Review: Fun YA Book!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 15, 2013
Books like Getting Back to Normal by Marilyn Levinson are one of the reasons I truly enjoy reading YA. I feel like it speaks to every generation. Marilyn tells a wonderful story here, through the eyes of a 6th grader. It all felt pretty accurate, as my older daughter will be entering the 6th grade this fall. In this story, Vannie has recently lost her mother. She and her little brother feel like they're on their own, as if their father is just about ready to go off the deep end without their mother there to look after him. It's touching when Vannie discusses her mother. You can feel that she is sad, but also that she wants to be strong for her family.When they move to a cottage, on property belonging to her Aunt Mayda, Vannie is upset to be leaving their home. Her father feels as if he needs to be away from painful memories. Vannie ends up meeting up with Archie, a handsome young man who gives her a yummy recipe to make for dinner. Vannie tries it, since her mother was a caterer, and she wants to be able to cook for her family, too. The recipe is a hit, and Vannie soon tries to seek Archie out again. What she realizes is that Archie is not who he seems to be. He is willing to help her with recipes, but only if she helps him with something much bigger.This is an entertaining story that reads quickly. I kept wanting to read `just a little more' before putting it down. Even though it is lower YA, I still felt a connection to the characters and the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will be letting my 11 year old daughter read it as well, as I know she'll love it! Definitely worth checking out!