Absolutely Maybe

Author: Lisa Yee

Pages: 276

Published: Arthur A. Levine Books, February 2009

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Cover Score: A

Overall Grade: B+

Source: Publisher

Summary: Maybelline Chestnut may be named after her beauty queen mother's favorite brand of mascara, but she's got a mind of her own. She is fed up--her mother is marrying yet another dirtball boyfriend, yet she won't tell Maybe who her real father is. So Maybe decides that it's time for a change of scenery, hitching a ride with her two best friends to California on a search for her father. There, she finds everything from fame, fortune, inspiration, courage, and maybe even herself, too.

My thoughts: When I was younger, I loved Lisa Yee's books: Millicent Min: Girl Genius, So Totally Emily Ebers...I just couldn't go wrong. So when I heard that she was writing a book for young adults, I was super-excited, but concerned. Could it be as good as her books for younger readers? Luckily, Absolutely Maybe was full of humor, spunk, and quality characters.

Maybe was a great narrator: she had a unique personality and perspective. She was funny, honest, and relatable. Her friends Ted and Hollywood make great secondary characters: they're just the type of people that I would want as my own friends. Maybe's mom, Chessy, is also lovable. She's totally clueless and not the best parent in the world, but she was a well-developed character that I really felt for.

The story was different from a lot of other YA. It was about family, friends, love, finding yourself, and was both humorous and, at times, serious and mature.

The book was a bit slow and random at parts, but it picked up near the end. I don't think that this was Lisa Yee's best, but she has made a decent breakout into the YA genre. I can't wait to see what's next! Bonus points for road trips, pink hair, and taco trucks. (:

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