The world around Amanda is unraveling. She wants someone to love her for her. Amanda wants to be popular, known by all her peers. She wants to be the life of the party. She wants to be herself, but she doesn't know who she is. Amanda is angry, hurt, and sad. Defeated by her own self worth. How much is she worth?
School is awful, home is even worse. Amanda is so tired. She is slowly unraveling each thread she try's to push back only begins to show. It all started when she was born to teen aged parents. Her mother was young and ambitious, she wanted to be a writer. Amanda's dad was young an honorable. He didn't want her mother to be alone so he married her and moved her into his parents house. Amanda's mother was raised in an abusive home, so her dad knew what the outcome would be. her mom was already dissatisfied and she has gotten worse over the fifteen years of Amanda's existence.
She also has a younger sister. Ms. Malady is what Amanda calls her, but her name is Melody. She and their mom get along like queens over high tea. Just a heads up, they both irritate Amanda! Her dad is the only realistic person in the house. He encourages Amanda to just be herself, but her mom encourages Amanda to be someone else.
Well unbeknown to her Amanda has met the perfect guy. He is wonderful and he wants her or so he says. Amanda's best friend Paige, who usually keeps her level headed, says to be careful. Amanda tells her it's just innocent fun. The hottest guy in school wants her and his girlfriend, an arch enemy is clueless.They make out in his car and he has promised to take Amanda to the homecoming, if she does something he likes. Okay, sex is a big deal, but it's the hottest guy. If he chooses Amanda this will make her popular and she will at least have a happy school life besides it's just sex.
Amanda's thoughts about herself and her life set her on a tale spin toward disaster. She is depressed and confused about her place in the world and it shows. Amanda is an awesome poet, who uses her words to explain her thoughts, many of these poems show up throughout the story line. As she goes through up's and downs and more downs she discovers something about herself that will lead her back to peace. Amanda's reflections about her life deeply connect to many teenager girls who long for what they don't have. Popularity and beauty are in the eye of the beholder. Amanda's disconnection with her mom is a-typical of many girls, but she feels unwanted by the person who should love her the most. Amanda is unable to communicatepositively with her mom which leads to further disconnections. The pain is obvious for both parties and it takes a tragedy to bring the two warring sides together. The loss of a loved one allows Amanda and her mom to connect on levels neither knew were possible.
Baldini and Biederman give a realistic view of life for teenage girls and the relationships that develop with their mothers. This writing team does a fantastic job of pulling in all the elements of love and hate without becoming to depressing. I enjoyed this book to the fullest.
5 comments:
This book reminds me of Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl. Stargirl is the complete opposite of Amanda. She is weird and sweet and not afraid to be who she is.
Girls have such a hard time growing up. We always question we say, how we act, how we dress, how we look, etc. I hope this book has a happy ending to give girls reading it some hope.
This review really makes me want to read the book! I bet a lot of teenagers, especially girls could find this text very relatable. My only question would be how you think it would do in the classroom? I am also thinking it may be to advanced in terms of subject matter for kids in junior high. What do you think about the best age of the audience?
It definitely has an ending. I think what makes this ending unique is how she finds herself in her mother and her mother finds herself in Amanda. It's the loss that makes them look at each other differently.
Shawnaclarice - I am very intrigued by your comment! At first I thought this book sounded a little too much of a formula, dramatic YAL for me (I don't love fiction to begin with), but it sounds like the mother and daughter develop an interesting relationship and have some thought-provoking ephipanies as a result of this loss.
This book reminds me of that Brittany Spears movie, I think its called crossroads...by the way i did not see the movie by choice
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