Synopsis
Lisa Yee charmed audiences with the hilarious MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS and revealed another side of the story in STANFORD WONG FLUNKS BIG-TIME. Now readers can meet Millie's best friend and Stanford's big crush! After her parents' divorce, Emily had to move to California with her mom. Now she writes letters to her rock-star dad about travel ("How did the pioneers do it? Did they have to ride with their mothers?"), her new friends, and how much she misses him -- though she does still have his credit card.... Emily Ebers may be starting over, but she's going to come out on top.
Children's Literature
Twelve year-old Emily Ebers is on a journey—physically and emotionally. Her summer starts out in a slump as her parents divorce and—according to Emily—her mother forces her to move all the way across the country from New Jersey to start a new life with new friends at a new school in Rancho Rosetta, California. Bitter from the start, Emily is extremely pessimistic about the new opportunities that lie ahead. In this epistolary novel, Emily composes letters to her father, which await his return from touring with his rock band. Readers can see the average preteen that Emily is, obsessed with clothes, makeup, shopping, sleepovers, boys, and fitting in with the popular crowd; however, the letters reveal much more about Emily than one might expect. As she struggles to discover her true identity, she places all her faith in her father, whom she believes will come back for her one day, or at least call! The summer, however, passes by without any effort on her father's part at reuniting with his daughter. Emily's feelings toward her father change from hopefulness to anger and finally forgiveness. Over time, as Emily realizes all that her mother has sacrificed to give her the best life possible, she gradually grows to love, respect, and appreciate her. Readers watch Emily live and learn as she takes on volleyball, makes new friends, develops her first crush, and most importantly, overcomes all the obstacles that she fears will keep her from enjoying her new life. Emily discovers that being with the people who truly care about her is what is ultimately important in life because they make a point of showing and telling her so. Her detailed and fun-filled letters reveal theday-to-day happenings in her life as well as her journey toward seeking her true identity as Emily Ebers. The novel is an excellent example of how children are affected on a personal level by divorce as well as how it impacts the parent-child relationships in the long-term. The novel teaches that children must confront the problems and emotions that result from such an unfortunate event and eventually learn to accept the changes that take place in their lives. This is the major step that Emily takes as she overcomes the main conflict in the novel, and she comes out of it a mentally and emotionally stronger and more mature Emily Ebers. Reviewer: Ashley Sayers