School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-Finding out she has scoliosis changes Deenie Feener's life plans. Her mother has always wanted her to be a model, calling Deenie the beauty and her sister the brains. Deenie's condition requires her to get a brace, putting any modeling plans on hold and ruining her dreams of being a junior high cheerleader. She must grow to accept her problem and discover who she really wants to be. Judy Blume's classic story (Atheneum, 1993) contains some outdated moments, but continues to be a fine tale of teen angst. Deenie's experiences and questions about issues like sex and masturbation will still reverberate with teens. Kim Mai Guest gives Deenie a whiny, young voice, which reflects her character. Deenie obsesses about her looks and before her diagnosis is very judgmental of her peers. Later, she becomes more accepting of others. Guest shows this progress in the girl's character by making her voice progressively more grownup, and also captures the voices of Deenie's friends and her older sister. The adult voices often sound condescending, which is how they would seem to teenagers. The theme of parental expectations is universal, and Deenie and her sister show how this can be detrimental to teens. Libraries where Judy Blume books are popular will want to purchase this audiobook.-Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.