"Annie on my Mind" is a truely inspirational novel.
It teaches its readers that they can love and be loved, no matter the gender. But the book also tells its readers that love is not all butterfly kisses and frolicking through the meadows. It show that there are still many people out there who discriminate against homosexual relationships.
It did not take me long to read through and finish this book but as I read I could feel he emotions of the characters and found a little piece of myself hidden deep within the depths of the souls of the two main characters. By the end of the I felt the lonliness that Eliza felt and was near tears(weither joyful or sorrowful I cannot say in case thouse who have not finished stummble upon my comment).
I hope to find more books with a genre similar to this novel and written just as well. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Nancy Garden's ANNIE ON MY MIND, originally published in 1982, was recently re-released. (It includes an interview with the author herself.)

The book represents an early example of realistic young adult fiction depicting a lesbian relationship between two high school seniors. It is still a fitting portrayal for today's teens.

Liza and Annie meet in a New York museum and develop a fast friendship. Both seem to realize there is something different about their relationship, but admitting that at the start is difficult for both. The story is told as Annie remembers it, and focuses mostly on her struggle to accept the facts she is learning about herself.

The book's first half takes the reader into the growing friendship between the girls. There is considerable time spent describing how they discover their common interests and the activities they find to spend time together. The girls come from different backgrounds - Liza attends a relatively sheltered, private school currently struggling with financial difficulties, while Annie attends public school and is faced with drugs, violence, and other social problems public schools must deal with both then and now.

As the girls' relationship develops, the plot becomes more involved in Liza's role as student council president and her school's struggle with a fund-raising campaign. Liza and Annie begin to accept the true direction of their friendship, and of course, as other people become aware, controversy surfaces. Will the admission of their gay lifestyle cause acceptance or abandonment by family and friends? Could their situation adversely affect a similar relationship between two teachers in Liza's private school?

ANNIE ON MY MIND delves into the acceptance of homosexuality. It seems there will always be two sides to this controversy, but the re-release of the book may ask readers to decide if things are changing as time passes. What really matters in love - what is "right" for those involved or what is perceived as "right" by those whose views may differ? ( )

Liza meets Annie and they strike up an immediate friendship. Liza, loves architecture and visiting museums. Annie is a great singer and actress. They quickly begin spending all the time together they can. When they share a kiss, they have to figure out what that means for them. For Liza, she hasn't thought much about if she is a lesbian. But the two must address the issue. At Foster, Liza's private school, Liza is the president of the student council and pressured to be a role model. When the girls' relationship is discovered, the headmistress decides to go on the offensive to rid the school of Liza and the teachers on faculty who are a lesbian couple.
The novel is a beautiful love story told in flashbacks as Liza struggles to write Annie a letter the next year while they are apart at different colleges. ( )

I would describe this novel the way that Liza describes Annie: magical.


Annie on My Mind beautifully portrays the struggles of a high school student to both live up to others expectations and follow her own heart.

Garden perfectly captures being swept up in a new romance and the effects it can have on ourselves and others. The gradual realizations of the characters about themselves parallel the discoveries real youths make about themselves at this point in their lives.

Annie on My Mind is told from Liza's perspective as she forces herself to remember all the events of the previous year and tries to write a letter to Annie. These moments are particularly poignant; who hasn't found it difficult to express their sentiments after such a trying and awkward time? The shifts to the present are abrupt, however, do not interrupt the story, but rather facilitate the telling by emphasizing the powerful emotions Annie feels as she remembers past events.

My largest problem with the story is the way the last events of the story Liza tells unfold. It seemed too neat for a real world solution with everything working out just they way it's supposed to.

Garden uses prose that is both eloquent and simple making the novel accessible and powerful to the youth audience at which it is aimed. I would highly recommend this novel to teenagers as well as their parents. This book is one to which they can relate their experiences no matter what orientation. It is also a book which could help their family relate to what they are feeling.

Overall this novel's lessons and message are wonderful. It is a book you won't be able to put down and one you'll want to pass on to others. ( )

The first YA novel to feature queer characters with a happy ending, this is now a classic. Liza and Annie's tentative romance takes a serious turn when Liza's private school forces her to publicly acknowledge their relationship, and two teachers are implicated. While the homophobic attitudes may seem dated today, the book is still a sweet and positive portrayal of first love. ( )