Undercover

by Beth Kephart

Elisa Cantor sees the world very differently from other people, while the world sees her as a nobody. She is below her classmates’ radar, undercover. Only boys slide up and speak to her in low voices, asking her for a love poem they can give to their current romantic interest. The simple, undercover things most people don’t notice, like a leaf leaving a tree, the river, and the red coat of a fox against the snow inspire Elisa’s poems.
One boy for whom she has written poems for catches Elisa’s interest; Theo agrees that she’s one-of-a-kind, but he still seems to want to be friends with her. But with his jealous and mean-spirited girlfriend around, they can only meet at the frozen pond at night and skate.

Cyrano de Bergerac, ice-skating, friendship, and writing. Elisa’s story doesn’t focus on any one thing besides Elisa and her exploration of the world and who she is, and her growing confidence. The emotions, the scenery, and the characters are so beautifully described with Beth Kephart’s poetic writing that you just have to love it. From the summary, I did not think I would enjoy Ms. Kephart’s newest book, House of Dance, but now I am very much looking forward to reading it and will definitely check it out.