But She's So Cute

The Girls of Canby Hall #23

by Emily Chase

When roommates Andy, Jane, and Toby meet Penny Vanderark, a newcomer who seems totally helpless, only Toby is able to see through her act

Genres: Young Adult

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1987

About the author

"Emily Chase" was the pen-name used by a number of authors who contributed to Scholastic's Girls of Canby Hall series, about a group of girls living at a New England boarding school. Amongst these contributors was romance novelist Julie Garwood.

Reviews

[James Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting addition to the Girls of Canby Hall series. This one centers of course on the three girls from Room 407 with the introduction of a new girl named Penny who seems unable to do anything for herself.

She uses her cuteness to get people to do things for her but Toby ends up seeing the girl for what she is and doesn't like her. Penny is sort of a Southern-belle type of girl, she believes. Thus, on plot element is how the girls react to Penny and whether or not Penny will grow up and stop depending on others to do the things she should be doing herself.

The other story like is about Jane being self-centered. She's supposed to help the other girls with a weekend at the school when potential students will be visiting but it seems she plans instead to go out on a date with her boyfriend and ignore helping the others.

So, both girls have problems to be solved but the other girls are there to help out.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did I want this to be a deeply queer novel set at an all-girls boarding school? Yes. Was it? No, not really. I think at best you can read some queerplatonic friendship into it, but mostly it's just a semi-bland serialized book about teenage girls who are into teenage boys.

Also LOL because I'm writing this review almost a year later, and I can't remember what was in this plot and what was in Prep.