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Flower Power #1
Luv Ya Bunches
What do Katie-Rose, Yasaman, Milla, and Violet all have in common? Other than being named after flowers, practically nothing. Katie-Rose is a film director in training. Yasaman is a computer whiz. Milla is third in command of the A list. And Violet is the new girl in school. They’re fab girls, all of them, but they sure aren’t friends. And if evil queen bee Medusa― ’scuse me, Modessa―has her way, they never will be. But this is the beginning of a new school year, when anything can happen and social worlds can collide . . .
Told in Lauren Myracle’s inventive narrative style―here a fresh mix of instant messages, blog posts, screenplay, and straight narrative― Luv Ya Bunches , the first in a four-book series, is a funny, honest depiction of the shifting alliances and rivalries that shape school days, and of the lasting friendships that blossom from the skirmishes.
Told in Lauren Myracle’s inventive narrative style―here a fresh mix of instant messages, blog posts, screenplay, and straight narrative― Luv Ya Bunches , the first in a four-book series, is a funny, honest depiction of the shifting alliances and rivalries that shape school days, and of the lasting friendships that blossom from the skirmishes.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2009
87 people are currently reading
3866 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Myracle
95 books2,026 followersLauren Myracle is the author of numerous young adult novels. She was born in 1969 in North Carolina. Lauren Myracle holds an MA in English from Colorado State University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. she has written many novels, including the famous IM books, ttyl, ttfn, and l8r, g8r.
Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected as one of ALA's "Best Books for Young Adults" for the year 2004. It was named by Booklist as one of the "Top Ten Youth Romances" of the year, as well as one of the "Top Ten Books by New Writers." Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, followed by its YA sequels (Twelve, Thirteen, Thirteen Plus One) .
Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected as one of ALA's "Best Books for Young Adults" for the year 2004. It was named by Booklist as one of the "Top Ten Youth Romances" of the year, as well as one of the "Top Ten Books by New Writers." Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, followed by its YA sequels (Twelve, Thirteen, Thirteen Plus One) .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
February 24, 2021
procrastinating on hw assignments and reminiscing about my favorite childhood books? me? NEVER
May 28, 2015
Honestly, I picked up the Advance Reader's Copy for my brother as an "ironic" birthday present, because he is "not a "hipster." " I mean, really, an internet-speak book with a pointedly diverse cast - for ten year olds? It seemed a bit much.
But after hearing about the Scholastic controversy, I borrowed it back and read it. It was a LOT better than I was expecting! I think some things were inappropriate for elementary-schoolers (I'm surprised Scholastic cared about Milla's parents' gender but not about references to male anatomy). Yes, the group of friends was perhaps unrealistically diverse, but Myracle actually addresses racism, and not just the blatant bullying, but also the preconceptions that Yasaman's friends have about her because she's Muslim. And while no one says anything blatantly homophobic to Milla about her mothers, the bully uses mean-spirited insinuation to get to her.
Overall, good job Myracle. I'm glad someone's out there writing about race and LGBT issues for mainstream culture.
* * * * *
Edit: I wrote this review about 5 years ago, but I've just started getting unexpected likes on it recently, so I'm revisiting it:
I regret that I wrote that the cast is unrealistically diverse. This is based on my own unfortunate experience growing up in an incredibly self-segregated community, and the fact that each girl was from a different ethnic background really did seem very out of the ordinary to me. I now feel that, just like giving one of the characters two mothers, making the cast ethnically diverse, and specifically addressing stereotypes through Yasaman's interactions with her friends, were a really important move. It's a shame how little diversity there is in mainstream literature of any genre, and how most books with significant non-white characters are marginalized as "special interest" books. While Luv Ya Bunches was not necesarily the best literature in the world, let's be honest, neither are Harry Potter or Hunger Games - they're entertainment. At least Luv Ya Bunches is entertainment that acknowledges that not everyone is white, male and hetero, so I'm bumping it up to 3 stars.
But after hearing about the Scholastic controversy, I borrowed it back and read it. It was a LOT better than I was expecting! I think some things were inappropriate for elementary-schoolers (I'm surprised Scholastic cared about Milla's parents' gender but not about references to male anatomy). Yes, the group of friends was perhaps unrealistically diverse, but Myracle actually addresses racism, and not just the blatant bullying, but also the preconceptions that Yasaman's friends have about her because she's Muslim. And while no one says anything blatantly homophobic to Milla about her mothers, the bully uses mean-spirited insinuation to get to her.
Overall, good job Myracle. I'm glad someone's out there writing about race and LGBT issues for mainstream culture.
* * * * *
Edit: I wrote this review about 5 years ago, but I've just started getting unexpected likes on it recently, so I'm revisiting it:
I regret that I wrote that the cast is unrealistically diverse. This is based on my own unfortunate experience growing up in an incredibly self-segregated community, and the fact that each girl was from a different ethnic background really did seem very out of the ordinary to me. I now feel that, just like giving one of the characters two mothers, making the cast ethnically diverse, and specifically addressing stereotypes through Yasaman's interactions with her friends, were a really important move. It's a shame how little diversity there is in mainstream literature of any genre, and how most books with significant non-white characters are marginalized as "special interest" books. While Luv Ya Bunches was not necesarily the best literature in the world, let's be honest, neither are Harry Potter or Hunger Games - they're entertainment. At least Luv Ya Bunches is entertainment that acknowledges that not everyone is white, male and hetero, so I'm bumping it up to 3 stars.
November 15, 2009
I loved the diversity in Luv Ya Bunches, from the characters ethnic backgrounds, to their home situations, to their friends at school, these four girls realize that none of that matters when it comes to true friendship. I also loved the diversity of storytelling methods such as IM conversations, screenplay format, and regular narrative. While format changes are a personal favorite of mine I think they also work well for reluctant readers.
While I had to keep reminding myself that the girls were 5th graders and not in junior high (I guess things were different when I was their age!) I think this story of friendship can be appreciate by anyone from late elementary school age to junior high and beyond, I mean heck I'm nowhere near their ages and I enjoyed reading it!
While I liked all of the characters, personally my favorite character was Yasaman. She's a bit of a loner, a computer/internet guru and a Muslim. It's very exciting to see more and more Muslim characters in young adult and childrens books recently. I'm also excited that this is a start of a series and that we will get to know a lot more about this group of new friends!
While I had to keep reminding myself that the girls were 5th graders and not in junior high (I guess things were different when I was their age!) I think this story of friendship can be appreciate by anyone from late elementary school age to junior high and beyond, I mean heck I'm nowhere near their ages and I enjoyed reading it!
While I liked all of the characters, personally my favorite character was Yasaman. She's a bit of a loner, a computer/internet guru and a Muslim. It's very exciting to see more and more Muslim characters in young adult and childrens books recently. I'm also excited that this is a start of a series and that we will get to know a lot more about this group of new friends!
September 30, 2009
In Luv Ya Bunches, Katie-Rose, Milla, Violet and Yasaman are all experiencing their first week in the 5th grade.
Katie-Rose is the techy one - she normally hides behind her camcorder. She and Camilla or “Milla” for short became friends over the summer at their summer camp. But now that school is about to start Katie-Rose is stressing because she’s not sure if her friendship with Milla will continue.
Milla is the beautiful, popular one. She wears all the trendy clothes, and hangs out with the coolest girls in school (although Modessa and Quin - said coolest girls, are not very nice). She lives with her two mothers and is stressing because slowly she is realizing that the coolest girls in school might not exactly be who she wants to hang out with.
Violet is the new girl in school. She just moved with her father to town and is none too happy about having to leave her friends behind. Not to mention she is suffering over the loss of her mother. She is assessed by the other girls and is promptly offered to be part of the popular clique. She wears the right clothes and has the perfect attitude - but will she fit in?
Then there’s Yasaman - although she’s been in the same school with these other girls, she has always been seen as an outcast. Her classmates see her as different because she wears a hijab and comes from a Muslim family. But underneath all that she is quite the whiz at html code. She has created a social network (similar to MySpace, Facebook, etc.) but she has no friends to tell about it.
The story is told through all four points-of-view, including some fun instant message chats, and some very inventive screenplays and daydreams (courtesy of Katie-Rose). Each girl has her own personality and they all four compliment one another. It touches on topics that are very real to young girls - anywhere from bullying, to fashion sense, to just everyday issues - like overcoming differences and accepting who you are. I loved all the illustrations and the cutesy chat forums were uber adorable. I think all young girls can enjoy this story - it is definitely geared towards the 9-12 age group. It is also noted that this is book one - so we will definitely be reading more about the girls in the future.
Katie-Rose is the techy one - she normally hides behind her camcorder. She and Camilla or “Milla” for short became friends over the summer at their summer camp. But now that school is about to start Katie-Rose is stressing because she’s not sure if her friendship with Milla will continue.
Milla is the beautiful, popular one. She wears all the trendy clothes, and hangs out with the coolest girls in school (although Modessa and Quin - said coolest girls, are not very nice). She lives with her two mothers and is stressing because slowly she is realizing that the coolest girls in school might not exactly be who she wants to hang out with.
Violet is the new girl in school. She just moved with her father to town and is none too happy about having to leave her friends behind. Not to mention she is suffering over the loss of her mother. She is assessed by the other girls and is promptly offered to be part of the popular clique. She wears the right clothes and has the perfect attitude - but will she fit in?
Then there’s Yasaman - although she’s been in the same school with these other girls, she has always been seen as an outcast. Her classmates see her as different because she wears a hijab and comes from a Muslim family. But underneath all that she is quite the whiz at html code. She has created a social network (similar to MySpace, Facebook, etc.) but she has no friends to tell about it.
The story is told through all four points-of-view, including some fun instant message chats, and some very inventive screenplays and daydreams (courtesy of Katie-Rose). Each girl has her own personality and they all four compliment one another. It touches on topics that are very real to young girls - anywhere from bullying, to fashion sense, to just everyday issues - like overcoming differences and accepting who you are. I loved all the illustrations and the cutesy chat forums were uber adorable. I think all young girls can enjoy this story - it is definitely geared towards the 9-12 age group. It is also noted that this is book one - so we will definitely be reading more about the girls in the future.
November 2, 2009
From the Publisher
What do Katie-Rose, Yasaman, Milla, and Violet all have in common? Other than being named after flowers, practically nothing. Katie-Rose is a film director in training. Yasaman is a computer whiz. Milla is third in command of the A list. And Violet is the new girl in school. They’re fab girls, all of them, but they sure aren’t friends. And if evil queen bee Medusa— ’scuse me, Modessa—has her way, they never will be. But this is the beginning of a new school year, when anything can happen and social worlds can collide . . .
Told in Lauren Myracle’s inventive narrative style—here a fresh mix of instant messages, blog posts, screenplay, and straight narrative—Luv Ya Bunches, the first in a four-book series, is a funny, honest depiction of the shifting alliances and rivalries that shape school days, and of the lasting friendships that blossom from the skirmishes.
Publishers Weekly
Blending instant messaging and screenplay-styled text into the narrative, Myracle (ttyl) begins a new series about the woes of being a tween, featuring four likable heroines all named after flowers. Katie Rose, Camilla (aka Milla), Yasaman and Violet come from different backgrounds and have distinct passions and insecurities (Yasaman is Muslim and an expert with computers; Milla, who has two mothers, struggles with her sense of self). But each could use a new friend as she begins fifth grade (“What Katie-Rose wants is a real friend, the kind that lasts forever”). Their shared distaste for meanness and their enthusiasm for the social networking site that Yasaman creates help draw the girls together—and their desire to get revenge against cruel queen bee Modessa, who has hurt each of them at some point, seals their camaraderie. The novel sends something of a mixed message about the acceptability of teasing as the girls’ plot their own prank in response to Modessa’s machinations. Still, readers will find the girls’ voices enticing and should be able to relate to their conflicts and inner anxieties. Ages 9–13.(Oct.)
What do Katie-Rose, Yasaman, Milla, and Violet all have in common? Other than being named after flowers, practically nothing. Katie-Rose is a film director in training. Yasaman is a computer whiz. Milla is third in command of the A list. And Violet is the new girl in school. They’re fab girls, all of them, but they sure aren’t friends. And if evil queen bee Medusa— ’scuse me, Modessa—has her way, they never will be. But this is the beginning of a new school year, when anything can happen and social worlds can collide . . .
Told in Lauren Myracle’s inventive narrative style—here a fresh mix of instant messages, blog posts, screenplay, and straight narrative—Luv Ya Bunches, the first in a four-book series, is a funny, honest depiction of the shifting alliances and rivalries that shape school days, and of the lasting friendships that blossom from the skirmishes.
Publishers Weekly
Blending instant messaging and screenplay-styled text into the narrative, Myracle (ttyl) begins a new series about the woes of being a tween, featuring four likable heroines all named after flowers. Katie Rose, Camilla (aka Milla), Yasaman and Violet come from different backgrounds and have distinct passions and insecurities (Yasaman is Muslim and an expert with computers; Milla, who has two mothers, struggles with her sense of self). But each could use a new friend as she begins fifth grade (“What Katie-Rose wants is a real friend, the kind that lasts forever”). Their shared distaste for meanness and their enthusiasm for the social networking site that Yasaman creates help draw the girls together—and their desire to get revenge against cruel queen bee Modessa, who has hurt each of them at some point, seals their camaraderie. The novel sends something of a mixed message about the acceptability of teasing as the girls’ plot their own prank in response to Modessa’s machinations. Still, readers will find the girls’ voices enticing and should be able to relate to their conflicts and inner anxieties. Ages 9–13.(Oct.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2013
Jessica Mitchell, 11
Luv Ya Bunches
4 stars
(Im just gonna stick right to the point) Most of this book was amazing, I never got bored. The girly drama that I've managed to stay away from was quite funny and entertaining. The reason it didnt get five stars was simply because the characters were unrealistic. Very. I mean, I know its a book, but still.
THE REAL WAY THINGS ARE IN 5TH GRADE: (You should trust me, thats the grade im in now.)
-The popular girls arent bossy and smart, They're ghetto, and always talk about 'dicks' and other things like that.
-The girls arent nice like the girls in this book. They dont tease eachother playfully like we do, me and my friends just walk up to eachother and say 'hey faget', than start talking about anime.
-If you tell your friends to join a website, they'll say 'okay', than forget about it forever because they're too lazy to make an account.
Luv Ya Bunches
4 stars
(Im just gonna stick right to the point) Most of this book was amazing, I never got bored. The girly drama that I've managed to stay away from was quite funny and entertaining. The reason it didnt get five stars was simply because the characters were unrealistic. Very. I mean, I know its a book, but still.
THE REAL WAY THINGS ARE IN 5TH GRADE: (You should trust me, thats the grade im in now.)
-The popular girls arent bossy and smart, They're ghetto, and always talk about 'dicks' and other things like that.
-The girls arent nice like the girls in this book. They dont tease eachother playfully like we do, me and my friends just walk up to eachother and say 'hey faget', than start talking about anime.
-If you tell your friends to join a website, they'll say 'okay', than forget about it forever because they're too lazy to make an account.
December 18, 2014
I TOTALLY LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!! IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ!!!!! Sorry but if I explain any more, my head will berst from happynes.
May 15, 2012
Luv ya Bunches was (to me) the best tween book ever! You will love it. Okay so the first time i seen this book, was when my mom took me and my cousins to the mall, and i decided to go in Barnes and Noble and get a book. Thinking of getting ttyl, i found myself getting this book instead!
Alright it's about 4 girls- Katie-Rose, who is a bossy boot with a camera-addict, Yasaman, a muslim that is known as "the weird looking girl with a scarf on her head" is an outcast but is really good at computers, Camilla, a popular girl that is poorly treated by Modessa and Quin, two mean girls and Violet (known as V) is the new girl that's from Atlanta that moved here due to her mom's mentalness. So one day, a collision happens at school (with all the girls) that causes Milla to lose her precious Tally the turtle. This whole collision hads a lot of friendship and confusion.
What i really love about this book is the IMing, the whole situation, their life at home and at school, and the writing itself.
Lauren Myracle, my favorite author that i hope i meet one day, always have this way when she writes, the beginning always interesting, and when it's around 100 pages left of the book, it sucks me completely which is hard to put down. I love this book so much, even if i haven't read her new one yet, i still love her to pieces. Bye, hope u enjoy this review and let me know if she's coming to Chicago soon.
Oh and about the whole lesbian thing, it's not going to kill your daughter, moms
Alright it's about 4 girls- Katie-Rose, who is a bossy boot with a camera-addict, Yasaman, a muslim that is known as "the weird looking girl with a scarf on her head" is an outcast but is really good at computers, Camilla, a popular girl that is poorly treated by Modessa and Quin, two mean girls and Violet (known as V) is the new girl that's from Atlanta that moved here due to her mom's mentalness. So one day, a collision happens at school (with all the girls) that causes Milla to lose her precious Tally the turtle. This whole collision hads a lot of friendship and confusion.
What i really love about this book is the IMing, the whole situation, their life at home and at school, and the writing itself.
Lauren Myracle, my favorite author that i hope i meet one day, always have this way when she writes, the beginning always interesting, and when it's around 100 pages left of the book, it sucks me completely which is hard to put down. I love this book so much, even if i haven't read her new one yet, i still love her to pieces. Bye, hope u enjoy this review and let me know if she's coming to Chicago soon.
Oh and about the whole lesbian thing, it's not going to kill your daughter, moms
October 31, 2009
Honestly, I didn't expect much from this book. I have tried reading "TTYL" but could never get that far into it.
This book ended up surprising me. Instead of thinking it kiddish and unimportant, I was thinking of my own childhood and comparing it. Though I didn't have so much of an internet fad going on in my childhood, the rest was almost exactly like I experienced and I found myself getting more and more nostalgic. It might not have been the best of times, but when your biggest worry is if your friend likes you or not?
The storyline is also engaging. Rather than be entirely in 'chat speak', Myracle mixes it up this time with regular prose, which I found to be just what was needed to keep the story going.
In all I'd say this would be an excellent book for anyone from 4-6th grade especially, but older ages would probably enjoy the light-hearted prose and characters.
(And when there's a mention of 'penitheth'? It's most likely they've heard about it already. About a hundred times.)
This book ended up surprising me. Instead of thinking it kiddish and unimportant, I was thinking of my own childhood and comparing it. Though I didn't have so much of an internet fad going on in my childhood, the rest was almost exactly like I experienced and I found myself getting more and more nostalgic. It might not have been the best of times, but when your biggest worry is if your friend likes you or not?
The storyline is also engaging. Rather than be entirely in 'chat speak', Myracle mixes it up this time with regular prose, which I found to be just what was needed to keep the story going.
In all I'd say this would be an excellent book for anyone from 4-6th grade especially, but older ages would probably enjoy the light-hearted prose and characters.
(And when there's a mention of 'penitheth'? It's most likely they've heard about it already. About a hundred times.)
September 12, 2020
I forgot all about these books but WOW! I adored them. Seeing this cover made me smile.
November 27, 2024
I loved this so much as a kid I used my parents’ computer to email the author
October 29, 2009
Ages 9+
So anyway, after hearing all of the SCHOLASTIC DOESN'T WANT BOOK-FAIR GOING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLERS TO BE EXPOSED TO A SAME SEX COUPLE hubbub, and being appropriately outraged in various social medias (fb, greader, yalsa-bk, etc) I figured the responsible thing to do would be to read the book.
Truth: I didn't think I'd be interested in the book initially, because when I had flipped through the ARC back in July, I was like, ag, chat transcripts, blech. (Sorry Lauren Myracle, but I had to say L8r G8r to your ttyl series) The good news is that the chat transcripts, being broken up by prose text as they are, don't bother me.
Luv Ya Bunches is a fairly textbook fifth grade friendship drama, with mean girls and new girls and popular girls and geeks, but it's well done. It's funny and happens to include a cross section of kids you might come across today in any fifth grade classroom: Muslim techie girl, geeky filmmaker girl, dark-skinned new girl whose mom is receiving inpatient treatment for bipolarism, and - it just so happens - popular girl who has two moms. I love that her having two moms doesn't mean she's teased or picked on. She's popular! And just happens to have two moms!
(Two moms who, BTW do NOT engage in graphic lesbian sex ANYWHERE in the 335 page book. I know you are SHOCKED.)
The funny thing is, the same-sex relationship isn't even what I would pick to be the most Angry Mom baiting topic in the book. (An honor that I award to a headgear sporting girl who gives a straight-from-Wikipedia oral presentation about the Greek satyrs and their talent of balancing wine cups on their erect "penitheth.") Runner-up: the definition of "dingleberry." HEY! I didn't know what that was until HIGH SCHOOL!
All in all, a read that will appeal to many 4-5 grade girls - and probably a few in third grade too - that is one of the VERY few mainstream titles that takes a refreshing "shrug - it's just the way it is" approach to same-sex parents. Here here, Lauren Myracle. And if I were placing bets, I'd say that most girls today won't even realize there's a hubbub to be had.
In conclusion, here's what I said to yalsa-bkers regarding the Scholastic Scandal: "For me, the issue is not so much inclusion in the book fairs (although that is problematic, to be sure), it’s that Scholastic’s editorial process requested the REMOVAL of a character’s same sex parents from the novel. That, to me, reeks of an outdated and biased attitude.
Props to Lauren Myracle for standing up for her book as it was written. I would much rather deal with the problem of whether a book with GLBT content should be excluded from a Book Fair (IMHO, it shouldn’t, but that’s another fight) than be unable to find/purchase for my library middle-grade books that reflect a same-sex parent household."
So anyway, after hearing all of the SCHOLASTIC DOESN'T WANT BOOK-FAIR GOING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLERS TO BE EXPOSED TO A SAME SEX COUPLE hubbub, and being appropriately outraged in various social medias (fb, greader, yalsa-bk, etc) I figured the responsible thing to do would be to read the book.
Truth: I didn't think I'd be interested in the book initially, because when I had flipped through the ARC back in July, I was like, ag, chat transcripts, blech. (Sorry Lauren Myracle, but I had to say L8r G8r to your ttyl series) The good news is that the chat transcripts, being broken up by prose text as they are, don't bother me.
Luv Ya Bunches is a fairly textbook fifth grade friendship drama, with mean girls and new girls and popular girls and geeks, but it's well done. It's funny and happens to include a cross section of kids you might come across today in any fifth grade classroom: Muslim techie girl, geeky filmmaker girl, dark-skinned new girl whose mom is receiving inpatient treatment for bipolarism, and - it just so happens - popular girl who has two moms. I love that her having two moms doesn't mean she's teased or picked on. She's popular! And just happens to have two moms!
(Two moms who, BTW do NOT engage in graphic lesbian sex ANYWHERE in the 335 page book. I know you are SHOCKED.)
The funny thing is, the same-sex relationship isn't even what I would pick to be the most Angry Mom baiting topic in the book. (An honor that I award to a headgear sporting girl who gives a straight-from-Wikipedia oral presentation about the Greek satyrs and their talent of balancing wine cups on their erect "penitheth.") Runner-up: the definition of "dingleberry." HEY! I didn't know what that was until HIGH SCHOOL!
All in all, a read that will appeal to many 4-5 grade girls - and probably a few in third grade too - that is one of the VERY few mainstream titles that takes a refreshing "shrug - it's just the way it is" approach to same-sex parents. Here here, Lauren Myracle. And if I were placing bets, I'd say that most girls today won't even realize there's a hubbub to be had.
In conclusion, here's what I said to yalsa-bkers regarding the Scholastic Scandal: "For me, the issue is not so much inclusion in the book fairs (although that is problematic, to be sure), it’s that Scholastic’s editorial process requested the REMOVAL of a character’s same sex parents from the novel. That, to me, reeks of an outdated and biased attitude.
Props to Lauren Myracle for standing up for her book as it was written. I would much rather deal with the problem of whether a book with GLBT content should be excluded from a Book Fair (IMHO, it shouldn’t, but that’s another fight) than be unable to find/purchase for my library middle-grade books that reflect a same-sex parent household."
January 15, 2021
A book about 5th grade friendships told from the perspective of four different girls in a variety of styles: instant messages, chatroom conversations, video scripts, and traditional text. The author seems to have a checklist of diverse characters and afflictions that all must make an appearance in the 335 page story. It is written on an AR 4.4, but with one of the main characters having two moms, details of a suicide mentioned, talk of pole dancing, male anatomy joked about, thongs, crushes, and mental illness, four girls coming together to form friendships and take down a bully, might raise more questions for young readers than they are ready to handle. Yasaman the Muslim girl in the group, also borders on perpetuating more stereotypes than she breaks, and while I definitely don’t think this book is a good fit for 4th and 5th graders, I don’t really recommend it for readers of any age, there are just better books out there.
SYNOPSIS:
Asian American Katie-Rose doesn’t have friends, unless you count her neighbor Max, but she doesn’t. She dreams of having blond haired Camilla as a best friend, but the Camilla she went to Pioneer camp with is not the Milla at school who hangs out with Modessa (aka Medussa) and Quin, and is popular. Katie-Rose also dreams about being a cinematographer or director, she isn’t sure yet, but she loves to imagine scenes and scripts and how things ideally should play out, even when in reality they never quite seem to do so.
Milla, isn’t sure if she wants to stay friends with Modessa and Quin, they aren’t nice and she has a lot more fun with Katie-Rose, but somehow she always ends up going back to the popular crowd. She also has a lot of anxiety and needs various totems with her at all time to feel secure. When her little plastic turtle goes missing, she struggles to stay composed, and her and her turtle will end up changing a lot at Rivendell Elementary.
Violet, is the new girl at school and she is not liking her life at home or at school. Her mom is in a mental hospital and she misses her desperately, her dad brings home fast food every night for dinner and life just isn’t the same since she moved to California. Immediately able to tell who the popular kids are at school, she hasn’t decided which group of friends is the best fit for her, but when she stumbles on Tally the turtle, and doesn’t immediately return it to Milla, she has to understand what that says about her, and figure out if she is strong enough to make things right.
Yasaman is the quiet computer wiz, she is also Turkish-American, Muslim, and a hijabi. She designs a platform where kids who are too young to join Facebook can chat, stream videos and send cupcakes. The only problem is, she has no friends to get to join. When Katie-Rose and her strike up a friendship, the first seeds of the four flower named girls are planted, but it will take all four of them to put Modessa in her place, rescue Tally, and deal with stereotypes, emotions, and family along the way.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I love that a Muslim, muhajaba is included in the quartet, and that her religion, her scarf, her culture, and her belief in Allah, actually are sprinkled in. I don’t love how in the book’s efforts to include such diversity, that it also seems to fall for a lot of the stereotypes that it on the surface seems to be dispelling. Katie-Rose asks her if she even knows what YouTube is before being made aware of how computer savvy she is. All this is to subtly show the assumption that Muslims are not aware of technology and whatnot, and set the record straight, but also regularly thrown in are side comments from Yasaman that her father would never let her wear something, or she wouldn’t be allowed to do that because of her dad, definitely reinforcing a male dominated, authoritarian, out-of-touch patriarchal view. Even her mother, an artist, is shown to demand a lot of Yasaman and be incredibly strict. A lot of things aren’t spelled out, they are just dropped in and assumed that the reader get’s it. But only Yasaman’s parents are portrayed this way. Milla’s two mom’s are caring, Violet and her dad seem close, and Katie-Rose’s parents are rarely highlighted. So, I felt like it was noticeable, and not in a positive way.
I’m still completely confused as why pole dancing and male anatomy made appearances in the book. And the pole dancing reference appeared not once, but twice when Yasaman is talking to an older cousin who is talking about a friend who’s aunt is a pole dancer, and then later when Katie-Rose’s babysitter also mentions the same friend. They also discuss people as being slutty and boy crazy and skanky. The male anatomy isn’t spelled out it is hidden with a girl with major orthodontia reading a Wikapedia page on the greek satyrs, discussing their physical pleasures and talents.
There is also a lot of mental health issues that I’m glad are present, but I’m not sure if they are handled seriously enough. I’m glad they are addressed, because awareness is a good thing, but discussing how someone swallowed pills to commit suicide and even though she changed her mind still died, and not giving any context seems to make the concept come across as a bit trivial to me in its presentation. Same goes for Camilla’s anxiety and Violet’s mom being in a mental hospital. These girls have some major stuff going on that their preoccupation with a snotty group of girls, and the obsession of mud being consumed in an ice cream shake, seems a bit off.
Overall, the girls seem incredible perceptive and articulate in their self reflection and understanding of social personas, that I found their banter completely disjointed. I don’t think the author’s voice is consistent, and the heavy stuff is too much coming from 5th graders in my opinion.
FLAGS:
Stereotypes, and discrimination against Yasaman and her younger sister Nigar. Possible triggers with talk of suicide. Milla has two moms, it is never labeled or made an issue, she just refers to them as Mom Abigail and Mom Joyce. Talk of boy private parts and erections, crushes, pole dancing, words such as skanky, and slutty and dingleberry (poop hanging on) used. There is lying and bullying and retaliation and poetic justice.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I wouldn’t use this book for a book club or even have it in the classroom. I think it gets a bit crass unnecessarily and the cute flowery cover and inside flap, makes it all the more surprising. You might expect some potty humor in other books, but knowing it is there allows the reader to make a decision to read it or not, I would imagine most Muslim parents would see four diverse girls on the cover, one wearing hijab, get excited and hand the book to their 3rd or 4th or 5th grade daughter and have no idea what the book also includes in passing, with no relevance to the story lines highlighted on the inside flaps and back of the book.
SYNOPSIS:
Asian American Katie-Rose doesn’t have friends, unless you count her neighbor Max, but she doesn’t. She dreams of having blond haired Camilla as a best friend, but the Camilla she went to Pioneer camp with is not the Milla at school who hangs out with Modessa (aka Medussa) and Quin, and is popular. Katie-Rose also dreams about being a cinematographer or director, she isn’t sure yet, but she loves to imagine scenes and scripts and how things ideally should play out, even when in reality they never quite seem to do so.
Milla, isn’t sure if she wants to stay friends with Modessa and Quin, they aren’t nice and she has a lot more fun with Katie-Rose, but somehow she always ends up going back to the popular crowd. She also has a lot of anxiety and needs various totems with her at all time to feel secure. When her little plastic turtle goes missing, she struggles to stay composed, and her and her turtle will end up changing a lot at Rivendell Elementary.
Violet, is the new girl at school and she is not liking her life at home or at school. Her mom is in a mental hospital and she misses her desperately, her dad brings home fast food every night for dinner and life just isn’t the same since she moved to California. Immediately able to tell who the popular kids are at school, she hasn’t decided which group of friends is the best fit for her, but when she stumbles on Tally the turtle, and doesn’t immediately return it to Milla, she has to understand what that says about her, and figure out if she is strong enough to make things right.
Yasaman is the quiet computer wiz, she is also Turkish-American, Muslim, and a hijabi. She designs a platform where kids who are too young to join Facebook can chat, stream videos and send cupcakes. The only problem is, she has no friends to get to join. When Katie-Rose and her strike up a friendship, the first seeds of the four flower named girls are planted, but it will take all four of them to put Modessa in her place, rescue Tally, and deal with stereotypes, emotions, and family along the way.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I love that a Muslim, muhajaba is included in the quartet, and that her religion, her scarf, her culture, and her belief in Allah, actually are sprinkled in. I don’t love how in the book’s efforts to include such diversity, that it also seems to fall for a lot of the stereotypes that it on the surface seems to be dispelling. Katie-Rose asks her if she even knows what YouTube is before being made aware of how computer savvy she is. All this is to subtly show the assumption that Muslims are not aware of technology and whatnot, and set the record straight, but also regularly thrown in are side comments from Yasaman that her father would never let her wear something, or she wouldn’t be allowed to do that because of her dad, definitely reinforcing a male dominated, authoritarian, out-of-touch patriarchal view. Even her mother, an artist, is shown to demand a lot of Yasaman and be incredibly strict. A lot of things aren’t spelled out, they are just dropped in and assumed that the reader get’s it. But only Yasaman’s parents are portrayed this way. Milla’s two mom’s are caring, Violet and her dad seem close, and Katie-Rose’s parents are rarely highlighted. So, I felt like it was noticeable, and not in a positive way.
I’m still completely confused as why pole dancing and male anatomy made appearances in the book. And the pole dancing reference appeared not once, but twice when Yasaman is talking to an older cousin who is talking about a friend who’s aunt is a pole dancer, and then later when Katie-Rose’s babysitter also mentions the same friend. They also discuss people as being slutty and boy crazy and skanky. The male anatomy isn’t spelled out it is hidden with a girl with major orthodontia reading a Wikapedia page on the greek satyrs, discussing their physical pleasures and talents.
There is also a lot of mental health issues that I’m glad are present, but I’m not sure if they are handled seriously enough. I’m glad they are addressed, because awareness is a good thing, but discussing how someone swallowed pills to commit suicide and even though she changed her mind still died, and not giving any context seems to make the concept come across as a bit trivial to me in its presentation. Same goes for Camilla’s anxiety and Violet’s mom being in a mental hospital. These girls have some major stuff going on that their preoccupation with a snotty group of girls, and the obsession of mud being consumed in an ice cream shake, seems a bit off.
Overall, the girls seem incredible perceptive and articulate in their self reflection and understanding of social personas, that I found their banter completely disjointed. I don’t think the author’s voice is consistent, and the heavy stuff is too much coming from 5th graders in my opinion.
FLAGS:
Stereotypes, and discrimination against Yasaman and her younger sister Nigar. Possible triggers with talk of suicide. Milla has two moms, it is never labeled or made an issue, she just refers to them as Mom Abigail and Mom Joyce. Talk of boy private parts and erections, crushes, pole dancing, words such as skanky, and slutty and dingleberry (poop hanging on) used. There is lying and bullying and retaliation and poetic justice.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I wouldn’t use this book for a book club or even have it in the classroom. I think it gets a bit crass unnecessarily and the cute flowery cover and inside flap, makes it all the more surprising. You might expect some potty humor in other books, but knowing it is there allows the reader to make a decision to read it or not, I would imagine most Muslim parents would see four diverse girls on the cover, one wearing hijab, get excited and hand the book to their 3rd or 4th or 5th grade daughter and have no idea what the book also includes in passing, with no relevance to the story lines highlighted on the inside flaps and back of the book.
August 23, 2011
**WARNING: includes spoilers**
Another awesome novel by Lauren Myracle =)
I wouldn't say this is her best, but it's still pretty good. I couldn't relate at all, though-- fifth grade was not like this for me. There were no ice cream socials, no Greek weeks, no Medusas, none of that.
Still, this is a very fun read. Finished it in one sitting. Lauren Myracle's style is so light and happy, it's impossible not to like one of her books in at least some way.
I thought this book was really dramatic, though, and could have done with less of:
Milla- "sob sob I lost my turtle sob sob"
Modessa- "there there... *fake friendness*"
Violet- "Why didn't I just give it to her?? Stupid me!"
Katie-Rose's fantasies- "Oh, I wish life was PERFECT and Milla and I were BEST FRIENDS!"
Yasaman- "Oh, I wish I could have friends..."
etc....
So, yeah. I enjoyed the book, but it could have done well without so much of the above. I'd recommend it to my friends, though =)
Another awesome novel by Lauren Myracle =)
I wouldn't say this is her best, but it's still pretty good. I couldn't relate at all, though-- fifth grade was not like this for me. There were no ice cream socials, no Greek weeks, no Medusas, none of that.
Still, this is a very fun read. Finished it in one sitting. Lauren Myracle's style is so light and happy, it's impossible not to like one of her books in at least some way.
I thought this book was really dramatic, though, and could have done with less of:
Milla- "sob sob I lost my turtle sob sob"
Modessa- "there there... *fake friendness*"
Violet- "Why didn't I just give it to her?? Stupid me!"
Katie-Rose's fantasies- "Oh, I wish life was PERFECT and Milla and I were BEST FRIENDS!"
Yasaman- "Oh, I wish I could have friends..."
etc....
So, yeah. I enjoyed the book, but it could have done well without so much of the above. I'd recommend it to my friends, though =)
October 21, 2009
I won this book on goodreads, and although it is intended for a younger audience, I figured I'd read it for the fun of it. I thought the book was cute, with interesting characters and "poetic justice" for the mean girls.
However, I found that the suggested age level was a little young for the subject matter. Especially the computer stuff. Although it is a different time, I don't really agree with 10-11 year olds being on chatrooms and IM, so I don't think I would let a girl of that age read this book. Also, I thought the mean girls were horrible, a lot worse than girls I met at that age, and I don't agree with getting revenge on people, which I really think is a bad example for a young girl. I think overall the book would be better if the girls in the book were in grade 7 or 8 and the age catagory follow suit.
However, I found that the suggested age level was a little young for the subject matter. Especially the computer stuff. Although it is a different time, I don't really agree with 10-11 year olds being on chatrooms and IM, so I don't think I would let a girl of that age read this book. Also, I thought the mean girls were horrible, a lot worse than girls I met at that age, and I don't agree with getting revenge on people, which I really think is a bad example for a young girl. I think overall the book would be better if the girls in the book were in grade 7 or 8 and the age catagory follow suit.
December 23, 2021
I read this book back when I was the same exact ages as the characters and I remember being absolutely flabbergasted by how accurately the author was able to capture 5th grade humor. The main things I remember about this book is that it's hilarious with lovable characters, and I think I was lucky enough to read at the perfect time.
Granted its been over ten years since it was published, and about that long since I've read it, so I can't say for certain that it still holds up. But I can say it has a special place in my heart as being one of my absolute favorite books growing up!
Granted its been over ten years since it was published, and about that long since I've read it, so I can't say for certain that it still holds up. But I can say it has a special place in my heart as being one of my absolute favorite books growing up!
Want to read
December 23, 2011 I have read thid book last year and it was SOOOOOOOOO good! I am reading it AGAIN!
March 5, 2013
Pretty funny and clever. I was surprised at how the author easily acted exactly how my friends and I act. It was almost a little too much like how we acted.
July 22, 2015
LOVED IT!
January 27, 2013
This book was fun, witty, and downright adorable... I ate it up in less than 4 hours.
July 18, 2020
There are books that come into certain points of your life, especially when you need them, and change you forever. This was one of those books for me.
Picture a short, awkward, eleven-year-old Mexican girl who has just started sixth grade and is having trouble making friends. Her school librarian, someone she has come to see as a mother figure, recommends her a book series that her daughter has just started reading. After helping her find the book, the girl sits down and begins to read it, unaware that she will forever be changed by this book.
The book itself is a relatively simple one: we follow four preteen girls (all named after flowers) as they begin their first week of fifth grade. A chance encounter sets in motion a series of events that, like reading this book did to me, will forever change these girls' lives. The friendship these "flowers" find with each other only blossoms over the course of the series, but that's not why this book is so important to me.
It's not technically a spoiler, but , and to an eleven-year-old me who was just beginning to understand her attraction to girls, this was a gamechanger. Before, I'd never really seen a gay couple in any media I consumed; everyone and everything was about straight couples. Rereading this series as a fully-realized lesbian, it's easy to read Katie-Rose's interest in Camilla as a budding crush. In her chapters, she often goes on about how beautiful or kind she finds Camilla, and repeatedly wishes she could be close friends with her. In the first chapter, Katie-Rose longly sighs Camilla's name as she gazes up at the sky, dreaming of becoming her friend. While this all could be brushed off as just a friendly admiration, as I child I could relate to Katie-Rose's feelings for her friend, not realizing that I also had a crush on a girl in my class that I dismissed as "friendship".
On top of the lesbian undertones, this is first and foremost a story about friendship and kindness. This book was key in teaching me what friendship, real and true friendship, was all about. It made me want to actively try to go out of my way to be kind to others, even if at times the girls are mean or talk bad about their classmates. Rereading it periodically as I got older would help me realize that I was also in a bad friendship like Camilla's with Modessa and Quin.
Overall, this is a cutesy book about the highs and lows of being a preteen girl, and the importance of having solid friendships. While providing me with some of the first lesbian representation I'd ever seen, it also provided me with important life lessons about friendship and kindness that I still carry with me to this day. I can't wait to get started on the next book as I continue my biannual reread of the series.
Picture a short, awkward, eleven-year-old Mexican girl who has just started sixth grade and is having trouble making friends. Her school librarian, someone she has come to see as a mother figure, recommends her a book series that her daughter has just started reading. After helping her find the book, the girl sits down and begins to read it, unaware that she will forever be changed by this book.
The book itself is a relatively simple one: we follow four preteen girls (all named after flowers) as they begin their first week of fifth grade. A chance encounter sets in motion a series of events that, like reading this book did to me, will forever change these girls' lives. The friendship these "flowers" find with each other only blossoms over the course of the series, but that's not why this book is so important to me.
It's not technically a spoiler, but , and to an eleven-year-old me who was just beginning to understand her attraction to girls, this was a gamechanger. Before, I'd never really seen a gay couple in any media I consumed; everyone and everything was about straight couples. Rereading this series as a fully-realized lesbian, it's easy to read Katie-Rose's interest in Camilla as a budding crush. In her chapters, she often goes on about how beautiful or kind she finds Camilla, and repeatedly wishes she could be close friends with her. In the first chapter, Katie-Rose longly sighs Camilla's name as she gazes up at the sky, dreaming of becoming her friend. While this all could be brushed off as just a friendly admiration, as I child I could relate to Katie-Rose's feelings for her friend, not realizing that I also had a crush on a girl in my class that I dismissed as "friendship".
On top of the lesbian undertones, this is first and foremost a story about friendship and kindness. This book was key in teaching me what friendship, real and true friendship, was all about. It made me want to actively try to go out of my way to be kind to others, even if at times the girls are mean or talk bad about their classmates. Rereading it periodically as I got older would help me realize that I was also in a bad friendship like Camilla's with Modessa and Quin.
Overall, this is a cutesy book about the highs and lows of being a preteen girl, and the importance of having solid friendships. While providing me with some of the first lesbian representation I'd ever seen, it also provided me with important life lessons about friendship and kindness that I still carry with me to this day. I can't wait to get started on the next book as I continue my biannual reread of the series.
August 9, 2017
I read this book to preview it for our school library. The main characters are entering 5th grade, so I assumed the book was aimed at girls of a similar age.
This book has plenty of mean girl action in it. The main characters strive to stay nice and act kindly despite the antics of the popular (mean) girls.
Overall I thought the book was appropriate, but there were a few things that bothered me:
1) In general, why do the mean girls always have to be the most popular kids? I know the hope is that a girl reading this book will relate to the nice girls and want to be more like them as they resolve their struggles without resorting to meanness. However, by always portraying the mean girls as the most popular, are we telling our kids that if that is what they desire then that is the way to do it? I feel if more books portrayed the mean girls as social climbers and not already on top, it would relate better as readers could see the characters at the time of when the choice of behavior is happening and before the outcome of popularity.
2) I had no problem with one character having 2 moms, or the character with a mom in a mental institution. I DID have a problem with the author describing how one adult relative committed suicide by taking a whole bottle of Advil. Sorry, just not something I want to spell out step by step for my daughter. That whole scenario added nothing to the story other than a red flag.
3) Bullying by exclusion. Both groups of girls do this. While I get the "if they don't want to play with you, play with the people that do" mentality, and I know including everyone is not always the answer either. Exclusion seems to be the main way characters treat each other in this book. I can offer no suggestions here, I just wish there was an alternative, as this is the type of bullying my 5th grade daughter sees most often in her life.
This book has plenty of mean girl action in it. The main characters strive to stay nice and act kindly despite the antics of the popular (mean) girls.
Overall I thought the book was appropriate, but there were a few things that bothered me:
1) In general, why do the mean girls always have to be the most popular kids? I know the hope is that a girl reading this book will relate to the nice girls and want to be more like them as they resolve their struggles without resorting to meanness. However, by always portraying the mean girls as the most popular, are we telling our kids that if that is what they desire then that is the way to do it? I feel if more books portrayed the mean girls as social climbers and not already on top, it would relate better as readers could see the characters at the time of when the choice of behavior is happening and before the outcome of popularity.
2) I had no problem with one character having 2 moms, or the character with a mom in a mental institution. I DID have a problem with the author describing how one adult relative committed suicide by taking a whole bottle of Advil. Sorry, just not something I want to spell out step by step for my daughter. That whole scenario added nothing to the story other than a red flag.
3) Bullying by exclusion. Both groups of girls do this. While I get the "if they don't want to play with you, play with the people that do" mentality, and I know including everyone is not always the answer either. Exclusion seems to be the main way characters treat each other in this book. I can offer no suggestions here, I just wish there was an alternative, as this is the type of bullying my 5th grade daughter sees most often in her life.
December 18, 2020
Changing the point of view from chapter to chapter was interesting. Including chat room dialogue and film making perspective was fun. That’s about all I can give this one. The diversity elements felt like they were included purely to tick a box and not to progress or enrich the plot. Most of the characters were shallow and not compelling. My favorite was Max, but he got very little time. Max’s whole existence in the book was just another show of how self absorbed Katie-Rose is. If your friends with someone in one setting and not in another, you aren’t really their friend at all. The biggest drawback for me, though, was the end scheme by the flower girl bunch. Their conclusion after finding a group of good friends was to treat other people badly. The author even has to include a moment of guilt by Milla to explain why the flower girl bunch’s behavior is different than the bullies behavior. In actuality it’s not really different, you’re just rationalizing for plot reasons.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2024
I picked up this book because I recognized it from when I was in elementary school! I did not remember any of the plot besides its use of chatrooms, but it still felt nostalgic to me. It is very age appropriate, and I think would be good for kids who are still too young to be on social media. The instant messaging in this book is a bit dated but I think kids of today could still enjoy that aspect of the story. The other drawbacks are the length and the engagement for older readers. I think this book could have been shortened and it does not hold up past a certain age. There were a couple weird comments and moments here and there, but I feel those seep into every single junior book and the ones here were not egregious. I had trouble following the revenge plot and while I feel it was not the best lesson it was not the worst either. Like the rest of the book, it was just fine. Nothing extraordinary but you can find enjoyment.
Read
January 16, 2024Still holds up after all these years. So nostalgic for me and I still love the cover art design, the simplistic depictions of the girls, and the skeuomorphism in the pages of the books. It's gratifying watching these girls come together to become friends. Truly crazy how much of myself I see in each of those four girls - even now as a grown woman.
Simple silly and fun. The lesbian relationship with the depiction of two mothers and even tougher conversations for a children's book - Yazaman and her little sister being bullied for being Muslim/ being a hijabi - was handled very well for what this book was. I still feel for those two & Yazaman is my favorite of the girls. Cute!
Simple silly and fun. The lesbian relationship with the depiction of two mothers and even tougher conversations for a children's book - Yazaman and her little sister being bullied for being Muslim/ being a hijabi - was handled very well for what this book was. I still feel for those two & Yazaman is my favorite of the girls. Cute!
January 29, 2021
2021
A super cute middle/young adult book about learning who your real friends are. And how to stand up for yourself. I really liked that the girls formed a true friendship and took on the mean girls, but did so without becoming mean girls themselves. They were definitely a little tricky, but they never did anything to hurt the other girls (just set them up for embarrassment) and it was definitely well deserved after the way the mean girls treated Violet, Milla, Yasaman, and Katie Rose.
A super cute middle/young adult book about learning who your real friends are. And how to stand up for yourself. I really liked that the girls formed a true friendship and took on the mean girls, but did so without becoming mean girls themselves. They were definitely a little tricky, but they never did anything to hurt the other girls (just set them up for embarrassment) and it was definitely well deserved after the way the mean girls treated Violet, Milla, Yasaman, and Katie Rose.
March 19, 2024
This book shows how power friendship is and I love that all these girls from different backgrounds come together and face the challenges of school and bullying and they go through set backs like when tally went missing and when Camelia become friends with the wrong group and stands up to them this book says they are in 5th grade but it talks about some big issues like suicide and depression, so I think the age group should be grade 7-8 instead of 5th but overall good book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2018
So good to read a book with characters that are not all the same, especially female characters. The four flower characters in this book all have different backgrounds, families and issues that they bring to their group and to the reader. Realistic view of grade 5 girls and how they relate and refreshing to read a different take on this genre.
September 18, 2018
omg i remember reading this book back in 5th grade and absolutely loving it!
i’ve been trying to find this book for the past few years and FINALLY i found it!!!!😭 now i can rest in peace
i’ve been trying to find this book for the past few years and FINALLY i found it!!!!😭 now i can rest in peace
March 27, 2019
Good book.
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