setting is as apparent in her identity as… show more.

This Printz Honor and Morris Award winner sails us straight into the soul of sixteen-year-old Maggie, who is uprooted from Chicago by her mother and mother’s boyfriend and replanted in a small town on the Irish coast. Foley writes with an authentic, intelligent voice (always), and I love that she populates this novel with flawed adult characters who play integral roles in Maggie’s blossoming.