It's the worst summer on record for nearly-twelve-year-old Callie Boone. Not only has she been ditched by her best friend for someone more "awesome", but she may never live down her recent humiliation at the community pool. Her ex-drillsargeant mom is on her case, and her uncle Danny has moved in--along with cages of ferrets that he hopes to make his fortune breeding as pets, and which Callie's cranky grandma despises. The only things keeping her afloat are dive practices with her dad and a secret Olympic dream. That is, until a boy named Hoot moves in next door. But just when everything finally seems to be going her way, disaster strikes--one day she comes home to an ambulance in the driveway... only it's not her crotchety old grandma who's being taken away, it's her beloved dad. Now it's up to Callie to grow up fast and hold on tight to what matters most: her friendship with Hoot, the love of her family and a newfound belief in herself. This is a story that will make readers laugh and cry. There are no magic spells or paranormal characters, and the only fantasy is Callie's athletic dream. It's real, honest, crazy everyday life with all the joy and the agony that come with the territory.
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Quill & Quire
For tween girls who recently watched Canada’s female athletes clean up in Vancouver, swimming fanatic Callie Boone arrives right on time. Callie is 11, and we meet her during her “worst summer ever,” one filled with some pretty typical tweenage angst: her best friend dumps her for the bitchy, pretty girl in class, and her family is nutters. All she’s got – or so she thinks – is her passion for swimming, which she shares with her doting dad.
It must be written somewhere that every quirky tween heroine has to have a family whose quirks are equal to or greater than her own. The Boone clan is no different. There’s the surly but loveable grandma, the itinerant uncle whose entrepreneurial zeal involves ferret breeding, the ex-drill sergeant mom, the annoying brothers. Callie’s only hope of escape is the new kid next door, Hoot, and the community pool.
Winnie Mack (who was born in Vancouver but lives in Portland, Oregon, and whose real name is Wendy French Smith) owes much to Beverly Cleary in her depiction of Callie’s alienation from her mother and feverish devotion to her daydreaming father. Nothing here is forced: Callie’s reconciliation with her mom, for example, relies more on descriptions of feelings than it does on dialogue.
Even better is the climax, in which Callie manages to weather a terrible event extremely well. She deals with the resulting emotions by writing in a journal and deciding to reach beyond herself. This all feels completely normal and natural in the course of the story and lets some threads dangle loose, as they do in real life. Hopefully, Mack will catch up with Callie in a couple of years with a follow-up.
If Callie has a flat note, it’s that her favourite expression (“fish sticks and tartar sauce!”) is one that no self-respecting 11-year-old would adopt for more than a few cutesy rounds before opting for a nice, solid, Anglo-Saxon cuss.
About the Author
Winnie Mack was certain her parents unwittingly cursed her writing career with a happy and stable childhood. With happiness continuing to stalk her day and night, she finally conceded defeat, abandoned her request for misery and began writing humourous fiction for women and young readers. After sorting through old memorabilia and journals, she felt inspired to write After All, You're Callie Boone, her first children's novel. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, she now lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Customer Reviews
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By Laura Fabiani
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This is another book I truly loved reading to my 9 year-old daughter. What makes this book so appealing is that its themes are just as valuable to a parent as to a child--friendship, family values, doing your best is just as good as winning. What a bonus! Written with insight, humour, and lots of family interaction, author Winnie Mack--a writer of many adult novels under another pseudonym--has given us a great debut novel for young readers.
Callie Boone is a likable kid, almost twelve, and experiencing the worst summer of her life. Her best friend ditches her for someone more "awesome", her family is the weirdest on the block and she may never live down her recent humiliation at the community pool. But then a boy named Hoot moves next door and teaches her the true meaning of friendship and family appreciation.
Callie has a great relationship with her Dad who takes her regularly to diving practice and nurtures her dream to one day perform at the Olympics. But her Mom is an ex-drill-sergeant and always seems to be on her case. As the summer comes to an end, Callie will learn that relationships are two-way and require time and effort. Unlike some middle grade books that introduce boys and dating, in this story meeting Hoot is not about discovering the opposite sex but rather discovering a true friend. His friendship becomes important to Callie, especially when she has a hard time dealing with some family issues. For me, as a parent, this was a great message to a generation that begins to discover their sexuality too early.
My daughter told me she also liked this book because it was about her favorite topics: friends, swimming and family. We really liked Callie's family. Through them we were able to see that all families have some dysfunctional aspects, but loving and respecting one another is paramount. The book comes to a satisfying conclusion, and Callie learns to be proactive in dealing with the things she struggles with. This book is perfect for mother and daughter book clubs or as a gift for that growing girl in your family.
Callie Boone is a likable kid, almost twelve, and experiencing the worst summer of her life. Her best friend ditches her for someone more "awesome", her family is the weirdest on the block and she may never live down her recent humiliation at the community pool. But then a boy named Hoot moves next door and teaches her the true meaning of friendship and family appreciation.
Callie has a great relationship with her Dad who takes her regularly to diving practice and nurtures her dream to one day perform at the Olympics. But her Mom is an ex-drill-sergeant and always seems to be on her case. As the summer comes to an end, Callie will learn that relationships are two-way and require time and effort. Unlike some middle grade books that introduce boys and dating, in this story meeting Hoot is not about discovering the opposite sex but rather discovering a true friend. His friendship becomes important to Callie, especially when she has a hard time dealing with some family issues. For me, as a parent, this was a great message to a generation that begins to discover their sexuality too early.
My daughter told me she also liked this book because it was about her favorite topics: friends, swimming and family. We really liked Callie's family. Through them we were able to see that all families have some dysfunctional aspects, but loving and respecting one another is paramount. The book comes to a satisfying conclusion, and Callie learns to be proactive in dealing with the things she struggles with. This book is perfect for mother and daughter book clubs or as a gift for that growing girl in your family.
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