Thursday, February 4, 2010

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. (:

Must-Read! Check it Out Don't Bother

5 comments:

Eleni said...

Nice review!

IanIan said...

Cover looks really stunning <3 And I was a little confused at first, 'cause the title reminded me of the movie "Definitely, Maybe" :D
Thnaks for your review !!!

Ms. Yingling said...

My girls haven't liked this one nearly as much. They say that she is too quirky. Oh, well.

Tales of Whimsy said...

Cool. This title is new to me.

Claire said...

Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford - that would be a winning combination! Love them both - just making my way through Gilmore Girls after finishing the West Wing for the second time!