by Elizabeth Eulberg
Chaska HS hardcover 261 pages
genre: YA realistic, coming-of-age
This was an interlibrary loan from CHS for one of my students. I was curious, so I read the first chapter. And was hooked. Since my student wasn't at school Friday, I took it home. But I didn't actually open it up until Sunday evening . . . and was almost to the halfway point when I needed sleep. So I brought it to PRMS yesterday and asked the student in question if I could finish it before giving it to her. She was so gracious!
What I like:
It has the romance without going overboard. It has the soul-searching identity issues without being overdramatized. It has wonderful characters with many facets (Taylor, Cam, Benny . . . ). It was just a really fun book to read! I will need to get some of this author's work for my collection.
page 92: "I know that's a tad pathetic, but I think it's normal to want (or crave) the acceptance of the Beautiful People." Yep. That's how I felt in high school. Us and Them.
page 112: "Am I supposed to act different around Taylor? Has anybody written The Dating Guide for Clueless Teenage Girls yet? I need that book." I love the gentle humor in this book. Sometimes it's Lexi using self-deprecating humor, yet she acknowledges that's what she's doing.
page 138: "I remember being seven. I loved that age. Being seven's awesome. You don't have that much responsibility of homework. And it's illegal to work, so you get to play a lot. Being seven rocks. Or it should rock."
Although Lexi despises the pageant scene and how bratty her seven-year-old sister gets, she can empathize and even go out of her comfort zone to help Mackenzie get out of doing pageants. I'm most sorry for the mom, who has spiraled down into obesity, escapism, and overspending as a result of the divorce seven years earlier. Where are this woman's friends?!
Great story. Sweet story. Friendship between Lexi, Cam, and Benny is wonderful.
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