Can You Say Catastrophe?

November 1, 2013

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

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2013
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)

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August 26, 2013
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 as 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.

January 1, 2014
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.

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