Rissa Bartholomew's Declaration of Independence
Lynda B. Comerford, . . Scholastic Press, $16.99 (250pp) ISBN 978-0-545-05058-6
Clarissa “Rissa” Bartholomew has grown weary of her family, wearing hand-me-downs from her well-to-do friend Beth and following the “herd”: her four closest friends, with whom she doesn't seem to have much in common anymore. Rissa begins middle school determined to be independent, though with her ex-friends avoiding her, she soon discovers that independence isn't all it's cracked up to be: “In fact, I felt like I was being punished.” Debut novelist Comerford, a
Reviewed on: 04/27/2009
Genre: Children's