Review of Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab

I enjoyed reading this book about a teenager with sophisticated tastes from New York City relocating to the small town of Prague in upstate New York. Not only does Matisse (named by her artist parents after the famous painter) have to deal with the loss of her best friend, and access to fashion, movies, and music, but the reason for the move is her father's deteriorating health due to Parkinson's Disease. At her old school in New York, Matisse hated the constant sympathy from her classmates once they found out about her father's illness, so she is determined to keep the kids at her new school from seeing or meeting him. Of course, in a small town that's not so easy. There are the usual characters: the snobby bullying cheerleader, the hayseed in overalls who turns out to be not so stupid, and the football player who turns out not to be such a jerk afterall. The dialogue is a little stilted, but the characters are mostly realistic, and the story is good enough to carry you through. Review by Stacy Church