Friendship, Self-Esteem & Self-Respect, Bullies, Bullying, Self Esteem & Reliance, Contemporary 

Bullied at school and neglected by her poor, self-absorbed, single mother at home, high school junior Noelle finally reaches the breaking point after a classmate commits suicide. 

Publisher Comments
A romantic and empowering book about bullying
Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding on.

Review
"[Keep Holding On] ... will give readers plenty to think about and a list of resources to tap into if they need them." Publishers Weekly, April 30,2012
Review
"...smart dialogue, quirky characters and richly layered plot. Emotionally satisfying from beginning to end." Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2012
Review
"Noelle's situation will resonate with teen readers. Her struggles are those of real teens—trying to fit in, feeling left out, searching for love, making hard choices." Voya, June 2012
Review
"This novel could be recommended to those who enjoyed Sonya Sones's What My Mother Doesn't Know (S & S, 2001) or Courtney Summers's Some Girls Are (St. Martin's, 2010)." School Library Journal, July 2012
Review
Praise for Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti:
"[Keep Holding On] ... will give readers plenty to think about and a list of resources to tap into if they need them." —Publishers Weekly

"...smart dialogue, quirky characters and richly layered plot. Emotionally satisfying from beginning to end." —Kirkus

"Noelle's situation will resonate with teen readers. Her struggles are those of real teens—trying to fit in, feeling left out, searching for love, making hard choices." —VOYA

"This novel could be recommended to those who enjoyed Sonya Sones's What My Mother Doesn't Know (S & S, 2001) or Courtney Summers's Some Girls Are (St. Martin's, 2010)." —School Library Journal

Review
“A fast read that will give readers plenty to think about and a list of resources to tap into if they need them.”—Publishers Weekly “Noelle's journey from victim to victor . . . is an important story for anyone who has felt the sting of their peers' cruelty.”—VOYA “Emotionally satisfying from beginning to end.”—Kirkus Reviews “This novel could be recommended to those who enjoyed Sonya Sones's What My Mother Doesn't Know or Courtney Summers's Some Girls Are.”—School Library Journal

About the Author
Susane Colasanti is the author of When It Happens, Take Me There, and Waiting for You. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from New York University. Before becoming a full-time author, Susane was a high school Physics and Earth Science teacher for almost ten years. She lives in New York City. 

Genre/Form: Young adult fiction
School stories
Young adult works
Fiction
Juvenile works
Juvenile fiction
Material Type: Fiction, Secondary (senior high) school
Document Type: Book
All Authors / Contributors: Susane Colasanti

ISBN: 9780670012251 0670012254 9780142426333 0142426334
OCLC Number: 754387928
Description: 202 pages ; 22 cm
Responsibility: Susane Colasanti.