FROM THE DESK OF LIZZIE LAZOWSKI
by Melody J. Bremen
Middle Grade Contemporary
300 pages
ages 8 to 12
COMING...
AUGUST 20th!!!
When 8th grader Lizzie Lazowski receives a pen pal assignment, she puts her letter into a bottle and throws it into the ocean. A few days later, she receives an anonymous response in her mailbox. She continues to write to her mystery pen pal, answering prompts like what’s your favorite food (milkshakes), and who is your best friend (she doesn’t have one at the moment).
Through her letters, she tells about her biggest dream: to secure a spot at Northcrest High School for the Arts. If she submits a creative project—a true story about one person—she can win a scholarship. And Chloe, the new girl at school, just might be the one to help her complete the project (and maybe even fill the best friend role).
As the deadline for the scholarship draws near, her project flops and her budding friendship goes horribly wrong. All she has is the help of a mystery pen pal to put her life back on track.
This companion novel to The Boy Who Painted the World delivers a story about friendship, forgiveness, and self-discovery.
MY TIDBITS
Getting up close and connecting on a personal level, this is a fun read about a girl, who needs to steer her way through more than a couple sticky situations.
Chloe is about to turn thirteen, which means that she finally has the chance to apply to the high school of her dreams, Northcrest High. Only the best get a scholarship to the elite school, and she's determined to be one of them since this means opening a huge door to her main goal of becoming an actress. But life isn't helping her accomplish this dream. Not only does her mother's assistant keep using Chloe as a way to get around work, but the creative project needed to earn the scholarship is more than a little rough, especially since she's going to need help. Luckily, she finds a pen pal, and while she has no clue who this person is, they are more help than they could imagine.
Chloe is an entertaining character with tons of personality. She's got a big heart, huge dreams, and just the right amount of mischief to add spice. It's the kind of person to be friends with, know that there might be a few rough spots, but also realize that life will never be boring. Connecting with Chloe is very easy thanks to the writer's use of email exchanges between her and the mysterious pen pal as well as text messages and excerpts of the script from her project. It makes for an easy read, which grabs from beginning to end.
There are several good messages in this one to mix with the fun. First off, Chloe needs to steer the world of friendship forming and knowing when not to push people too far. She is determined to reach her goal but forgets about others' sometimes as well. Then, there's the message surrounding family. Chloe and her mother have a lovely relationship, but with her mother dating seriously and the possibility of marriage, there's another difficult situation to steer through.
It's an enjoyable read, which draws in and keeps the reader engaged. Anyone who enjoys spice of life during middle school reads and humor tossed in is sure to enjoy this one.
And here she is...
Melody J. Bremen spent most of her childhood in her imagination. She began writing when she was young and simply never stopped. Now she writes contemporary and fantasy novels for middle-grade readers. Her secret superpower: the ability to go through life without coffee.
Melody lives on a distant planet where all they do is write and read books. (Sometimes they eat jelly beans.) Oh… you want the boring version. Well, then. She lives with her family in New Jersey, where people do normal people things. She has a faithful computer named Oswald. Other than that, she does not have any pets. She used to have a neurotic hamster named Puff, but she has since gone to the great hamster wheel in the sky.
Melody lives on a distant planet where all they do is write and read books. (Sometimes they eat jelly beans.) Oh… you want the boring version. Well, then. She lives with her family in New Jersey, where people do normal people things. She has a faithful computer named Oswald. Other than that, she does not have any pets. She used to have a neurotic hamster named Puff, but she has since gone to the great hamster wheel in the sky.
