Prettiest Doll

Publishers Weekly

Beauty pageants hold a particular fascination in the American consciousness, especially when children are involved. Thirteen-year-old Olivia has been entering—and often winning—pageants in smalltown Missouri since she was three. Her overweight mother happily works two jobs to fund Olivia’s appearances, but Olivia is starting to feel lost and angry behind the heavy makeup and extravagant dresses. When Olivia meets Danny, a 15-year-old runaway headed for Chicago, her discontent boils over, and she decides to join him. Once in Chicago, Danny confronts his long-missing father while Olivia reconnects with her uncle. As the two fall for each other, Olivia must decide whether to return home and continue participating in pageants. Willner-Pardo (The Hard Kind of Promise) gives Olivia a realistically conflicted narrative voice that reveals the immense pressure she is under to perform, her concerns about her mother’s weight and the family’s finances, and her guilt over not sharing her mother’s passion for pageant competition. Olivia’s attraction to moody Danny is perhaps less believable, but her growth is organic and genuine. Ages 9–12. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Nov.)

From the Publisher

"This is a sweet and gentle offering."
— Booklist

"Willner-Pardo deftly captures the complexity of adolescence as these resilient teens endeavor to define their identities and establish control over their lives."
— Kirkus

"Willner-Pardo gives Olivia a realistically conflicted narrative voice . . . [Olivia's] growth is organic and genuine."
— Publishers Weekly

"Messages about obsession with physical beauty, the complexities of parent-child relationships, and being true to oneself abound in this self-actualization story, but Willner-Pardo delivers them poignantly."
— Horn Book

"This coming-of-age novel will strike a resonant chord with middle school girls."
—School Library Journal

"A good choice for a junior-high book group."
—Bulletin

VOYA - Rebecca Moore

Thirteen-year-old Liv Tatum has been winning beauty pageants since the age of three. With her father dead, her mother's sole focus is to keep Liv winning; she works two jobs, makes Liv practice for hours a day, sends her to professional coaches, and buys too-expensive dresses. Liv, however, yearns to know if there is more to her than beauty. When she encounters fifteen-year-old Dan, on the run because he wants to control his own life, Liv joins him on a road trip of realization, rebellion, and romance. After this measure of freedom and self-discovery, however, they decide that "sometimes, backing down is the right thing to do," and return to their former lives with a better understanding of their ability to choose their own paths. Willner-Pardo writes convincingly about teenagers' desire for control over their own lives. Both Liv and Dan are believable, flawed characters discovering their own personalities and not always acting or reacting in expected ways. The other characters have depth as well, and the author's description of the beauty pageant world creates an intriguing setting. The prolonged ending, however, breaks the structure of the book, and its Wizard of Oz-like message of settling for the status quo is not entirely convincing. In addition, the blaring pinkness of the book's title, cover, and subject matter may drive away readers who would enjoy its insight and romance. Reviewer: Rebecca Moore

VOYA - Nina Anikeeva

This story covers romance, appearance-based prejudice, and mother-daughter relationship issues, albeit in a shallow manner. While it is entertaining, the author burdens the plot by paying too much attention to insignificant details. For instance, she spends considerable time describing a cement stoop, but never mentions it again. In addition, her language seems simple compared to language in other books in the same age category, but there are profanities throughout the novel. Reviewer: Nina Anikeeva, Teen Reviewer

Children's Literature - Heidi Quist

Thirteen-year-old Olivia Jane has grown up with her single mother working two jobs, struggling to make ends meet, but still insistent upon entering Olivia in every pageant available. And for most of her life, Olivia has enjoyed the pageant scene. She knows how to work the judges with her smile and her poise. But now that she has grown out of the age when cute dances will suffice for a talent, she finds herself looking for something more out of life. She hates singing, knows she is terrible at it, and envies her horse-loving friend Imogene and soon almost anyone who has a talent that cannot be performed on stage. Then, when Olivia meets Danny, a curious boy whose intelligence is his most important commodity, she wonders if that is not something she would rather be known for. Her curiosity on this point even goes so far as to want to follow him as he runs across state lines to escape his "oppressive" mother. Fortunately her uncle lives in Chicago, Dan's city of destination, so she maintains a small degree of adult cover. And she comes out of the experience home safe and sound with a greater resolve to come out from under her mom's thumb. I seriously worry, though, about the implications that young teenagers are likely to be perfectly safe and better off if they run away from situations not even close to being as oppressive as they imagine them.

School Library Journal

Gr 6–8—Olivia Tatum has won beauty pageants since she was a small child. Now 13, she is starting to question this activity, thinking her only asset is being pretty. Meanwhile, her overweight mother and pageant coach are drilling her for the upcoming Prettiest Doll competition, and she's had enough. Then she meets Dan, an unusually short 15-year-old who has landed in her Missouri town, camping out, having run away from his home in Texas after his mother pressured him to get growth hormone shots. He intends to go to Chicago, and, after a sleepless night, Liv decides to join him. During the bus ride north, they talk about their lives, and in Chicago make their way to the apartment of Liv's deceased father's brother. They visit some of the city's sights as their mutual attraction grows. Both of them are trying to work on issues with the adults in their lives, but as runaways, they are wary of encountering police, spending a risky night hiding in a movie theater. Dan gathers the courage to go see his divorced father, and the encounter is an exchange laced with disappointment and anger, but reflecting on it, Dan sees himself anew. Liv also has a candid talk with Uncle Fred, and both teens return to their homes with changed perspectives. Considering the vulnerability of Liv, the self-assertion she seeks, and the hint of romance, this coming-of-age novel will strike a resonant chord with middle school girls.—Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT