North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Terra Cooper may be tall, slender, and blond- but her otherwise perfect body is marred by the large port-wine birthmark on her cheek. Terra’s life is dominated by her controlling abusive father, a disgraced mapmaker who constantly ridicules Terra and her mother. Terra has her life mapped out until she meets Jacob, an Asian goth boy, who sends Terra’s life off course and forces her to examine herself and her decisions from a new perspective.

Headley has crafted a remarkable coming of age story that tackles society’s views of beauty head on. Terra is immensely likeable and has a combination of naked insecurity and inner strength that will resonate with teen readers. Cartography is woven throughout the story in a way that will make sense to readers unfamiliar with the discipline, and adds layers and symbolism to the story. The story’s pacing is slightly flawed, it moves too slowly at the beginning and it takes too long for readers to truly connect with Terra.