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PRETTY LIKE US

Name: PRETTY LIKE US
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
ISBN: 978-1-56145-444-0

by Carol Lynch Williams ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008

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Shy Beauty (her real name) faces a dilemma in this sensitive tear-jerker. The 12-year-old desperately wants to make friends at school, yet the only child whom she can befriend will cause the rest of her classmates to reject her. New student Alane suffers from the rare condition progeria, which causes her to age early. At age 12, Alane looks as though she were in her 70s. Writing in Beauty’s voice, Williams demonstrates strong insight into the sixth-grade mind, effectively portraying Beauty’s hesitant overtures toward Alane, which ultimately result in a deep friendship and attendant teen hijinks involving the ill-considered “borrowing” of Beauty’s mother’s cherished vintage car. The narrative rises above the usual preteen fare, as Williams emphasizes basic morality and the courage required to make the right choices yet maintains a light tone as the girls flirt with the wrong ones. A delightful twist at the end makes the book even more memorable, resulting in a lovely story that will reach many middle-school girls. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-1-56145-444-0

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Peachtree

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

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MESSENGER
by Carol Lynch Williams

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WIZARD OF MENLO PARK, NEW JERSEY
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by Carol Lynch Williams

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FUDGE-A-MANIA

by Judy Blume ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1990

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A well-loved author brings together, on a Maine vacation, characters from two of her books. Peter's parents have assured him that though Sheila ("The Great") Tubman and her family will be nearby, they'll have their own house; but instead, they find a shared arrangement in which the two families become thoroughly intertwined—which suits everyone but the curmudgeonly Peter. Irrepressible little brother Fudge, now five, is planning to marry Sheila, who agrees to babysit with Peter's toddler sister; there's a romance between the grandparents in the two families; and the wholesome good fun, including a neighborhood baseball game featuring an aging celebrity player, seems more important than Sheila and Peter's halfhearted vendetta. The story's a bit tame (no controversies here), but often amusingly true to life and with enough comic episodes to satisfy fans.