Melanie

Degrassi #13

by Susin Nielsen

Melanie Brody is takes grade seven very seriously. She's read about junior high in all the teen magazines, and she's ready for all the romace and excitement Degrassi can offer.
Things don't turn out to be quite so glamorous as Melanie it's hard to feel popular when you're scrawny and your hair won't go right, when it seems like everyone else has nicer clothes and the older students think you're a dumb kid. Life just isn't turning out like a romance novel at all.
Based on the groundbreaking Degrassi Junior High television series, this book offers a sensitive and engaging look at the challenges of teenage life.

Genres: Young Adult

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Susin got her start feeding cast and crew on the popular television series, Degrassi Junior High. They hated her food, but they saw a spark in her writing. Nielsen went on to pen sixteen episodes of the hit TV show. Since then, Nielsen has written for over 20 Canadian TV series. Her first young adult novel, Word Nerd, was published in 2008 to critical acclaim. It won multiple Young Readers’ Choice Awards, as did her second novel, Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom. Her third novel, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, was published in August 2012. It went on to win the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, the Canadian Library Association’s Children’s Book of the Year Award, and a number of Young Readers’ Choice Awards. Author Wally Lamb named it his top YA pick for 2012 in his “First Annual Wally Awards,” and recently Rolling Stone magazine put it at #27 in their list of “Top 40 Best YA Novels.”
Her books have been translated into multiple languages. Susin’s new novel, We Are All Made of Molecules, will be published in Canada, the US and the UK in Spring of 2015. She lives in Vancouver with her family and two naughty cats. She is delighted to have finally figure out how to "claim" her author profile on Goodreads!

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book based on the Degrassi Junior High series. It features one of my favorite characters, Melanie Brody. I adore Melanie for her shy and awkward ways, as well as her funny and unique personality. In this book, Melanie is about to start seventh grade and junior high. Poor Melanie is worried about fitting in with her handmade clothes, gangly body, and lack of boobs.

I feel that a lot of teenagers will be able to relate to Melanie. Most of us have worried about fitting in or have wanted more than we currently have. I felt that Melanie was a realistic, down-to-earth kind of character. I loved her passion for reading, writing, and boys. I thought all of her scenes with Snake were especially cute. I ended up liking her best friend, Kathleen, better with this book.

Like the book about Spike, this is pretty close to the show and written in character. I liked that this book seemed more in-depth than the Spike one, so I'd probably give it 4.5 stars instead of just 4. The only thing that really bothered me was a few simple grammar mistakes and misspellings. The author kept using double question marks, making me wonder if they were just trying to add emphasis or what?? Whatever the reason, it annoyed the Grammar Nazi in me.

But if you love Degrassi, you will probably enjoy this book! I want to read them all now.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool

[Kaycee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been my favorite Degrassi book so far. I never really paid attention to Melanie in the show but the book made me love her character. I wish the story was longer.

[Chloé Booked · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'histoire est vraiment très captivante et raconte des événements très touchant !!