Mammoth

Jill Baguchinsky

Description

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The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin, Texas. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style and persona she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and designer heels aren’t compatible with digging for fossils.

But nothing is going to dampen her spirit. She’s exactly where she wants to be, and gets to work with her hero, the host of the most popular paleontology podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase, the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.

It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.

Until it isn’t.

When Natalie’s paleontologist hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, she has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by men. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying the rules and risking her life for the sake of a major discovery. While sifting through dirt, she finds more than fossils—she finds out that she is truly awesome.

Sujets

• Girls
• Young Adult Fiction
• Women
• Eleventh grade
• Mammoth

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 06 novembre 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781684421961
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

MAMMOTH
MAMMOTH
JILL BAGUCHINSKY
TURNER PUBLISHING COMPANY
Mammoth
Copyright 2018 Jill Baguchinsky
All rights reserved. This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Cover Design: Jo Walker
Book Design: Meg Reid
Illustrations:Paige Hall
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Baguchinsky, Jill, author.
Title: Mammoth / by Jill Baguchinsky.
Description: Nashville, Tennessee : Turner Publishing Company, 2018. | Summary: Paleontology geek and plus-size fashion blogger, Natalie Page lands an internship working with a celebrated paleontologist, but she realizes that in order to stand out in a field dominated by men, she must first learn to stand up for herself.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018014597 ISBN 9781684421947 (pbk.)
ISBN 9781684421954 (hardcover)
Subjects: CYAC: Overweight persons--Fiction. | Self-confidence--Fiction. Paleontology--Fiction. Internship programs--Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.B14215 Mam 2018 DDC [Fic]--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018014597
9781684421947 Paperback
9781684421954 Hardcover
9781684421961 eBook
Printed in the United States of America
17 18 19 20 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Turner Publishing Company
Nashville, Tennessee
New York, New York
www.turnerpublishing.com
For Dava Butler , who taught me to dig and let me meet mammoths . Thanks for the pork chop .
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Acknowledgments
Fossilista.com -Sunday, June 12

Look of the Day:
Navy with bone print shirtwaist dress (designed and made by me!)
Red patent leather belt (Savage Swallow)
Red patent heels (vintage, Escada)
Red headscarf (made by me!)
White cropped cardi (Savage Swallow)
Pinup matte lipstick (Maxwell Cosmetics)
This is it, my vintage velociraptors. It s not even three in the morning and I m about to leave for Orlando International Airport. I ll land in Austin around ten fifteen, and I ll be at the Central Texas Mammoth Site by lunchtime .
Am I excited? Oh, I dunno YEAH, JUST A LITTLE. Get ready to hear alllllll about this internship-you know I m gonna keep you posted. Live updates from the bone bed!
And yeah, yeah-I owe you a review of the latest Carved in Bone podcast. I ll give it a listen on the plane and get that posted ASAP. (By the way, did you see that new pic of Dr. Carver on his blog? The one from the Argentina dig, where he s holding up that raptor claw? OH MAN.)
I m going to get my LotD pic posted, and then I ll be on my way. Wish me luck!
It s way too early for a look-of-the-day photo, but my followers will revolt if I don t post one-and my blog just hit sixty thousand subscribers last month, so that s a lot of potential revolting. Phone in hand, I stand in front of my full-length mirror.
I know just how to pose, angling my body to make the most of the size twenty, hourglass figure I ve achieved through industrial-strength shapewear under my dress. I jut my neck forward to avoid a double chin, flip my dark hair, put my hand on my hip, and hold my phone in front of my face, which is the most flattering angle I ve found for full-body shots. LotD pics are all about showcasing the clothes.
The girl posing boldly on the screen doesn t look anything like what s going on in my head. Even with much of her face obscured, she s a perfect example of what I think of as being awesome -confident, easygoing, flawless in her fashionable armor. She s what my followers expect.
While the photo uploads to my blog and mirrors itself on my Instagram and Twitter accounts, my fingers find the black hair band looped around my wrist. They pull back and let go, snapping the elastic against my skin. It s something I do sometimes. I usually don t even notice until the sting sets in.
My silver mammoth necklace hangs on a peg next to my bedroom mirror. Maybe I ll wear it But no, it s better to keep my look simple today, considering all the traveling I m about to do.
Then I lug my suitcase downstairs.
I pass my brothers doors on the way. There s no chance Ryan or Dylan will wake up this early just to say goodbye to their sister, even though I ll be gone for an entire month.
In the front hall, Dad takes the suitcase and goes out front to load the minivan.
Mom s in the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and slurping coffee. Want some?
Yes . I pour myself a mug and knock it back. It s too early to think about complications like milk and sugar, but I regret the black coffee when it hits my uncertain stomach with an acidic splash.
Did you get some sleep?
Eh. A little. I breathe deeply, willing my stomach to settle.
Excited?
Exhausted. And terrified.
She squeezes my hand. This is going to be an amazing experience, Natalie. We re so proud of you for getting that scholarship.
Dad thunders in. Almost ready? His voice is crisp with impatience.
It s a little early. Mom pours herself more coffee.
Takes an hour to get to the airport, and Natalie should be there two hours early. We re already running late.
We ll leave at three thirty. It ll be fine. It doesn t take an hour.
It does if there s traffic, Dad says.
Traffic? At three thirty in the morning?
I snap my hair elastic and think about breakfast, but I doubt my system can handle food, especially when I m about to get in a car driven by Dad. When he s on edge, his driving is all sharp stops and fast-and-furious turns Vin Diesel would envy.
He mutters something and crashes outside with my backpack.
Mom sighs and empties the rest of the coffee down the sink. Might as well get going, she says. You know how your father can be. She takes a couple of protein bars, the ones she eats nonstop when she tries to diet, out of the bread drawer. Take these in case you get hungry.
Mom, I m fine.
But she holds them out. Just put them in your purse.
Mom-
I don t want to worry about you being hungry. You know I worry.
I know. She worries and she eats and she feeds; food is her answer to everything. And I m my mother s daughter.
I put the bars in my red handbag.
Nat? Dad calls from the front door.
I m almost ready! I yell before he can get wound up again.
You have a visitor.
When I step into the hall, I m tackle-hugged by a cyclone of cherry-print fabric and Sailor Jerry-style tattoos with a waxy red smile.
Aunt Judy? I gasp as she squeezes like a python.
My favorite niece! She pulls back. Is this the dress? The one you ve been telling me about?
I step away and spin in a circle, showing off its 50s-inspired shape-perfectly fitted and belted at the waist with a full skirt flaring beneath. Its navy broadcloth has a tiny, white bone print, which is ridiculously appropriate for how I ll be spending the next month. Finished it last night! What do you think?
I think you re a genius, that s what I think.
I couldn t have done it if you hadn t taught me so much.
I m going to miss you this summer, she says.
For the past three summers, I ve worked at Aunt Judy s indie clothing company, Savage Swallow. She taught me about sewing and tailoring, and she introduced me to the beauty of well-sourced vintage and the secret magic of proper foundation garments. She rescued me from the pleated jeans and oversized T-shirts I wore in middle school when all the kids called me Fat Nat and found endless opportunities to torment me. Fossilista started as an offshoot of Aunt Judy s company blog, but its combination of plus-size fashion inspiration and vintage thrifting tips attracted such a large readership that Aunt Judy insisted I relaunch it as something all my own. That was when I added the shameless paleontology geek-outs that soon became part of my trademark.
Above all, Aunt Judy showed me how to forge my armor, physically and emotionally. She taught me how to be awesome.
Judy? Mom peers out from the kitchen, her brow furrowed. What are you doing here?
Dad s still in the front doorway. He looks bewildered, like he always does when Aunt Judy s around.
I had to see Natalie off. And I come bearing gifts. Aunt Judy roots around in her purse, as bright red and vintage as mine. You want a ride to the airport, kiddo? I ve got the Mustang.
We re driving her, Mom says quickly. She crosses her arms. I told you that last week.
Cool. I ll hitch a ride with you guys.
I m not sure- Mom starts.
Aha, here we go. Aunt Judy produces two boxes. I recognize the first, a small, thin brick in glossy black with a Maxwell Cosmetics logo embossed in gold. It s a fresh tube of Pinup, our signature red lipstick. Just in case, she says, handing it over.
Thank you! I ve been running a little low.
Can t have that. She hands over the second box. This just arrived yesterday, which is the real reason I m here. I wasn t about to let you leave without it. Congrats, Natalie. I m so proud I could fucking burst, kid.
Oh! What is it? I fiddle with the glittery ribbon tied around the red square.
Remember that friend of mine who makes leather jewelry? I commissioned her to design something special.
The knot finally loosens as I tug at it with my red nails. Inside the box, nestled in crinkled tissue, is a cuff bracelet made from weathered brown leather. A pair of eyelets anchor an antiqued silver plate to the bracelet. The plate is engraved: Keep digging. -Dr. Thomas Carv