As far as Mary, a.k.a. Meringue, can tell, the only good thing about moving from Vancouver to Red Deer following her parents’ divorce is getting a head-start on earning her Learner’s Permit. Now she’s sixteen, she can drive on her own. When her friend Jeff asks her to cover his pizza route, Meringue jumps at the chance to cruise around town on her mother’s scooter. Little does she know that Jeff has been using his father’s pizza shop as a cover-up for his small-scale drug deals. By the time Meringue figures out what’s going on, a bigger drug dealer is moving in on Jeff’s business — and on her. Meringue is scared. How can she get herself out without snitching?
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JODI LUNDGREN is the author of several published short stories and essays as well as the novels Touched and Leap. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia, where she teaches English and Creative Writing to college students.
CM Magazine Recommends Blow!
“In talking about drugs, Lundgren approaches the subject from a bystander’s perspective so as to tacitly help teens envision how they might be able to assist friends who are caught in similar situations. Lundgren demonstrates a deft hand as she ensnares the reader in her characters’ plights.”
“In Blow, Lundgren features cultures not often seen in young adult literature, namely Filipino and Vietnamese Canadians. Lundgren is to be commended for portraying Asians within a contemporary context rather than in stereotypical ideals. Her writing shines as she portrays the complexities of racism through Meringue’s relationship with Jeff.”
College of New Caledonia Instructor recommends Blow:
“I am always looking for good high interest-low reading level books for my adult basic ed students. Generally, I look for a few things in these books: clear, simple writing; interesting, fast-paced storyline; characters that are easy to relate to.
Jodi Lundgren’s YA novel Blow satisfies these three requirements. […] The book is definitely a page-turner; I read it very quickly and found that it maintained my interest–I wanted to know what would happen next.
[…] Another reason I liked this book and would recommend it to my students is the Canadian small town setting: it takes place in Red Deer, Alberta, and contains subtle but satisfying references to Canadian culture (e.g. Tim Horton’s, the RCMP, graduated driver’s license systems).”
Jodi Lundgren 