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Overview
Written in the form of a computer diary, this refreshingly funny novel tells the story of 12-year-old Tru, a girl with big dreams and hefty goals. She is determined to find a cure for her developmentally delayed twin brother and to have her own television show.Computer-literate, twelve-year-old Tru keeps an electronic diary where she documents her desire to cure her handicapped twin brother and her plan to create a television show.
Synopsis
Enough about you. Let’s talk about me.
KLIATT
Twelve-year-old Trudy has always wanted to have her own television show. In her computer journal, she details her hopes and dreams. Even more than she wants her own television show, Tru wants her twin brother, Eddie, not to be handicapped. Tru has always felt a sense of guilt over the fact that her brother is mentally handicapped while she isn't. When the local cable station runs a contest for a new show, Tru puts together a demo tape. She wants to be able to both entertain and inform people about what life is like for Eddie. When her show wins the contest and airs, Tru isn't as excited as she had thought she would be. She struggles with her feelings toward the video she created, unsure what is bothering her. She wonders if she exploited her brother, or if she's bothered by all of the kids at school suddenly wanting to be their friends. Tru finally realizes that what is nagging at her is the fact that Eddie will not get better, that he will remain developmentally challenged while Tru continues to grow. Tashjian rarely veers from the main theme of Tru and Eddie's relationship, and the challenges Eddie faces every day. Tru's diary entries, her online chats, and her interactions with her peers all revolve around Eddie. Her devotion to her brother is touching and genuine. The short chapters, peppered with lists, pictures, and a variety of fonts, keep the pace moving. Reviewer: Amanda MacGregor
Editorials
KLIATT -
Twelve-year-old Trudy has always wanted to have her own television show. In her computer journal, she details her hopes and dreams. Even more than she wants her own television show, Tru wants her twin brother, Eddie, not to be handicapped. Tru has always felt a sense of guilt over the fact that her brother is mentally handicapped while she isn't. When the local cable station runs a contest for a new show, Tru puts together a demo tape. She wants to be able to both entertain and inform people about what life is like for Eddie. When her show wins the contest and airs, Tru isn't as excited as she had thought she would be. She struggles with her feelings toward the video she created, unsure what is bothering her. She wonders if she exploited her brother, or if she's bothered by all of the kids at school suddenly wanting to be their friends. Tru finally realizes that what is nagging at her is the fact that Eddie will not get better, that he will remain developmentally challenged while Tru continues to grow. Tashjian rarely veers from the main theme of Tru and Eddie's relationship, and the challenges Eddie faces every day. Tru's diary entries, her online chats, and her interactions with her peers all revolve around Eddie. Her devotion to her brother is touching and genuine. The short chapters, peppered with lists, pictures, and a variety of fonts, keep the pace moving. Reviewer: Amanda MacGregorVOYA -
The days of diaries with a little lock and key are definitely over for some kids, and that is true for twelve-year-old Tru as she shares her innermost thoughts and secrets, not on narrowly lined paper, but rather with her electronic journal. Tru, an amateur filmmaker, is gearing up for a local cable station's contest offering to air a show created by and for teens. While struggling for a concept to start filming, Tru also writes about her relationship with her twin brother, Eddie-who was born with special needs-her single mother, and the absence of her father. Readers will sympathize with the daily tasks Tru faces in protecting her brother at school and her search for a "cure" for him on the Internet. She faces some tough emotional truths when coming to terms with the fact that Eddie cannot be cured, and that her father is not present in her family's life is because he did not want to accept the challenge of raising a child with special needs. Tru's documentary of her brother's life wins the contest, and the family's joy reveals their deep friendship and love for each other, as well as a built-in support network created by three people who all need each other. The book alternates between entries in Tru's diary, Eddie's graphics on the computer, and scripts of Internet chats. This title's digital display will attract both computer fans and reluctant readers. The use of imaginative fonts, layout, and empty space lends authenticity to the mind of a creative and emotional twelve-year-old. The main audience appeal is younger teens, but many will appreciate Tru's candid look at life. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Broad general YA appeal, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8 and Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9).School Library Journal
Gr 4-6--Trudy Walker would like to have her own TV program and find a cure for her developmentally delayed twin, Eddie. She is trying to deal with her mother's dates and worrying about getting Billy Meier to like her. Most of all, she feels guilty for being "normal" and blames herself for Eddie's condition. She tells her story through an electronic journal, though the high-tech angle loses something when put between the covers of a book. Eddie's computer-generated pictures appear throughout. Trudy plays with different fonts and occasionally adds graphics of her own. Unfortunately, the quirkiness quickly wears thin. In her attempt to get her own television show, Trudy enters her video about Eddie in a local public-access station's contest. Naturally, she wins, allowing her to preach about her brother and others like him to a wide audience. She is a loving and protective sister, though she is not above using Eddie for entertainment value herself. Perhaps her best moment comes when she realizes that she will mature, but Eddie never will. It's touching without being too sloppy. The most overdone element is her on-line chats with deedee, who is secretly Trudy's mother. This is a case of the gimmick and message getting in the way of the story. In addition, though none of the other characters ever achieves any depth, Trudy's voice at least is, well, true. A slice of life with a sermon running through it.--Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GAKirkus Reviews
Tru, 12, keeps a journal on her mother's computer about what goes on in her life, and most of it is typical preteen stuff—school, friends, boys. She also writes of her two great dreams: to have a career in television, either in front of or behind the camera, and to use that career to investigate and film the latest research activities that might lead to a cure for her beloved twin brother, Eddie, who is developmentally disabled. An ad for a local cable television station's contest for aspiring television producers thrills her, and she sets to work on the essay, outline for a potential show, and demo tape. Her early efforts are polished but dull, so she is inspired to film Eddie himself. Tru wins, but her victory is bittersweet, for she realizes that any sort of "cure" for Eddie isn't very likely. This warm, funny debut has well-developed characters and a fast-moving plot. The dollops of computerese that appear in the journal will entertain the computer-literate, while the tale itself, about differences, family, friends, and the pain of growing up, will satisfy everyone else.From the Publisher
A New York Library's "Books for the Teenage" list choiceA Bank Street College "Best Children's Book of the Year"
A Women's National Book Association "Judy Lopez Memorial Award Honor Book"
"Neither flippant not angelic, this promising first novel strikes a refreshingly honest tone." —Publishers Weekly, starred
"This warm, funny debut has well-developed characters and a fast-moving plot." -Kirkus Reviews
"The story is as a good mix of well-handled subject matter and reader appeal." -Booklist