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Summary
Summary
Eighth grade is off to a surprisingly promising start for April Sinclair―although it's not hard to improve on the way last year ended. With a great boyfriend, a best friend who's like a sister, and two boobs that are finally the same size, April has a newfound sense of positivity. Making the dance team is the icing on the cake. But with one unexpected move from her hot neighbor, Matt Parker, April's life starts to spin out of control. In the blink of an eye, her best friend is furious, her boyfriend dumps her, and the girls on the dance team don't want anything to do with her. How could things go so wrong so fast? Can April find a way to fix things with the people that matter most?
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-April Sinclair's adventures in Faraway, Alabama, continue in this sequel to Can You Say Catastrophe? (Darby Creek, 2013). Billy and April start eighth grade as boyfriend and girlfriend; April is back to being best friends with Brynn; and her grandmother Gaga has concocted the Happiness Movement, which April thinks is kind of cheesy, but a good idea overall. Things get complicated when April makes the high school dance team but Brynn doesn't. She befriends another teammate, and the distance between her and her former friends grows. Add in April's continued confusion about her feelings toward "hot" neighbor Matt Parker. Friedman has encapsulated middle school rather convincingly. The journal-style text conveys much more about April than it does about the supporting characters, so readers are often left wondering what they think about April's behavior. The protagonist isn't always likable, as she can be self-centered and not mindful of other's feelings, but her behavior and conversations with herself authentically echo that of many kids her age. Not necessarily a "squeaky-clean read," the novel is still tame and will satisfy the curiosity of younger teen and tween readers.-Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
April (Can You Say Catastrophe?) begins eighth grade with great news: she's selected for a highly coveted spot on the high school dance team. The team's grueling schedule, however, leads to hard feelings between April and her boyfriend, and her best friend. Readers will relate to April's struggle to maintain old friendships while forging new ones, and cheer for her as she navigates the aftermath of a bad romantic decision. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
April's much-anticipated eighth-grade year rapidly devolves into a debacle. After a turbulent summer (Can You Say Catastrophe, 2013), 13-year-old April is excited for the new school year. She has been dating Billy for a month, and she has reconciled with her BFF, Brynn. However, new challenges arrive with the new year. April's relationship with Brynn is jeopardized when an opportunity to try out for the high school dance team results in April being selected to join the team while Brynn is not. Familiar characters return as Friedman focuses on April's relationship quandaries: her problems with Brynn, her mixed feelings regarding her relationship with Billy, and her perplexing interactions with the enigmatic boy next door, Matt. The journal format provides insight into April's emotional life as she expresses her inner turmoil with poignant honesty. Friedman sensitively explores the emotional upheavals that sometimes accompany the middle school years. The revelation of April's clandestine kiss with Matt wreaks havoc in her life. April's lament, "Can a girl make a mistake without her life falling apart?" highlights the intense pressures of middle school social life. Relying on the sage counsel of both her grandmother and father, April navigates her way. Readers will empathize as April displays spunk and resilience in addressing her mistakes and remaining true to herself. (Fiction. 11-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
And April Sinclair just thought seventh grade was disastrous! (See Can You Say Catastrophe? 2013.) Eighth grade, she finds, is even worse. Things actually start on an upbeat note: April and Billy are still an item. Meanwhile, April and Brynn have resumed their close friendship, but a rift soon forms when April earns a spot on the high-school dance team. Practice consumes her, leaving Billy and Brynn outside her circle. Then Matt Parker causes trouble again when he passionately kisses her. Can the three close friends make peace? Whether or not readers are already acquainted, there's plenty here to compel them to share the character's joys and angst.--Szwarek, Magan Copyright 2014 Booklist
