Written as witty, off-the-cuff journal entries, this inviting novel takes preadolescent angst and doses it with pure heart. Like the heroine of Jennifer L. Holm's Middle School Is Worse than Meatloaf
, pudgy 12-year-old Sarah Elizabeth Simpson has a penchant for making lists, and these elaborate upon her many concerns. Her first entry, for January 1, combines a cool running commentary with no less than five lists, among them “Things I Do Not Like About Kim [her father's new wife],” “Things I Do Not Like About Jonah [her mother's boyfriend]” and New Year's resolutions she wishes Jonah would make (“2. Sell the van.... 4. Quit singing 'We Shall Overcome.' 5. Shave”). Although Sarah's tone ranges widely, from resentful to full-out funny (“Bad Things About Getting Older:... 7. Getting asked on dates. 8. Not getting asked on dates”), her vulnerable yet take-charge personality comes through. It finds its sharpest expression when Sarah, acting from a complicated set of motives that the author wisely leaves to readers to untangle, says something wounding to Jonah's five-year-old son and can't undo the damage. Covering a lot of territory in relatively few pages, Rupp (The Dragon of Lonely Island
) delivers a story that both touches and convinces. Ages 8-12. (Feb.)
Details
Reviewed on: 02/04/2008
Genre: Children's
Analog Audio Cassette - 978-1-4233-6910-3
Compact Disc - 978-1-4233-6904-2
Compact Disc - 978-1-4233-6905-9
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-4233-6908-0
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-4233-6909-7
MP3 CD - 978-1-5318-7855-9
MP3 CD - 978-1-4233-6907-3
MP3 CD - 978-1-4233-6906-6
Open Ebook - 978-0-7636-6219-6
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-60640-889-6
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-60640-387-7
