| Title: | All the Things You Are | |
|---|---|---|
| Author: | Courtney Sheinmel | |
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster | |
| Imprint: | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | |
| Pub. Date: | 06/14/2011 | |
| ISBN: | 1416997199 (ISBN13: 9781416997191) | |
| Pages: | 256 |
Carly Wheeler lives a charmed life. Her motheris a stylist for the soap opera Lovelock Falls, she lives in a nice house, and goes to an excellent private school. But when her mom is arrested and charged with embezzlement, everything starts to unravel. There are shocking stories about her mother's crimes in the local newspaper. Carly's friends start avoiding her. And her stepfather starts worrying about money. How can Carly put her life back together when it feels like she's missing all the pieces?
(Summary and cover via Goodreads)
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I enjoyed this book a lot. It's the story of Carly, a girl who lives a fairly privileged life. She goes to a very nice private school, and she gets a lot of perks from her mother's job as a stylist on a soap opera. Sounds like a pretty nice life, right? It is until one day Carly's mom get arrested for embezzling from the soap opera. Suddenly Carly's life is turned completely upside down.
One of the main themes in this book is forgiveness. Carly is angry at her mom for making her lose friends and her regular life. She's also upset at those people she thought were friends that abandoned her. Slowly through the book, she comes to terms with things. She also learns that she will have to forgive some things. Carly also learns about acceptance. She learns to accept not only her life, but she also learns to accept those people who are trying to be true friends through it all.
I felt the author did a fabulous job of getting into the mindset of the 12-13 year girls. They vacillate realistically between being kids and being young adults. The ending isn't wrapped up into a neat little bow, but it instead allows you to draw your own conclusions. I liked that, because it follows real life. Things aren't always easily concluded. I felt that Carly's growth was at a reasonable pace. This was a good book, and I sure it will be enjoyed by more than just the intended age range.
Galley provided by publisher for review.
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