- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (Mar 11 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0375846751
- ISBN-13: 978-0375846755
- Product Dimensions: 14.5 x 2.5 x 21.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,398,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, March 3, 2008:
"Forceful and heartwarming, this coming-of-age story examines what happens when old friends are outgrown and loved ones are no longer there to lean on."
Review, Parade, June 22, 2008:
"[A] hilarious coming-of-age story."
"Forceful and heartwarming, this coming-of-age story examines what happens when old friends are outgrown and loved ones are no longer there to lean on."
Review, Parade, June 22, 2008:
"[A] hilarious coming-of-age story."
Product Description
Brett McCarthy lives for soccer, vocabulary words, and her largerthan-life grandmother, Nonna. Unfortunately, Brett’s got a huge mouth she can’t seem to tame and opinions she can’t keep to herself. It’s thanks in part to both of those things (well, really, the evil Jeanne Anne) that Brett finds herself going from good student and BFF to Diane, to twicesuspended, friendless, and lunching with the principal every day. Indefinitely. So when Nonna starts going for lots of medical tests and no one will tell her why, Brett’s already turned-upside down world goes from bad to worse, and she’s not sure where she fits, who she is, or how to make right what she, and her big fat mouth, have made wrong. Maria Padian makes her literary debut with a laugh-out-loud coming-of-age novel about one smart-mouthed 14-year-old who’s learning the hard way that she is a work in progress.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Brett McCarthy: Work In Progress (Hardcover)
Normally a decent student, a star soccer player, and responsible only daughter, Brett McCarthy isn't exactly sure what is going wrong. First she is suspended, then earns unlimited lunchtime detentions with the middle school principal, and then she is suspended again. It is enough to freak anyone out.To complicate matters, Brett learns that her long-time best friend is not only dealing with divorcing parents, but has also lost her mind and decided to try out for the cheerleading squad. With her friends deserting her, Brett turns to her grandmother, "Nonna," only to suspect something fishy is going on with her and some medical situation. Brett is an extremely likeable teen dealing with a crazy middle school year. Typical adolescent problems are creatively mixed with Nonna's kooky schemes, a lot of chocolate brownie baking, and a plan to resurrect an old lighthouse. One adventure after another holds the readers' attention and keeps this story moving quickly. Debut author Maria Padian has something for everyone in this book. Brett's father, an English professor, provides countless poetry references for just about any situation. Brett's own love of vocabulary shows up as she introduces a new word with each chapter. And with 45 quick-read chapters, readers are bound to increase their personal vocabulary whether they want to or not. There is no shortage of humor. I found myself chuckling plenty. Padian doesn't shy away from heart-rending emotion, either. Be sure to have a tissue or two close at hand. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews) 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Brett McCarthy: Work In Progress (Hardcover)
Normally a decent student, a star soccer player, and responsible only daughter, Brett McCarthy isn't exactly sure what is going wrong. First she is suspended, then earns unlimited lunchtime detentions with the middle school principal, and then she is suspended again. It is enough to freak anyone out.To complicate matters, Brett learns that her long-time best friend is not only dealing with divorcing parents, but has also lost her mind and decided to try out for the cheerleading squad. With her friends deserting her, Brett turns to her grandmother, "Nonna," only to suspect something fishy is going on with her and some medical situation. Brett is an extremely likeable teen dealing with a crazy middle school year. Typical adolescent problems are creatively mixed with Nonna's kooky schemes, a lot of chocolate brownie baking, and a plan to resurrect an old lighthouse. One adventure after another holds the readers' attention and keeps this story moving quickly. Debut author Maria Padian has something for everyone in this book. Brett's father, an English professor, provides countless poetry references for just about any situation. Brett's own love of vocabulary shows up as she introduces a new word with each chapter. And with 45 quick-read chapters, readers are bound to increase their personal vocabulary whether they want to or not. There is no shortage of humor. I found myself chuckling plenty. Padian doesn't shy away from heart-rending emotion, either. Be sure to have a tissue or two close at hand. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Define-itely,
By Jeffrey Fischer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Brett McCarthy: Work In Progress (Hardcover)
At first I thought I was getting a fairly typical -- though very knowing -- young adult novel about the trials of middle school friendship, but the story grew on me, and I found I couldn't put it down. A compelling plot, a creative first person voice, and depth in the relationships, particularly as the story of Brett's grandmother Nonna evolves. The building of chapters around Brett's vocabulary lessons is not corny: it begins and ends with the concept of (self) definition in a satisfying, theme-building way.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Let the Cover Fool You,
By E. S. Damone - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Brett McCarthy: Work In Progress (Hardcover)
A truly human story about a girl struggling to find herself as she embraces the obstacles of adolescence, family, and life in her own strong, unique, and unexpected ways. Brett is smart, witty, and obsessed with words. And don't let the Catcher-in-the-Rye-esque cover fool you, this is a story of trial, tribulation, love, and hope. For anyone who has every wondered how we become who we are, how we manage to constantly redefine ourselves and our relationships in an uncertain world, this is beautiful place to start.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Children's Books > Literature > Humourous
- Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Multigenerational
- Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Situations > Friendship
- Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports
- Books > Kids & Family Store > Teens
- Books > Teens > School & Sports > Fiction
- Books > Teens > Social Issues > Being a Teen
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
