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Pretty Is
Snip! With one cut of the scissors, Erin’s social life changes absolutely. It’s hard enough being a new girl, but it’s that much worse to have a dorky older sister in the same school. When she is snubbed by the pretty and popular crowd, Erin commits an over-the-top vengeful act. This novel focuses on issues of family loyalty, peer pressure, and the desperate desire to belong. How Erin comes to terms with what she has done and with her sister makes this book a good choice for any girl threading her way through the challenging corridors of middle school.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 17, 2007
2 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Holmes
13 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Elizabeth Holmes grew up in Tennessee and went to Davidson College in North Carolina. She then went to Africa, where she teached at a girls' high school in Kenya.
At first she wrote poetry for adults, resulting in two poetry books: The Patience of the Cloud Photographer and The Playhouse Near Dark.
She is married with Paul Cody, a novelist and is the mother of two sons. She now writes poems and stories for children.
Both she and her husband earned a master degree in writing from the Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, were they are still living.
Elizabeth Holmes grew up in Tennessee and went to Davidson College in North Carolina. She then went to Africa, where she teached at a girls' high school in Kenya.
At first she wrote poetry for adults, resulting in two poetry books: The Patience of the Cloud Photographer and The Playhouse Near Dark.
She is married with Paul Cody, a novelist and is the mother of two sons. She now writes poems and stories for children.
Both she and her husband earned a master degree in writing from the Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, were they are still living.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 9, 2019
Pretty Is by Elizabeth Holmes is one of a rare and rapidly vanishing species of middle reader, a well-rounded story told in an age-appropriate voice, a story with a plot and equally strong subplot. The characters are finely drawn and utterly believable, and there’s action, suspense, and even a moral that doesn’t sound preachy. And yet, there are no vampires or werewolves, no epic battles, no fantasy worlds and no alternative dystopian futures. How could it possibly interesting?
Erin and Monica are sisters, but they couldn’t be more different. Monica is one of those embarrassing older sisters who just doesn’t fit in. And Erin wants desperately to fit in, to be surrounded by a large group of friends. But the girls she used to be friends with are changing, and she’s feeling left out. And Erin knows that’s only going to get worse, as next year she will have to go to the same school with the embarrassing Monica, which will, she is sure, destroy any chance she has left of winning her old friends back. The summer starts out awfully, and goes downhill from there. No spoilers here, but through a series of events and misadventures Erin learns that not everyone has to be popular the same way, and even and older sister like Monica can turn out to be a pretty good friend when the chips are down.
Holmes captures perfectly the angst of that age, those girls on the cusp between adolescent and teen and feeling the pull of both worlds.
Disclaimer here- I went to school with Elizabeth Holmes. We grew up in the same town and I enjoyed the echoes I saw of my childhood in her book. But you didn’t have to be there, in that time and place, to enjoy Pretty Is. The story is universal and the problems, worries, hopes and dreams are the same today as they were way too many years ago when I was 13.
Erin and Monica are sisters, but they couldn’t be more different. Monica is one of those embarrassing older sisters who just doesn’t fit in. And Erin wants desperately to fit in, to be surrounded by a large group of friends. But the girls she used to be friends with are changing, and she’s feeling left out. And Erin knows that’s only going to get worse, as next year she will have to go to the same school with the embarrassing Monica, which will, she is sure, destroy any chance she has left of winning her old friends back. The summer starts out awfully, and goes downhill from there. No spoilers here, but through a series of events and misadventures Erin learns that not everyone has to be popular the same way, and even and older sister like Monica can turn out to be a pretty good friend when the chips are down.
Holmes captures perfectly the angst of that age, those girls on the cusp between adolescent and teen and feeling the pull of both worlds.
Disclaimer here- I went to school with Elizabeth Holmes. We grew up in the same town and I enjoyed the echoes I saw of my childhood in her book. But you didn’t have to be there, in that time and place, to enjoy Pretty Is. The story is universal and the problems, worries, hopes and dreams are the same today as they were way too many years ago when I was 13.
September 5, 2007
Good moralistic tale about revenge and its effects, from the point of view of a young girl heading off to middle school. Her sister has become an embarassment in her growing awareness of what's cool and acceptable. Her old friends have become snobby and condescending to all those they perceive as inferior. So in well planned act of revenge, she cuts off the hair of her old best friend who has been giving her the cold shoulder.
Safe -- nay, encouraged -- for folks with a Christian bent. Nothing objectionable, unless you hate the idea of a Bible study camp (as I do, but even that part read more like a summer camp story where the participants were nominally Christian.)
Lots of unexpected LOTR references, too.
Safe -- nay, encouraged -- for folks with a Christian bent. Nothing objectionable, unless you hate the idea of a Bible study camp (as I do, but even that part read more like a summer camp story where the participants were nominally Christian.)
Lots of unexpected LOTR references, too.
Want to read
September 20, 2008i want this book!
October 15, 2018
I surprisingly loved it.
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com
Erin is a fifth-grader who will be entering middle school the next year. But there's one problem. Her older sister, Monica, is already in middle school and is a main target for a lot of teasing. Monica is really dorky. She wears baggy clothes and never shaves her legs. Plus, she never really even talks to anyone. Erin is dreading the fact that everyone is going to know that the dorky girl is her older sister. And it doesn't help that her friend, Kayla, is an extremely rude girl who's older sister, Claire,
teases Monica the most. And deep down Erin feels that a part of her is just like Monica -- and that of course terrifies her.
Shortly before the school year ends, Kayla starts ignoring Erin. Erin automatically thinks it's because of Monica. But she makes a new friend in Hannah. Hannah is a wildly outgoing girl who is always thinking of crazy things to do. And soon she has a way for Erin to get back at Kayla, which involves scissors and Kayla's long, beautiful blonde hair. Well, Erin does it and gets away with it, until Monica says something about Erin sneaking out right in front of their mother. Erin is caught and has to go apologize to Kayla and give up practically all the money she has to her parents to pay to get Kayla's hair fixed.
During all this madness, Monica finds an interest in something that's actually not dorky. She starts shooting hoops at the house next door almost every day. Erin sits and watches her day after day. She has nothing better to do, because Hannah is off with her family on vacation. Plus, Erin is grounded anyway. She still thinks that Monica is really dorky and is still embarrassed to be seen with her.
During the final month of summer, Erin and Monica are sent off to the week-long church camp that they attend most every year. While there, Erin tries to make sure that no one realizes that Monica is her sister. But she ends up failing when they have to stay for another week because her mom is going through a surgery that got pushed back a few days that they didn't even know about. Monica then ends up staying in Erin's cabin. And over the next few days, Erin realizes that, yes, her sister is dorky, but there really isn't much she can do about it. Plus, some of the girls in the camp even think that Monica's knitting is pretty cool.
When they get back from camp, will Erin still be friends with Hannah and stop hating her sister because she's such a dork, or will everything just be the same as it was before they left?
This was a pretty good and fast read. The story itself was good. I could totally see a younger sister thinking this about her older sister. I've never really thought of sisters disliking their older sisters before. But it definitely makes sense. The ending was a bit predictable but it didn't make the book any less good. It had your typical characters; the social outcast, the popular girls, the girl that's new to the school. Overall, I'd recommend PRETTY IS to someone that's looking for a light, summery read.
Erin is a fifth-grader who will be entering middle school the next year. But there's one problem. Her older sister, Monica, is already in middle school and is a main target for a lot of teasing. Monica is really dorky. She wears baggy clothes and never shaves her legs. Plus, she never really even talks to anyone. Erin is dreading the fact that everyone is going to know that the dorky girl is her older sister. And it doesn't help that her friend, Kayla, is an extremely rude girl who's older sister, Claire,
teases Monica the most. And deep down Erin feels that a part of her is just like Monica -- and that of course terrifies her.
Shortly before the school year ends, Kayla starts ignoring Erin. Erin automatically thinks it's because of Monica. But she makes a new friend in Hannah. Hannah is a wildly outgoing girl who is always thinking of crazy things to do. And soon she has a way for Erin to get back at Kayla, which involves scissors and Kayla's long, beautiful blonde hair. Well, Erin does it and gets away with it, until Monica says something about Erin sneaking out right in front of their mother. Erin is caught and has to go apologize to Kayla and give up practically all the money she has to her parents to pay to get Kayla's hair fixed.
During all this madness, Monica finds an interest in something that's actually not dorky. She starts shooting hoops at the house next door almost every day. Erin sits and watches her day after day. She has nothing better to do, because Hannah is off with her family on vacation. Plus, Erin is grounded anyway. She still thinks that Monica is really dorky and is still embarrassed to be seen with her.
During the final month of summer, Erin and Monica are sent off to the week-long church camp that they attend most every year. While there, Erin tries to make sure that no one realizes that Monica is her sister. But she ends up failing when they have to stay for another week because her mom is going through a surgery that got pushed back a few days that they didn't even know about. Monica then ends up staying in Erin's cabin. And over the next few days, Erin realizes that, yes, her sister is dorky, but there really isn't much she can do about it. Plus, some of the girls in the camp even think that Monica's knitting is pretty cool.
When they get back from camp, will Erin still be friends with Hannah and stop hating her sister because she's such a dork, or will everything just be the same as it was before they left?
This was a pretty good and fast read. The story itself was good. I could totally see a younger sister thinking this about her older sister. I've never really thought of sisters disliking their older sisters before. But it definitely makes sense. The ending was a bit predictable but it didn't make the book any less good. It had your typical characters; the social outcast, the popular girls, the girl that's new to the school. Overall, I'd recommend PRETTY IS to someone that's looking for a light, summery read.
July 17, 2012
Pretty is is about a girl named Erin who is best friends with Kayla at the beginning of the book. Kayla is very mean about Erin's dorkey sister and even though Erin doesn't like her sister very much gets mad but doesn't say anything. Erin is about to switch schools for middle school and realizes that how can she be anything with Monica for a sister. Soon she becomes friends with Hannah and Hannah plots revenge for her on Kayla. In the night they leave there houses and go to Kayla's house where she is sleeping in a tent and Erin cuts her long golden hair. The next day Hannah has gone to California. Erin wakes up and goes downstairs Monica says she heard her going out last night and soon enough Erin is at Kayla's house ready to apologize. she says it was only her and not Hannah. Through the rest of the summer people stare at Erin and call her scissors. Erin also realizes that Monica is not that bad. Finally when Hannah gets back she and Erin go to Kayla and tell her that it was both of them and Hannah takes the blame for making the plan up. Kayla tells them she's happy with her new cut. I really liked the book and would recommend it it 6th grade!
June 10, 2009
This was a pretty good YA, dealing with issues of friendships and all the weirdness that creeps in about the time you start middle school. It included a good bit about Christian summer camp, and though the counselors were unbelievably inept, that did set the scene for some drama. It was also nice that the people at church and at the camp were complicated in normal ways, not automatically doofuses or worse.
June 16, 2009
Another one of those kids books that makes me cringe, remembering the trauma of childhood. A good moral message about consequences. I was sort of wishing that Erin would have told Kayla why she did what she did. Overall, though a good book. I'd recommend it to my daughter.
September 20, 2008
COOL! Super awesomerific!
November 16, 2009
This was a nice story about navigating life in preparation for middle school.
January 30, 2013
It's good, well-written and all. But the title has NOTHING to do with the book and I still have loads of unanswered questions.
April 6, 2012
really enjoyed this book!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews