The Beetle and Me: A Love Story

by Karen Romano Young

Fifteen-year-old Daisy Pandolfi wants more than anything to rebuild her parents '57 Volkswagon Beetle. For Daisy the Beetle has always been special, almost magical. It must run again, and it will be her very own set of wheels if it does. But she's determined to fix the Beetle herself, with no assistance from concerned family or friends who recognize that Daisy's got a lot more invested in her project than elbow grease and midnight oil. And then there's Billy. He wants to help, but should Daisy let him into her heart -- or let him go? A singular first novel about an unforgettable family and the blossom of first love. 01-02 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Gr 6-8) and 00-01 Tayshas High School Reading List 2000 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Childrens

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Karen Romano Young is the author of young adult novels as well as nonfiction books and magazine articles. Although Small Worlds: Maps and Mapmaking is her first book for Scholastic, she has contributed to Scholastic magazines for the past twenty years. Her other credits include Cricket, National Geographic World, and The Guinness Book of World Records.

Member: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Authors Guild, National Marine Educators Association.

Honors Awards: Smithsonian Best Book Award, and Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio Gold Medal, both 2002, both for Small Worlds: Maps and Mapmaking.

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

vw beetle lovers are never casual about their car <3

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story the first time I read it and I loved it just as much the second time! I love the way Daisy is, as a strong female character and I adore the double romance, between Daisy and Billy and between Daisy and her car.

[Nicole West Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute. Love this story

[Hannah Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sister gave me this book a couple of years ago because it had a bug on it. I read it today and it made me feel nostalgic. I was/am Daisy the main character in the book. Like Daisy, I have cried over my Volkswagen bug because something went wrong, kissed a boy in it, and have loved my car more than anyone should ever love their car. The only difference between Daisy and I is that she can fix her car. This story was amazingly adorable, and one I will probably read again!

[Rudy Seifert · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2- A YA book that interested me because I have restored a number of old VWs. Sadly, the VW parts were written by someone who had heard how to do it, and the 15 year old girl's coming of age story is completely out of my sphere of understanding. A good effort, but don't read to learn how to rebuild a '57 VW.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I read this in high school and enjoyed it. Remembered no details.
An enjoyable and fast read - this had shades of Sarah Dessen in the family relationships and main characters fixation on something atypical.

[Tiffany mashburn]

I love this book

[Rosetta Turrisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book. I wish there was more to the ending.

[Debbie]

Cute story of high school girl as she deals with family, boys, cars, school
Spring 2009

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading this book has made me remember how much i love it. Daisy is an underage female car mechanic determined to rebuild the engine of the VW beetle that has been slowly moldering away in her parents' icehouse. how can you not want to read it after that? i mean, come on, her aunt is a professional mechanic, her uncle races cars for a living, her sister dances ballet, her mom works in a hospital and everyone in her family gets grubby underneath cars. what a great family dynamic to build a book around. this book feels like fireflies and warm windy days and traveling back in time to your high school drama club days. the atmosphere and setting in the book are really well done. It's a nice warm friendly book to relax with and remember lazy summers. Everything about this book rocks.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daisy has a dream of restoring her father's old Beetle all by herself. She would rather deal with machinery than people (most of the time.) Older sister Helen is preoccupied with Tom Bixby, older cousin Imogene has Ben and even when Daisy meets Daniel, he soon gets tired of talking cars with her. Soon he is off with Imogene, leaving Daisy even more confused. When she starts school in the fall, she meets Billy in her Auto Mechanics class, and soon discovers her relationship may go beyond talking cars ... or does it?

[Salsabrarian]

Audiobook narrated by Julie Dretzin. 15-year-old Daisy Pandolfini and her family are into cars. She knows how to repair them and can talk shop. She takes on the project of repairing her father's old 1957 VW Beetle. Meanwhile, she also crushes on Daniel, sorts through her ambivalent feelings toward Billy and her own teenage angst. Nice portrayal of a close-knit family , lots of car talk, but at times Daisy's introspectiveness is so much navel-gazing.

[Teen]

This was one of several stories read about girls who are into something besides the boyfriend. In this case the protagonist is into restoring an old Volkswagen Beetle. Some of us felt that there was just too much about the car, but others of us liked that the girl was interested in something nontraditional for a girl.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daisy can't drive yet, but she is determined to rebuild her father's 57 beetle by herself. Cars run in her family, and she doesn't need any help. It is her refuge away from her confusing life. Her family is always butting in, and even Daisy doesn't always know what she is feeling. But she might just need some help after all, maybe from Billy, who she isn't sure if she loves or not.

[Loree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book buried in a cabinet dusty and neglected. So I took it home and added it to my pile of to-reads. After putting it off until the bottom of the pile, I finally gave it a look. The plotline is outdated and flawed, but something about the Beetle and Me is just plain appealing. I felt a bond Daisy. As she fixed up her old sweet car, I enjoyed this old sweet book.

[Annie Carrott Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I too picked this book up at a used book store because the title had a Beetle Bug in it. It is definitely a teen read! The story is simple but satisfying and inspiring. It showed a different side of a teen girl who was grounded and not afraid to be who she was - auto shop and all!

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old days