Made You Up

Description

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college, wages a war against her schizophrenia. She's pretty optimistic about her chances, until classes begin and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She's not prepared for normal. VOYA says, "Fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars and Matthew Quick's Silver Linings Playbook will immerse themselves in this nuanced look at trying to live a 'normal' life." Funny, thought-provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

Francesca Zappia lives in central Indiana and majors in computer science at the University of Indianapolis. She spends most of her time writing, drawing her characters, and reading. Made You Up is her debut novel.

"Debut novelist Zappia presents readers with a wholly unreliable narrator, [but] the characters all seem authentic, thanks to Zappia's careful attention to detail." -- Booklist "Alex is a funny, touching, determined, and smart character, and her story is complex and interesting. Fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars and Matthew Quick's Silver Linings Playbook will immerse themselves in this nuanced look at trying to live a "normal" life while coping with mental illness." -- Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) "The storytelling texture here recalls Andrew Smith and Sean Beaudoin...There are moments of genuine tragedy redeemed by the acceptance Miles and Alex find in each other amidst all of their imperfections; if love doesn't conquer all, it certainly makes the battles easier to bear. Readers...will enjoy this quirky trip." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Alex's sardonic voice and the rapid, Heathers-like dialogue will hold readers' interest." -- Publishers Weekly