by Christine Pakkala
192 pages; ages 9-12
Boyds Mills Press, 2014
Jasmine has just moved to Clover, Connecticut. She's going to a new school where she can start a new life - and she would rather go hungry than let anyone see her buy the reduced-price lunch. Or get off the bus at the trailer park.
Maddie lives in a mansion and if she misses the bus it's no problem - dad will give her a ride to school. It's a brand new year and she really wants a chance to become a different person.
So how do two very different girls end up being best friends? And then best enemies? And then best friends again? And what does Emily Dickinson have to do with it?
Author Christine Pakkala captures the voices of eighth-grade girls pitch-on... and really, one wonders: hasn't anything changed in the past (unreadable number) years? The girls deal with typical almost-teen problems: friendship, trust, popularity... and a bit of soul-searching. They keep journals and we get a deeper peek into their hearts through their poetry. Everything comes to a head when a ring that may-or-may-not have been willingly traded has to be rescued from a consignment shop.
Another fun read from the author of the Last-but-not-least-Lola books. Today we're hanging out at the lockers of the cool MMGM kids over at Shannon Messenger's blog. Review copy provided by publisher.
I read a younger version of this type of story with HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL. This one sounds equally good. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah... Hope is a Ferris Wheel... that sorta slipped into my distant memory. Too many books, not enough disc-space in my brain.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this book before. It sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI will have to check this one out. It sounds terrific. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds like it has some timeless themes.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of this before. Thanks for featuring it!
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