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Pepperland
Strong characters, complex relationships, and believable dialogue combine to create a touching story of loss and redemption.
Pamela Jean (a.k.a. Star) is sixteen when her mother dies of breast cancer. Star is angry that her mother has died and left her, and nothing seems to make her feel Not talking to her shrink. Not playing rock music with her best friend Dooley. Not even listening to her mother’s old familiar Beatles albums.
It is not until Star finds an unsent letter addressed to John Lennon and a broken-down vintage Gibson guitar that she begins to find a way out of her grief…and maybe even a way to take care of some unfinished business left by her mother.
Written as homage to the Beatles and the healing power of music, Mark Delaney’s unforgettable novel offers a realistic and poignant look at a difficult period in a teenager’s life and the process of finding one’s self.
Pamela Jean (a.k.a. Star) is sixteen when her mother dies of breast cancer. Star is angry that her mother has died and left her, and nothing seems to make her feel Not talking to her shrink. Not playing rock music with her best friend Dooley. Not even listening to her mother’s old familiar Beatles albums.
It is not until Star finds an unsent letter addressed to John Lennon and a broken-down vintage Gibson guitar that she begins to find a way out of her grief…and maybe even a way to take care of some unfinished business left by her mother.
Written as homage to the Beatles and the healing power of music, Mark Delaney’s unforgettable novel offers a realistic and poignant look at a difficult period in a teenager’s life and the process of finding one’s self.
- GenresYoung AdultFictionTeen
184 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2004
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Mark Delaney
25 books2 followersMark Delaney is the author of the highly acclaimed young adult mystery series, Misfits, Inc. Born in Long Beach, California, Delaney earned a master's degree in comparative literature from the University of California at Irvine. He currently lives outside Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches high school English.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 11, 2022
I rate the book Pepperland by Mark Delaney, 4 stars because it was very interesting and met my expectations. This book talked alot about the Beatles, John Lennon, music, and real life situations. In the book the main character (Star) finds a vintage guitar her mother left behind, it is very important to her mother. When Star finds something her mother left behind she wanted to fix it, this made me think that Star still had hope in finishing her mothers work, which made me want to keep on reading. There was constant action throughout the whole book. In the book it talked alot about John Lennon, Star finds a letter from her mother to John Lennon that was never sent out. Star wanted to finish the work her mother left behind by somehow getting the letter to John Lennon. This book taught me that you should never give up. If you are interested in the late 70’s this is the book for you. I would read another book by this author because he writes about things that interest me.
May 28, 2014
I would recommend the novel Pepperland by Mark Delaney for readers who enjoy a 70’s vintage love story involving heartbreak and depression between two best friends. This novel takes place in a small town located in California. The main character, Star, is a sixteen year old girl who just lost her mother to cancer. Star is so angry at her mother for dying that she doesn’t study, she doesn’t make friends, and she doesn’t listen to her therapist. The only thing that makes her feel better is music and spending time with her best, and only friend, Dooley. One day in Star’s garage her and Dooley find a letter that her mother wrote to John Lennon and along with that they find her mother’s old Gibson guitar. Star created a plan that she was going to meet John Lennon and personally give him the letter. Throughout the story Star and Dooley start to have feelings for each other. Star goes to John Lennon’s concert but during her attempt to give him the letter she gets escorted out by the security. By the end of the book Star is able to find closure by writing a song for her beloved mother and falling in love with Dooley.
I really enjoy how Delaney uses personification to describe the Star’s surroundings when he says, “I was playing in the surf, and I remember how the waves would slap against me, and how the water would seem and grab at my legs when it pulled back” (Delaney 176). This passage was very interesting because the author describes the ocean by using actions that only humans can do. He explains how the water “slaps” her and “grabs” at her legs, as if it were a person. I think this personification is very interesting because the reader is able to imagine what it would be like to have the water hit your legs if you were standing in the ocean.
I also really enjoy how Delaney uses similes to compare his characters with other objects when he says, “He closes his eyes and lets his head lean against the wall. With his tall, skinny body all folded up on the floor and his arms wrapped around his legs, he looks like a little bird, one that’s clumsy and can’t fly” (Delaney 123). These lines are engaging because it allows the reader to imagine what this character looks like. By comparing him to a small bird you can imagine that he looks helpless and small compared to his surroundings. This is very helpful when creating imagery because the reader can compare two completely different things to create an image in their head.
Overall, the author does a great job using imagery by creating a clear image in the reader’s mind. This book is very compelling and an excellent easy read.
I really enjoy how Delaney uses personification to describe the Star’s surroundings when he says, “I was playing in the surf, and I remember how the waves would slap against me, and how the water would seem and grab at my legs when it pulled back” (Delaney 176). This passage was very interesting because the author describes the ocean by using actions that only humans can do. He explains how the water “slaps” her and “grabs” at her legs, as if it were a person. I think this personification is very interesting because the reader is able to imagine what it would be like to have the water hit your legs if you were standing in the ocean.
I also really enjoy how Delaney uses similes to compare his characters with other objects when he says, “He closes his eyes and lets his head lean against the wall. With his tall, skinny body all folded up on the floor and his arms wrapped around his legs, he looks like a little bird, one that’s clumsy and can’t fly” (Delaney 123). These lines are engaging because it allows the reader to imagine what this character looks like. By comparing him to a small bird you can imagine that he looks helpless and small compared to his surroundings. This is very helpful when creating imagery because the reader can compare two completely different things to create an image in their head.
Overall, the author does a great job using imagery by creating a clear image in the reader’s mind. This book is very compelling and an excellent easy read.
November 13, 2012
Pamela Jean, the main character of this book, just lost her mother to a rare, incurable disease. She is going to therapy and her therapist is recommending her to write a song about her mother. But she cant.
She is suffering a great load of her mother passing away, her school work slipping up, her best friend is getting tormented at school, and above all else her therapist wants her to write a song about the one subject she cant even talk about. Her therapist thinks that she could get closure if she could write a song in her mothers memory. Her step father, Syke, is loving and knows when Star, Pamela, wants to talk.Her best friend needs help with a bully at school and gets mad at Star for helping. She needs to find a connection to her mother before she loses what left of her mother she has. She remembers a guitar that her mother played for her when she was little. The guitar was lost in the garage somewhere. When she finds it, its broken into pieces. If she really intends to remember her mothers name, she needs to fix this guitar. When she gets to a guitar repair shop, she meets another woman like her, Teri Seeger. Teri tries to help Star as much as she can, before things get any worse.
Not very well written, very dry and unoriginal.
She is suffering a great load of her mother passing away, her school work slipping up, her best friend is getting tormented at school, and above all else her therapist wants her to write a song about the one subject she cant even talk about. Her therapist thinks that she could get closure if she could write a song in her mothers memory. Her step father, Syke, is loving and knows when Star, Pamela, wants to talk.Her best friend needs help with a bully at school and gets mad at Star for helping. She needs to find a connection to her mother before she loses what left of her mother she has. She remembers a guitar that her mother played for her when she was little. The guitar was lost in the garage somewhere. When she finds it, its broken into pieces. If she really intends to remember her mothers name, she needs to fix this guitar. When she gets to a guitar repair shop, she meets another woman like her, Teri Seeger. Teri tries to help Star as much as she can, before things get any worse.
Not very well written, very dry and unoriginal.
Read
May 6, 2020With each chapter named for a different John Lennon song, this book is a tribute to Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, otherwise known as The Beatles. Star, a 16-year-old who has just lost her mother to cancer, was practically raised listening to The Beatles.
Read p. 1 "I told the shrink that my mother named me Pamela Jean … Now for the record, my name is Star."
Star only feels OK when she is blasting music or playing her 1952 Fender telecaster electric guitar. Her shrink knows music is a way in to Star's damaged heart, and so she says (read p. 4 "Have you considered writing a song for your mother … I'll think about it.")
It's only when she finds her mother's broken Gibson acoustic guitar and a letter addressed to John Lennon that Star may have found her music again.
Read p. 1 "I told the shrink that my mother named me Pamela Jean … Now for the record, my name is Star."
Star only feels OK when she is blasting music or playing her 1952 Fender telecaster electric guitar. Her shrink knows music is a way in to Star's damaged heart, and so she says (read p. 4 "Have you considered writing a song for your mother … I'll think about it.")
It's only when she finds her mother's broken Gibson acoustic guitar and a letter addressed to John Lennon that Star may have found her music again.
October 5, 2017
"Sometimes the music has to be that way. So loud it just pounds everything else out of you." That was the one quote that really resonated with me while reading this book. I fell in love with the fact that it was based off of an era I truly love and a band I adore (The Beatles).
I have to say I ended up being slightly disappointed with the character development.
*Spoiler alert?*
I enjoyed everyone but the romantic plot line with Dooley. It felt too forced to prove he wasn't gay, it would have been a better outcome of character development for him to actually turn out to be gay and that he was just struggling with internalized homophobia.
I have to say I ended up being slightly disappointed with the character development.
*Spoiler alert?*
I enjoyed everyone but the romantic plot line with Dooley. It felt too forced to prove he wasn't gay, it would have been a better outcome of character development for him to actually turn out to be gay and that he was just struggling with internalized homophobia.
December 2, 2024
My 7th & 8th grade years in middle school were spent consistently renting this book out and reading it over and over. This book made me cry but comforted me at the same time. I don't know how to explain it. I spent years describing this book to my mom and could not remember the title or author for some reason. Odd, because i had read it so many times. One Christmas, I picked a present out from under the tree and unwrapped it, only to reveal this book. I sobbed. From Santa, it said. My mom winked at me. Santa is one hell of a detective, huh?
June 18, 2015
Pepperland by Mark Delaney
Book review by Emi Argall
Pepperland is a young adult novel based in early 1980. It is about a girl named Star suffering from mild psychological turmoil after her mother’s death. Star is a sensitive character and through the story one sees her trying to deal with the aftermath of a parent dying as well as the daily life of a typical high schooler.
Pepperland was interesting to me because of the musical knowledge mixed into the plot. The book is littered with musical terms and references to famous musicians. I have read reviews saying that without the musical trivia in this book, it would be quite lame. I both agree and disagree with this argument. First, yes it would be lame if Star was not interested in music. Yet to take away the music in the novel, you would be both ruining what helps Star heal from her mother’s death, and picking apart the entire plot. To say that Star would be boring without music would be like arguing that Luke Skywalker would be boring if he never became a Jedi.
If you are interested in people’s emotions, this is a good book for you. The book is written in first person and so you are constantly being informed of the way Star is feeling. This could get old if you are not very empathetic toward fake (ie fictional) people (or anyone else for that matter). If this is the case don’t read this book. If you are not empathetic but interested in the phycology of people, this could be interesting none the less though. Star is constantly seeing her phycologist and because of this she is often analyzed her own thoughts.
I would not consider Pepperland appropriate for anyone under 13. It is about the equivalent of a pg-13 movie, in language, plus in includes a lot of snogging.
I couldn’t put Pepperland down once I started, but I didn’t really enjoy its content or love it when I finished. The plot was slow, but the chapters where short. The characters where very well fleshed out. I would give it two out of five stars.
Book review by Emi Argall
Pepperland is a young adult novel based in early 1980. It is about a girl named Star suffering from mild psychological turmoil after her mother’s death. Star is a sensitive character and through the story one sees her trying to deal with the aftermath of a parent dying as well as the daily life of a typical high schooler.
Pepperland was interesting to me because of the musical knowledge mixed into the plot. The book is littered with musical terms and references to famous musicians. I have read reviews saying that without the musical trivia in this book, it would be quite lame. I both agree and disagree with this argument. First, yes it would be lame if Star was not interested in music. Yet to take away the music in the novel, you would be both ruining what helps Star heal from her mother’s death, and picking apart the entire plot. To say that Star would be boring without music would be like arguing that Luke Skywalker would be boring if he never became a Jedi.
If you are interested in people’s emotions, this is a good book for you. The book is written in first person and so you are constantly being informed of the way Star is feeling. This could get old if you are not very empathetic toward fake (ie fictional) people (or anyone else for that matter). If this is the case don’t read this book. If you are not empathetic but interested in the phycology of people, this could be interesting none the less though. Star is constantly seeing her phycologist and because of this she is often analyzed her own thoughts.
I would not consider Pepperland appropriate for anyone under 13. It is about the equivalent of a pg-13 movie, in language, plus in includes a lot of snogging.
I couldn’t put Pepperland down once I started, but I didn’t really enjoy its content or love it when I finished. The plot was slow, but the chapters where short. The characters where very well fleshed out. I would give it two out of five stars.
November 8, 2012
Reviewed by Michaela Pallante aka "Mickey" for TeensReadToo.com
Pamela Jean Cochran, or Star as she would rather be called, lives for her music. After her beloved mother dies, music seems to be the only thing that gets her through the day -- specifically Beatles music. Star's mother loved the Beatles and now their music is all Star has left to remember her by.
When she hears that John Lennon is coming to town, she gives herself a mission. Her mission is to get backstage, meet John Lennon, and give him her mother's fan letter.
Thinking about this mission gets her through the long days of school and therapy. That, and spending time with her best friend, Dooley. Dooley is an amazing artist and Star ends up helping him through some pretty rough times.
This book was really, really good, and I made a personal connection with it. PEPPERLAND may cause you to reach for a few tissues and by the end of it you'll walk away with a "wow, life isn't so bad after all" attitude.
Pamela Jean Cochran, or Star as she would rather be called, lives for her music. After her beloved mother dies, music seems to be the only thing that gets her through the day -- specifically Beatles music. Star's mother loved the Beatles and now their music is all Star has left to remember her by.
When she hears that John Lennon is coming to town, she gives herself a mission. Her mission is to get backstage, meet John Lennon, and give him her mother's fan letter.
Thinking about this mission gets her through the long days of school and therapy. That, and spending time with her best friend, Dooley. Dooley is an amazing artist and Star ends up helping him through some pretty rough times.
This book was really, really good, and I made a personal connection with it. PEPPERLAND may cause you to reach for a few tissues and by the end of it you'll walk away with a "wow, life isn't so bad after all" attitude.
November 29, 2007
This is a typical YA book, full of pathos, passion, and drama -- mostly ego centric. I don't care for this kind of book, but I understand it's place in YA literature. That in mind, this was a decent book. I enjoyed the attention the young girl had for music. The relationship she had with her friend (who may or may not be gay, it was never clear ... only that he kept insisting he wasn't)was off-beat and took away from the story, though I admit that it lended a sense of realism to the story (life doesn't wrap everything up neatly and friends are unpredictable).
I was wishing that she would be able to get the letter to John Lennon, but it seems more appropriate that she isn't able to do it.
A decent read for this sort of book. Recommended for all teen-age girls living a dramatic life.
I was wishing that she would be able to get the letter to John Lennon, but it seems more appropriate that she isn't able to do it.
A decent read for this sort of book. Recommended for all teen-age girls living a dramatic life.
March 13, 2008
This book is quick read. Its about a young girl named Pamela Jean but she calls herself Star learning how to cope with the death of her mother. This is story about self discovery and learning how to go on once someone you love passes on. If you havent guessed from title this is a bit of a homage to the beatles but mostly John Lennon.All the chapters in the book are named after Beatle songs.Its a good book but I would mostly reccomend it to any Beatle and John Lennon fans or to anyone thats just looking for a quick little book to read at the moment.
May 2, 2015
I read this book right around the anniversary of my friend's death. He was a family friend, a neighbor, and passed when I was 15. I spent a long year watching him struggle with lung cancer. Our greatest connection was a love for the Beatles, and John Lennon in particular. All of these similar details found in Pepperland made it soothing for my 15 year old self. I only wish it had been around 16 years ago.
This book isn't about the Beatles or John Lennon... It's about human connection. And a time for making those most important decisions about what to value, when it isn't easy to do.
This book isn't about the Beatles or John Lennon... It's about human connection. And a time for making those most important decisions about what to value, when it isn't easy to do.
April 3, 2014
It was so cute!!! Mark Delany takes a cliche plot and turns it into something fresh and original. I love the use of John Lennon as a a motivating force in the book and the use of flash backs were well placed and managed to add depth to the plot.
August 18, 2008
A really unusual story about love, loss, life, and THE BEATLES!!!
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November 26, 2009As an homage to the Beatles; Pepperland falls short. Not even as good as the worst Beatles recording.
November 22, 2009
I initially picked it up for the whole Beatles-related storyline, but it probably would've been entertaining without that.
May 3, 2010
its a awsome book!!
October 4, 2010
Made me think of The Beatles in an entirely new light. Decent read.
March 30, 2017
Poor, unorganized writing and weak, uninvolved story/characters. the male friend is bullied by a guy named Ferris or something who had no background or context. They were gonna talk about Dooley being gay but then he just wasn't? And Dooley tries to have sex with the main character and she screams & kicks but he won't get off her. They end up together in the end. This really disturbs me because a lot of young people have read this. This author doesn't have the voice for a teenage girl; the only thing I liked was the Beatles theme and that's why I picked it up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews