Heart and Salsa

by Suzanne Nelson

Book Overview

Cat Wilcox has left chilly Boston for sunny Mexico and a summer of girl bonding with her best friend, Sabrina. But Sabrina has a surprise. She is accompanied by her boyfriend--a boyfriend Cat didn't... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142406473
• ISBN13: 9780142406472
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.7" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

...teen chick lit that harbors an important message

Sixteen-year-old Caitlin "Cat" Wilcox, will do anything to escape spending the summer with her mother and her new stepfather in chilly Boston. So when she's given the opportunity to spend three months in sunny Mexico as part of the S.A.S.S. (Students Across the Seven Seas) Program, she jumps at the chance. After all, she's always wanted to visit the beautiful country, and it's one of the only chances Cat will have to reunite with Sabrina, her best friend from Scottsdale, Arizona. Cat has had a trying three months. The high school junior was promptly uprooted from her cushy life in Scottsdale in the middle of the school year, and dragged halfway across the country to boring Boston with her mother and her new stepfather, Ted. No one consulted her on the move, simply believing that Cat would adjust to the change. But she hasn't. Back home, she was a champion diver. But when she arrives in Boston, she vows never to join another diving team for as long as she lives, and, to really teach her mom a lesson, she begins trying to flunk out of her classes. Neither plan does the trick, however...she's stuck in Boston. Until now. Cat can't wait to see Sabrina and spend the entire summer catching up on all things Scottsdale, and cruising the beautiful beaches that dot Mexico. However, from the moment she steps off the plane, Cat realizes that her summer plans are going to be quite different than she originally expected. For one, it won't be just her and Sabrina, because Sabrina has a boyfriend of three months, Brian, in tow, who dominates much of her time. And two, Cat has been paired with a host family who just happen to have a vicious daughter named Izzie, who will do anything to put Cat down - even resorting to calling her the American Princess. However, as Cat begins working side-by-side with her S.A.S.S. classmates building an orphaned-children school, she begins to realize that this summer may not be as bad as she originally thought. First, there's Aidan, a gorgeous New Yorker who happens to be paying Cat quite a bit of attention. However, Cat is unsure of his motives. Titling herself romantically challenged, Cat finds it difficult to pinpoint whether Aidan is flirting with her, or being just plain friendly. At the same time, she doesn't think that it matters either way. After all, she has seen the heartbreak her mother went through with her father, and doesn't plan on putting herself into a similar situation. Then there's Mexico itself. Cat can't help herself from falling in love with the beautiful country. From diving off waterfalls into crystal clear waters, to salsa dancing in fancy nightclubs; and even taking nature hikes through the glorious rainforest, to finishing the orphan center, Cat knows that it will be impossible for her to stay the same throughout the summer - no matter how hard she tries. Just as Cat attempts to dislike Boston from the moment she arrives there, finding it difficult to do so; readers will find it difficult to dislike Cat

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

This installment in the S.A.S.S. series features Caitlin Wilcox, a student who is spending her summer in Mexico with the Students Across the Seven Seas program. Cat can't wait to spend time in Mexico, with its sunshine and clear blue ocean, to reunite with her best friend Sabrina, after spending the past few months with her mom and new stepdad in Boston rather than her sunny former home of New Mexico, and to practice her Spanish, a language she loves. Nothing, however, turns out as planned. Sabrina has brought along her boyfriend, Brian, whose existence Cat hadn't even known of, and it's more difficult than it should be for Cat to get some face time with her best friend. Luckily, Cat quickly begins to make new friends; Aidan, Rachel, and Pete are all friendly fellow students. Even Izzie, Cat's host sister with whom she gets off to a rather rocky start with, turns into a friend. Spending her days building a school for orphans in the hot, humid weather of Oaxaca will be tough, but it'll be a lot of fun, especially with great friends! When they're not working on the school, the students are doing their learning by traveling to nearby rain forests and museums. Cat and her friends are having a lot of fun, but she can't help but wish she had more time with Sabrina. Cat's even starting to suspect that Brian isn't as great as he seems, but she couldn't raise that issue with Sabrina...right? Cat's got her own boy troubles as well. Are she and Aidan just friends, or is there more to it than Cat would like to admit? HEART AND SALSA is a fun read that will have readers wishing to escape to sunny Mexico right along with Cat! It's full of adventure in a foreign country, likeable characters, and romance. Cat is a character to whom readers will be able to relate, especially anyone who has ever had to move away from friends and family. The only reason Cat's mother agreed to let her go to Mexico was because they had just moved to Boston from New Mexico a few months ago, and adjusting is tough for Cat. While Suzanne Nelson's book is an entertaining, quick read, it's not particularly remarkable; it won't earn a place on my favorites shelf, but it was certainly worth reading! Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce