Saturday, Jun 27, 2009

Book Review: Miracle Girls #2: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt

Author:       Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt

Publisher:    Faith Words/Hachette

ISBN:          978-0-446-40756-4

Website:      http://anneandmay.com/

Type:         Fiction:YA/Christian

Pages:        273 Trade Paperback

Release:      April 16, 2009

Purchase:    $9.99 @ Amazon.com (HERE)

The Story

“Christine Lee has one goal for sophomore year: stop her father’s wedding.  Still mourning her recently deceased mom, she’s going to do whatever it takes to get the life-size Barbie her dad calls a fiancée out of their lives.

Meanwhile the Miracle Girls are facing troubles of their own. After a magical summer together, the four friends feel the pressures of real life pulling them apart. Ana’s focused entirely on school, Riley has a new boyfriend and major trouble at home, and Zoe’s fending off an unwanted admirer. The Miracle Girls are falling apart just when Christine needs them the most.”

(Above except is from www.anneandmay.com)

The Review

If you didn’t happen to catch my review of The Miracle Girls, the first book in this wonderful YA Christian series… you may want to check that out first and then read about this AWESOME book!

I have just so much enjoyed reading both The Miracle Girls and Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.  Both are great stories with good morals to them.  This book takes off just where The Miracle Girls leaves off… the beginning of their sophmore year.  However, this one is told from the viewpoint of Christine Lee… the eccentric one of the bunch.  Her mother died in a tragic car accident in which she survived.  Her father falls for another woman very shortly into his grieving period.  Christine doesn’t take well to the fact that Candace (aka “The Bimbo”) is engaged to her father and will be marrying him sooner rather than later.  Christine hasn’t fully dealt with her mother’s death and is nowhere near ready to let The Bimbo into her heart and life.  So, she’s determined to break them up before the impending wedding.

The Bimbo isn’t quite as dumb as she looks.  She is clever and really does try to blend her family with her fiance’s.  Candace has a daughter, Emma, who is in the 7th grade.  Emma really looks up to Christine and is falling in love with being her little sister.  Speaking of which, this is the only part of the book that I couldn’t fully release my imagination to.  I’ll explain why… I’ve got two of those 12 year old 7th graders.  They are much more mature than how Emma was portrayed.  And, it’s not just my 2… I know a lot of those 12-year-old-7th graders.  I just truly feel that Emma’s character behaved more like a 10 year old than a 12 year old.  But… that is the only issue that I had with the book and, again, it’s just because I’m surrounded by them.  Besides that, I really loved the story and felt it was just as strong of a book as The Miracle Girls.

So… guess what’s coming up next?  Miracle Girls #3: A Little Help From My Friends!!!!  Oh, Yes-O-Ree!  I’m excited.

I loved the fact that Christine has to learn to open up about her great hurts, learn about relationships with boys, and find her way to rely on God more in this book.  She’s got real issues that teenagers face and I think that this novel shows that there is a way to navigate through these hardships and trials in life.  Parents are tough when you’re a teenager… you need them and yet they just suck!  Your younger siblings are little pains in your tushie.  And, boys will make those cheeks burn and your head spin.  Despite all of these things, God will deliver you through safely and surround you with friends to protect you.   

Anne and May get my applause, again, on a job well done.  Like the first in the series, this book gets a my rating, genre: Fiction:YA/Christian, a 9 OUT OF 10.  I would NOT HESITATE to share this series with tweens & teens alike.  My twins both read The Miracle Girls in 1 day and loved it.  They can’t wait to read and share this one! 

My heartfelt thanks to Miriam!  I’m addicted to The Miracle Girls! 

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