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Franny Hall should be excited about starting high school, even if it's just in tiny Eastbrook, Ohio.  But she's not.  While her friends can't wait to go to dances, date older boys, and try out for the cheerleading squad, 14-year-old Franny's mortified by the thought of even trying those things.  She already knows she's hideous, with her deformed left foot and clunky orthopedic shoes, she doesn't need immature high school boys to remind her of that already humiliating fact.  If only she were normal, like her best friend Boots, then she'd be able to enjoy all these new opportunities.  Life has taught Franny that gimps like her shouldn't even bother for fairy tale endings because they just ain't gonna happen.  

Margaret Hall, Franny's beautiful, flamboyant mother, doesn't care what anyone else says—she thinks Franny's beautiful.  And more than capable of dancing, dating and cheering with the best of them.  But her daughter's despair spurns her into action.  She hatches a wild plan that involves traveling to Italy and convincing famous designer Salvatore Ferragamo to create a perfect shoe for Franny.  It's a wild idea—even for Margaret—but one that just might change everything for a self-conscious girl with an uncooperative left foot.  

Based on the author's real-life experience, The Lovely Shoes by Susan Shreve is a story about one girl's quest to accept her body, despite its flaws.  It's an engaging and hopeful tale, one that feels authentic and true.  Every girl can relate to Franny's struggles—not just with self-image, but also with trying to fit in, navigating changing friendships, and falling in love for the first time.  Not to mention discovering the power of the perfect pair of shoes!  Poignant but funny, The Lovely Shoes is a memorable story that will speak to anyone who's ever felt out of place (in other words: all of us).  

(Readalikes:  Um, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Lovely Shoes from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!  

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Jane Taylor's used to living an unconventional life.  It's all the 16-year-old's ever known, thanks to her mother's (self-proclaimed) calling as a psychic.  But it's not all she wants.  Jane would love to trade tiny Spirit Vale—a community of mystics near Niagra Falls—for the bustle of the big city.  There, she could be a real journalist, hobnobbing with real people, not watching her mother charm customers out of their hard-earned dollars.  Little does Jane know just how far fate will take her.

When an admirer of Jane's mother sends the family tickets to cross the Atlantic in order to attend a spiritualist convention in London, Jane can hardly believe it.  She has little interest in spiritualism, the value of which she doubts very highly, but a great desire to converse with interesting people, of which she meets many.  Among them are several with uneasy feelings about the maiden voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic, which will be occurring in a few days.  Jane doesn't believe in such mumbo jumbo.  At least she doesn't think she does.  But, with two of her sister aboard the ship, can she afford to take the chance?  If Nikola Tesla—a famed, if eccentric scientist—is to be believed, something is terribly wrong with Titanic.  What, if anything, can she do?  And what does Tesla have to do with the fate of the ship? 

It's been awhile since I read Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. This plot of this genre-bender shoots off in all kinds of directions, making it a disjointed and sometimes confusing tale.  While I loved the very ending of the story, other parts of it had me yawning.  I felt the same way about the characters—while they were intriguing, none of them really, really spoke to me.  On the whole, then, I'm kind of ambivalent about this one.  In the end, I found it just okay.  

(Readalikes:  It's like a lot of other Titanic novels, just with a twist.)

Grade:  C

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Distant Waves from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!

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Like the anthropologist she wants to be someday, 16-year-old Janice Wills observes the natives of Melva High School with a careful, objective eye.  She registers the peculiar nuances of their social hierarchy, their mating rituals, their survival-of-the-prettiest mentality.  But, no matter how many notes she takes, Janice just does not understand how to relate to this strange species, let alone integrate herself into their society.  Her best friend, Margo Werther, thinks the answer is sucking up to the popular girls.  Janice's mother has an even more outrageous idea:  she thinks her daughter should not just enter the annual Livermush Pageant, but actually try to win it.  Since only the cutest girls in town can wear the crown, it doesn't take a PhD to know that Janice Wills has no chance in heck of winning.  Still, she can't resist the chance to study her peers in this most unique of anthropological experiments.  What she learns—curiously enough—is a whole lot about herself.

The Rites & Wrongs of Janice Wills, a debut novel by poet Joanna Pearson, tells a bright, funny story about trying to fit in when everything you do turns out wrong.  Although the plot's not all that original, Janice narrates her story with a strong, sarcastic voice that's upbeat and entertaining.  The book didn't blow me away or anything, but I enjoyed this quick, fun read.  

(Readalikes:  The pageant aspect of the book reminded me a little of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), sexual innuendo/content and depictions of underage drinking/partying

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Rites & Wrongs of Janice Wills from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!