Dying for Ice Cream, by MaryJanice Davidson

Except for the Harry Potter books, I'm not really into books intended for children or teens. I don't read much in the genre, but I recently accidentally acquired one by an author whose voice is very good, MaryJanice Davidson. I've liked her vampire/chick-lit, her warewolf/romantica, and now I also like her Young Adult voice! The title of the short story I read was Dying for Ice Cream.

Austin Opitz never meant to fall for Yvonne Robinson. The girl was rich and spoiled, a lethal combination. But when he saw her sobbing in the hospital cafeteria with a plate of ice cream melting in front of her, he couldn't walk away.

So begins a strange friendship between two opposites: Yvonne, a recently diagnosed diabetic bitter about the mandatory change in her lifestyle; and jokester Austin Opitz, who covers up his own recent tragedy by playing class clown.

This is a story about teenagers getting a taste of life's ups and downs, and how they cope, despite tremendous odds.

As I said, I didn't intend to get a Young Adult book when I got this one. It was a surprise, especially since I didn't know Ellora's Cave published this genre!

I liked it quite a bit, though. This is a story that's short and sweet. The characters are really well done, especially Austin. He's got this really funny, snarky voice, and I giggled quite a few times reading the way he teased Yvonne. I especially liked his relationship with his father.

The plot was well done, too. It's an "issue" book, but I didn't find it too preachy.

My only problem: too short! Grade: B.