A Red Polka Dot in a World Full of Plaid

Maxine is as sarcastic and cynical as they come. She's an expert at using her quick wit and sharp tongue to mask her true feelings. However, her emotions get the best of her when she learns the father she thought dead is alive, and that her mother has been lying about his death for Maxine's entire life. On impulse, Maxine sets out cross-country for the small town where her father lives. But instead of finding the father of her dreams, Maxine meets a man that is nothing like she expected. Can Maxine learn to accept her father, even with his faults? And in the process, can she learn to accept herself? From first time author Varian Johnson comes a clever novel about a headstrong young adult and the makeshift family that forces her to open her heart, whether she wants to or not.