The book opens with a special effects make up tutorial from an imaginary online presenter and we meet Wren, focused on reproducing the mermaid effect on herself, stopping suddenly as her mom comes home. In those few pages, we glimpse the closeness between the two, but know that Wren is hiding secrets - as is her mother - and she's struggling to settle into a new home, school, and life.
Jump back into the past, and readers follow Wren through her parents' divorce, the abrupt break-up of her only (abusive) friendship resulting in her complete ostracization, and her mom's decision to move to a new town for a fresh start. Wren struggles to connect, to speak up, to let her voice be heard. Like many kids, she feels she has no control in the chaos of her life and latches on to the one thing where she feels safe and happy, creating special effects makeup.
However, even in that she is unable to stay in isolation. She's torn between wanting to like and bond with her dad's new family, his wealthy new wife Vanessa and their twins, and her loyalty to her mother whose behavior is increasingly erratic. She's traumatized from her previous unreliable friendships and isn't sure she can trust the open friendship of Poppy, especially when mean girl Avery seems to be joining their group. When she is drawn into creating makeup for the school production of Wicked, she's nervous but cautiously optimistic; until Kai, a boy she had warily been thinking of as a possible friend, turns out to have a crush on her. When everything spins out of control, all of the secrets come tumbling down. It's frightening to have everything out in the open, but with all the secrets released, perhaps Wren can finally have a new start and move forward.
In the hands of a less-able and empathetic author, this could easily turn into a didactic, "issue" book, but Wren's character is real and relatable, her struggles ones that many kids, especially those who are children of divorce, will understand. Dee's characters are never one-dimensional or stereotypical and she builds a convincing portrait of a girl who is trying to find her center and herself. I appreciated that Wren was reluctant to face her mom's issues because of her loyalty and their previous closeness; she's just at that moment where kids start realizing their parents have their own struggles and failures. Wren's attitude toward Kai's crush is part of her own struggles to define herself. As she tells Poppy, she doesn't know if she "likes" boys or girls or anyone - she just isn't ready to think about romance or relationships and it frustrates her that the other kids are so obsessed with this aspect that she just isn't interested in.
Verdict: I can't keep Barbara Dee's books on the shelf and I'm very excited to have this latest one, especially to offer to my 7th grade readers this fall. Highly recommended.
ISBN: 9781534469181; Published September by Aladdin; ARC provided by publisher; Purchased for the library
No comments:
Post a Comment