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Zibby Payne #1
Zibby Payne and the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment
Zibby Payne can't wait for sixth grade -- finally she and her best friends will rule the school! But on the first day back in class, Zibby gets an awful surprise. Her friends have gone completely girly over the summer, and just want to put on make-up, fix their hair, and talk about boys -- what could be more boring? To save the school year, and show her former best friend Sarah that she doesn't have to follow the crowd to be cool, Zibby decides to become a total tomboy. She dumps her frilly outfits, plays soccer with the boys, and learns to do some awesome new things, like belch out the alphabet. Even if her old friends are giving her dirty looks, Zibby insists she's having the time of her life ... until she tries to form an exclusive "Tomboy Club," and her experiment starts to backfire. Can Zibby find a way to be different and still keep her best friend, or will she end up one lonely, unhappy tomboy? Zibby thinks she has all the answers, in this new, upbeat series for young readers! Tween girls will relate to this feisty sixth grader's trials and tribulations at school and at home, and laugh at the unique way she deals with the constant challenges thrown her way!
96 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Alison Bell
36 books3 followersI am a freelance magazine writer and author of 10 non-fiction books for teens and pre-teens on a wide variety of topics from fashion to parties to handwriting analysis. But my real love is writing fiction, and my first fiction book for kids was published in the fall of 2006, Zibby Payne & the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment (Lobster Press), based on the antics of my own daughter. The second in the series is due out in the spring of 2007, Zibby Payne & The Drama Trauma. The series, for children ages 7 - 10, features a spunky, feisty little girl who remains true to herself -- sometimes, well, all the time, with comic results! I am currently working on a new series based on my 6-year-old son.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 19, 2016
This is a review of books 1 and 2 of the Zibby Payne series.
I discovered the Zibby Payne books by accident, while browsing in a library in a neighboring system. I love visiting libraries outside of my system because they often have different titles, authors, and series that I'm not familiar with. I'd never heard of Zibby before, but the cover of the first book said that the books were featured on the Today Show, so I figured I'd give them a try.
In book one, Zibby Payne and the Wonderful, Terrible, Tomboy Experiment, Zibby starts sixth grade. She's excited about it, until she realizes her best friend Sarah has changed a lot over the summer. Suddenly she's into clothes, makeup, and hairstyles, while Zibby is still excited about playing tetherball or soccer at recess. Deciding not to give in to the pressures to conform to Sarah's girly lifestyle, Zibby takes things to the other extreme. She puts on her older brother's clothes, plays only with the boys at recess, and perfects the art of burping, in an effort to become a complete and utter tomboy.
In book two, Zibby Payne and the Drama Trauma, Zibby tries out for the school play, after hearing that the main character is a soccer star. But when she lands the part, she realizes that she must kiss the male lead - a soccer buddy of hers - at the end of the play! Troubled by the idea of kissing her friend in front of everyone, she tries anything and everything to get out of the kiss, even rewriting the play, and quitting the show entirely at the last minute!
Zibby is a spirited, interesting, and realistic sixth grader, which, at times, also makes her somewhat annoying. Her tendency to take things too far and to overreact is her main personality trait, and because of that, I found myself rolling my eyes at certain points during the story. Sometimes it just got to be too much, and I wondered why the people around her were putting up with her behavior. I also felt that Zibby was the only true character in these two stories, and all the others were mainly flat representations of the people who would typically make up a sixth grader's world.
The strength of these books, though, is the message. Zibby is absolutely unwilling to compromise her values just because her friend's have shifted. She might take it too far sometimes, but Zibby is a true non-conformist, and I think that side of her is an excellent role model for tweens who are moving from childhood to adolescence. These books reinforce the idea that it's okay to be a girl who likes sports, and that not every girl has to start using lip gloss just because she reaches a certain age.
Overall, though, this series was just okay for me. I think they might make a good starting point for a reluctant reader, but I think there are better titles - especially those in the Aladdin Mix and Candy Apple series - that cover this same ground with better writing and stronger supporting characters.
I discovered the Zibby Payne books by accident, while browsing in a library in a neighboring system. I love visiting libraries outside of my system because they often have different titles, authors, and series that I'm not familiar with. I'd never heard of Zibby before, but the cover of the first book said that the books were featured on the Today Show, so I figured I'd give them a try.
In book one, Zibby Payne and the Wonderful, Terrible, Tomboy Experiment, Zibby starts sixth grade. She's excited about it, until she realizes her best friend Sarah has changed a lot over the summer. Suddenly she's into clothes, makeup, and hairstyles, while Zibby is still excited about playing tetherball or soccer at recess. Deciding not to give in to the pressures to conform to Sarah's girly lifestyle, Zibby takes things to the other extreme. She puts on her older brother's clothes, plays only with the boys at recess, and perfects the art of burping, in an effort to become a complete and utter tomboy.
In book two, Zibby Payne and the Drama Trauma, Zibby tries out for the school play, after hearing that the main character is a soccer star. But when she lands the part, she realizes that she must kiss the male lead - a soccer buddy of hers - at the end of the play! Troubled by the idea of kissing her friend in front of everyone, she tries anything and everything to get out of the kiss, even rewriting the play, and quitting the show entirely at the last minute!
Zibby is a spirited, interesting, and realistic sixth grader, which, at times, also makes her somewhat annoying. Her tendency to take things too far and to overreact is her main personality trait, and because of that, I found myself rolling my eyes at certain points during the story. Sometimes it just got to be too much, and I wondered why the people around her were putting up with her behavior. I also felt that Zibby was the only true character in these two stories, and all the others were mainly flat representations of the people who would typically make up a sixth grader's world.
The strength of these books, though, is the message. Zibby is absolutely unwilling to compromise her values just because her friend's have shifted. She might take it too far sometimes, but Zibby is a true non-conformist, and I think that side of her is an excellent role model for tweens who are moving from childhood to adolescence. These books reinforce the idea that it's okay to be a girl who likes sports, and that not every girl has to start using lip gloss just because she reaches a certain age.
Overall, though, this series was just okay for me. I think they might make a good starting point for a reluctant reader, but I think there are better titles - especially those in the Aladdin Mix and Candy Apple series - that cover this same ground with better writing and stronger supporting characters.
January 15, 2009
This is a great read for tween girls who are trying to find their way socially. Zibby is an outspoken and opinionated 6th grader who decides that talking about boys, lipgloss, and clothing is not her style.
February 27, 2020
Zibby's sure that the new school year is going to be the best ever. But out of nowhere, her friends are interested in different things, like boys and bands and clothes and lip gloss. So Zibby decides to become a tomboy.
I suppose Zibby's at that age where everything can become blown out of proportion, but all these gender-assigned likes/dislikes and attitudes come off feeling really outdated.
I suppose Zibby's at that age where everything can become blown out of proportion, but all these gender-assigned likes/dislikes and attitudes come off feeling really outdated.
November 5, 2012
Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com
It’s the start of sixth grade, and Zibby Payne is convinced that this is going to be the Absolute Best Year Ever. All of that changes on the first day when Amber and Camille show up wearing teeny little miniskirts and “Groovy Grapilicious” lip gloss. What’s worse is that Zibby’s Best Friend on the Entire Planet, Sarah, wants to sit on the benches with them at recess and talk about boy bands and “do” hair. Zibby can’t stand the boredom, and decides to play soccer with the boys instead.
When Matthew begins referring to her as a “tomboy,” Zibby gets one of her Very Good Ideas. Tomboys never have to sit
at recess and wear lip gloss or skirts. She makes up her mind to become a real tomboy.
The tomboy life suits her just fine, but everyone else seems to have a problem with it. Her mom won’t let her give away all her old girly clothes or burp the ABCs at the dinner table. Her brother, Anthony, stops letting her borrow all of his old shirts. And Sarah starts ignoring her and hanging out only with Amber and Camille. Finally, Zibby decides to start a “Tomboy Club” at school, but will any of the other girls make the grade?
This first book about a girl who has stubbornly decided to maintain her individuality begins a promising, light-hearted series.
It’s the start of sixth grade, and Zibby Payne is convinced that this is going to be the Absolute Best Year Ever. All of that changes on the first day when Amber and Camille show up wearing teeny little miniskirts and “Groovy Grapilicious” lip gloss. What’s worse is that Zibby’s Best Friend on the Entire Planet, Sarah, wants to sit on the benches with them at recess and talk about boy bands and “do” hair. Zibby can’t stand the boredom, and decides to play soccer with the boys instead.
When Matthew begins referring to her as a “tomboy,” Zibby gets one of her Very Good Ideas. Tomboys never have to sit
at recess and wear lip gloss or skirts. She makes up her mind to become a real tomboy.
The tomboy life suits her just fine, but everyone else seems to have a problem with it. Her mom won’t let her give away all her old girly clothes or burp the ABCs at the dinner table. Her brother, Anthony, stops letting her borrow all of his old shirts. And Sarah starts ignoring her and hanging out only with Amber and Camille. Finally, Zibby decides to start a “Tomboy Club” at school, but will any of the other girls make the grade?
This first book about a girl who has stubbornly decided to maintain her individuality begins a promising, light-hearted series.
August 13, 2008
i have learned to be myself
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews