Carpe Diem - by Autumn Cornwell (Paperback)

About the Book

When a world-traveling relative blackmails 16-year-old Vassar Spore's parents into forcing their only child to backpack with her through Southeast Asia, Vassar faces things she isn't prepared for--including a family secret that turns her world upside down.

Book Synopsis

In this delightful romantic adventure, a 16-year-old overachiever learns how to seize the day.

"I've got my entire life planned out for the next ten years -- including my PhD and Pulitzer Prize," claims 16-year-old overachiever Vassar Spore, daughter of overachiever parents, who in true overachiever fashion named her after an elite women's college.

Vassar expects her sophomore summer to include AP and AAP (Advanced Advanced Placement) classes. Surprise! Enter a world-traveling relative who sends her plans into a tailspin when she blackmails Vassar's parents into forcing their only child to backpack with her through Southeast Asia.

On a journey from Malaysia to Cambodia to the remote jungles of Laos, Vassar sweats, falls in love, hones her outdoor survival skills -- and uncovers a family secret that turns her whole world upside-down.

Vassar Spore can plan on one thing: she'll never be the same again.

From the Back Cover

July 27th: I'm freezing. My head itches. I can't remember the last time I had a shower or anything to eat besides sticky rice. This is not how I planned to spend my summer--or end my life. If only we hadn't answered the door that rainy night in May . . .

Review Quotes

"As the setting shifts, so does the story's tone, from Vassar's stilted home life and stuffy parents to a vividly described environment and array of colorful characters . . . Suspenseful and wonderfully detailed, the well-crafted story maintains its page-turning pace while adding small doses of cultural insight and humor." --School Library Journal, Starred Review

"This is self-confessed travel junkie Autumn Cornwell's first novel--and she's hit one out of the park . . . Cornwell genially skewers both Ivy League-obsessed nerds and the Lonely Planet crowd." --The Washington Post

"The locale, Vassar's gaffes, and quirky characters--especially Grandma Gerd and Hank--are what set this book apart." --VOYA

"A witty coming-of-age adventure." --Kirkus Reviews

"Take a traveler as reluctant as Anne Tyler'' accidental tourist and add the number of misadventures found in The Out-of-Towners, and you have the recipe for Cornwell' hilarious, adventure-packed first novel." --Publishers Weekly

"Cornwell brings the setting to life so vividly that you can practically feel the sweat running down your body as you read parts of the book." --The YA YA YAs / blog

". . . a classic coming-of-age story and one that I thoroughly enjoyed." --Bookslut

"Carpe Diem is a gem. I loved the plot, enjoyed the characters (although Grandma Gerd really 'ticked' me off sometimes) and appreciated that the author could draw me in so completely to Vassar's world. This book is so much fun; I recommend you give it as a gift to someone else who is searching for good, fun young adult books." --Armchair Interviews

". . . anyone who has lost their luggage; has felt their well planned [day, trip, life] slip through their fingers; or has made a list of goals, or even things to do; will laugh out loud and love this book." --Keri Holmes at The Kaleidoscope

About the Author

Squat toilets, profuse sweating, bamboo huts, jumbo centipedes-these are just some of the delights Autumn Cornwell has encountered in her global travels. Not to mention the can't-believe-it's-true Laotian jungle adventure which inspired Carpe Diem.
A travel junkie, Autumn has explored 22 countries and counting. She's spent the last couple summers working with refugees and orphans in Burma, Thailand, and Laos. Southeast Asia remains close to her heart since her days as a missionary kid in New Papua-where she ate her weight in guavas and mingled with reformed headhunters and cannibals. Which was nothing compared to navigating the intrepid jungles of the TV & Film Industry, where she spent most of her career.
Autumn lives in Los Feliz, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, with her husband JC, and their son Dexter. Carpe Diem is her first novel.