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Summary
Summary
April Sinclair just wants what any normal thirteen-year-old would want: to disown her parents and obnoxious little sisters; to escape to summer camp ASAP with her two best friends, Billy and Brynn; and to make a good impression on Matt Parker, the hot new boy next door.
Unfortunately, Matt witnesses April's utter humiliation at her birthday party. Then Billy kisses her. Just as April is trying to figure things out, her parents cancel her camp plans in lieu of a family RV trip. A summer of babysitting her sisters and "re-bonding" with her family isn't how she imagined life as a teenager. And it certainly won't help her straighten out her feelings about Billy or Matt. Is there any silver lining to a road trip in The Clunker with her family of misfits?
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Life is hard when you're 13, and no one knows this better than April Sinclair. Humiliated by her younger sisters in front of a hot new guy, unclear about the status of her friendship with best buds Billy and Brynn, and devastated that she has to take a road trip with her family in lieu of attending summer camp, she feels like things couldn't get much worse. Her story is told in the same tradition as Friedman's popular "Mallory" series (Carolrhoda) and Anne Mazer's "Amazing Days of Abby Hayes" books (Scholastic). The author succeeds in creating a believable portrayal of an overly dramatic young teen with the expected afflictions and embarrassments that accompany this difficult age, such as first boyfriends and younger sisters. However, the narration sometimes comes off as tedious. And, while middle graders will certainly identify with April, most of the characters in her life are one-dimensional. Billy and Brynn are never fleshed out and readers are left wishing they knew more about their personalities and lives. Friedman's casual, light prose and journaling narrative style will appeal to some readers, but the protagonist's dramatic flair might irritate others.-Anne Barreca, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this witty and empathic first book in Friedman's Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair series, 13-year-old April is endlessly irritated by her younger sisters, May and June, as well her ever-embarrassing parents. April is mortified when her sisters expose her crush on new neighbor Matt in front of Matt himself, but that's just the beginning. In a journal-style narrative that spans several months, April recounts being kissed (and then ignored) by her best friend Billy, suffering "complete humiliation" when her sisters catch her examining herself naked in the mirror (April is self-conscious about her "tiny" butt and uneven breasts), and having her sister June point out the tampon string hanging from April's bikini bottom at the pool (once again in front of neighbor Matt). The final straw: being forced to "re-bond" with her family on a road trip instead of attending summer camp. Friedman (the Mallory series) makes April believably melodramatic, self-absorbed, and insecure, yet keeps her fully sympathetic as she faces the confusion of growing up, changing relationships, and figuring out what truly matters. Ages 10-15. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Thirteen-year-old April is looking forward to summer camp with her two best friends, until her parents abruptly decide to take the whole family on an RV trip to help April "bond" with her annoying and mischievous younger sisters. While readers may enjoy the funny ups and downs of April's drama-filled life, the book's secondary characters are predictable and two-dimensional. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Irked by her parents, annoyed by her younger siblings and bewildered by the recent behavior of Billy, one of her best friends, April's teen years are off to an inauspicious start. In journal-style entries, April contemplates the ups and downs of her life, beginning with her momentous--and monumentally embarrassing--13th birthday. Drama abounds as April comically details her most cringe-worthy, mortifying moments. With a suddenly tumultuous love life and mischievous younger sisters who constantly invade her privacy and reveal her secrets, April is eagerly anticipating summer camp. However, in response to her less-than-satisfactory attitude, her parents have completely revised April's summer agenda. Rather than attending camp with her BFFs, April embarks upon a family vacation featuring a ramshackle RV, camping and compulsory family time. In this first title of her new series, Friedman delves into a plethora of teen concerns as April copes with body-image worries, friendships, family relationships and first kisses. She consummately conveys April's self-absorption, adeptly capturing the turmoil of the shifting stages between childhood and adolescence. While April's narration can be somewhat sarcastic, the overall tone is more cleverly sassy than harsh. However, as the summer progresses, April's maturity grows perceptibly. When a near disaster occurs during their family trip, it serves as a revelation for April, affirming the importance of family. By tale's end, it is evident that this humorous, spirited teen is poised to triumph over the challenges of adolescence. (Fiction. 12-15)]] 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
