Title: North of BeautifulAuthor: Justina Chen Headley
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Genre/Pages: YA/ 373 pages
Source: Library
Grade: A-Terra Rose Cooper is a high school senior who, after having completed high school in just three years, applies to Williams College early decision so that she can get as far away as she can from her family, her small town outside of Seattle, and if she could, from her life. She has lived with a “flawed” face since birth, one side covered with a large port-wine stain. This story deals with her growth as a young adult as she comes to terms with her dysfunctional family, beautiful friends, boyfriends, and in particular her inner beauty and true desires.
I loved this story; it was fast-paced and the characters were true to life. Terra meets a boy by accident at one point in the story who has a lot in common with her; he was adopted from China as a child and people have always stared at him as they have at Terra. He has adapted to his differences much better than Terra; he exudes confidence and he has the ability to not care what others think about him. He proves to be a great example for Terra, and he also accepts Terra for who she is inside-without her cover-up makeup. This story gave me great insight into how hard it is for young people to accept themselves flaws and all. While very entertaining, insightful, and developed around a theme of maps and the searching for geocaches, this story is appealing to young and old alike.
No comments:
Post a Comment