Why I Let My Hair Grow Out, by Maryrose Wood (Berkley Jam, 2007)

Upset by a bad breakup, sixteen-year-old Morgan cuts her hair and dies it orange, prompting her parents to send her on a bicycle tour of Ireland for the summer. As the tour makes its way across Ireland, Morgan struggles with feelings of alienation and resentment. Meanwhile, her involuntary visits to a mythic version of Ireland’s past, complete with fairies, curses, and legendary heroes, provide her with a real challenge. Now, recast as a myth in her own right, she has to perform some impossible tasks to unlock the secret of her time-traveling. This is one vacation she’ll never forget. This is a rather charming, entertaining book that shamelessly plunders Irish myth without adhering to the strict details. The cover, by Sarah Howell, is eye-catching and memorable.


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