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Do-Over: A Novel
Eighth-grader Whitman Levy wishes he could call for one more try when his parents separate, he forgets his lines in the school play, his best friend makes some racist remarks, and his dream girl reveals a talent for belching.
143 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1992
123 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Vail
57 books457 followersBirth
I was born on July 25, 1966, in NEW YORK CITY, and grew up in New Rochelle, NY, with my mother, my father, and my younger brother Jon. (And down the street from my future husband, though of course I didn't know that until much later.)
Interests
Some details, I do know-I was very into reading and theater, so I read every book I could get my hands on (especially realistic fiction, either contemporary or historical) and took acting workshops and auditioned for every play in school, camp, or the community. I played Peter Pan, Miss Hannigan in Annie, Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls, the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, and lots of extremely memorable chorus parts-for instance, I was "girl number two" in Fiddler on the Roof-the one who said "We heard about your sister, Chava". I didn't care -I just wanted to be on stage. Waiting backstage before curtain call, after giving my all in a performance, was the best feeling I knew. In seventh grade I started taking magic lessons, and by eighth grade I was making all my own spending money by performing at kids' birthday parties as a clown named Tallulah. I liked the freedom of wearing all that grease-paint-I could be as wacky and un-cool as I wanted. I tried dance but felt so clumsy. I faked a sprained ankle to get out of the recital. I took voice lessons which made me a little light-headed (and I was afraid of the voice teacher's growling, drooling Doberman) and both saxophone and piano, neither of which I ever practiced. I did well in school but started a lot of my work at the last minute, in a crazy mad dash, so that it was never late but there were usually careless errors or areas I had to fudge. I had this idea that to work hard at something was sort of a negative, an admission that I didn't have natural talent. If I wasn't going to be Mozart and have the music (or dance, or math, or social studies term paper, or whatever) channeled through me from God, then I was just embarrassing myself by all that workmanlike effort. I didn't get over that idea until after college, by the way.
Career Ambitions
I never really planned to be a writer. I planned to be a financial wizard after learning about option-spreading at age 10, then a poet after discovering Shakespeare at 11. After overhearing "the real power is held by the lobbyists" on a class trip to Albany, I planned to become a lobbyist. Secretly, of course I always imagined myself as an actress, but that didn't seem hard or important enough, and also I worried I wasn't naturally gifted enough.
Parents
My parents were always great. I liked to make them proud, and they trusted me and supported my efforts and interests, which was sometimes weirdly tough. There was so little for me to rebel against.
As a Kid
When people ask me what I was as a kid, I always feel like my answer is at best incomplete.What are you like, as a kid? I'm still trying to figure out what I'm like as an adult.
Socially
Well, things went in waves. Sometimes I felt very "in", very aware of and tied in to the whole scene, excited by who liked whom, all the gossip, some of it less than kind. Other times I felt so alone-like there was nobody like me, nobody who liked me, nobody to talk to. And much of the time it was somewhere in between. A best friend when I was lucky, and a few people in each crowd I liked and who liked me. I resisted being classified as a brain or a jock or alternative or popular-too limiting. I would have to shut down too many parts of myself to be just one type.
Adolescence
I went through a very intense stage in middle school (Junior High). I worried about being too ordinary. I also worried about being too weird. I also worried about changing states of matter, my inability to be morally certain, ignorance (my own and world-wide), and making a fool of myself.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rachel...
I was born on July 25, 1966, in NEW YORK CITY, and grew up in New Rochelle, NY, with my mother, my father, and my younger brother Jon. (And down the street from my future husband, though of course I didn't know that until much later.)
Interests
Some details, I do know-I was very into reading and theater, so I read every book I could get my hands on (especially realistic fiction, either contemporary or historical) and took acting workshops and auditioned for every play in school, camp, or the community. I played Peter Pan, Miss Hannigan in Annie, Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls, the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, and lots of extremely memorable chorus parts-for instance, I was "girl number two" in Fiddler on the Roof-the one who said "We heard about your sister, Chava". I didn't care -I just wanted to be on stage. Waiting backstage before curtain call, after giving my all in a performance, was the best feeling I knew. In seventh grade I started taking magic lessons, and by eighth grade I was making all my own spending money by performing at kids' birthday parties as a clown named Tallulah. I liked the freedom of wearing all that grease-paint-I could be as wacky and un-cool as I wanted. I tried dance but felt so clumsy. I faked a sprained ankle to get out of the recital. I took voice lessons which made me a little light-headed (and I was afraid of the voice teacher's growling, drooling Doberman) and both saxophone and piano, neither of which I ever practiced. I did well in school but started a lot of my work at the last minute, in a crazy mad dash, so that it was never late but there were usually careless errors or areas I had to fudge. I had this idea that to work hard at something was sort of a negative, an admission that I didn't have natural talent. If I wasn't going to be Mozart and have the music (or dance, or math, or social studies term paper, or whatever) channeled through me from God, then I was just embarrassing myself by all that workmanlike effort. I didn't get over that idea until after college, by the way.
Career Ambitions
I never really planned to be a writer. I planned to be a financial wizard after learning about option-spreading at age 10, then a poet after discovering Shakespeare at 11. After overhearing "the real power is held by the lobbyists" on a class trip to Albany, I planned to become a lobbyist. Secretly, of course I always imagined myself as an actress, but that didn't seem hard or important enough, and also I worried I wasn't naturally gifted enough.
Parents
My parents were always great. I liked to make them proud, and they trusted me and supported my efforts and interests, which was sometimes weirdly tough. There was so little for me to rebel against.
As a Kid
When people ask me what I was as a kid, I always feel like my answer is at best incomplete.What are you like, as a kid? I'm still trying to figure out what I'm like as an adult.
Socially
Well, things went in waves. Sometimes I felt very "in", very aware of and tied in to the whole scene, excited by who liked whom, all the gossip, some of it less than kind. Other times I felt so alone-like there was nobody like me, nobody who liked me, nobody to talk to. And much of the time it was somewhere in between. A best friend when I was lucky, and a few people in each crowd I liked and who liked me. I resisted being classified as a brain or a jock or alternative or popular-too limiting. I would have to shut down too many parts of myself to be just one type.
Adolescence
I went through a very intense stage in middle school (Junior High). I worried about being too ordinary. I also worried about being too weird. I also worried about changing states of matter, my inability to be morally certain, ignorance (my own and world-wide), and making a fool of myself.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rachel...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 19, 2010
I wonder how old the reader has to be, before they start laughing at just about every thought that pops into Whitman Levy’s head. There are so many complicated and subtle emotions to distract him, but he manages to stick with the obvious and literal reactions we all should expect from eighth grade boys. And every response is so quick; the sentences almost snap themselves shut. It’s like reading an excellent comic strip series, without the graphics.
This is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time, but Vail also manages to sneak in some very powerful serious moments. She builds sympathy for just about every character, no matter how awkward it sometimes feels to see their side of things – especially with Whit’s former best friend Doug, his schnapps-sneaking heat-seeking other best-friend Mackey, and his middle-age crisis Dad. Through it all, this book is a joy.
This is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time, but Vail also manages to sneak in some very powerful serious moments. She builds sympathy for just about every character, no matter how awkward it sometimes feels to see their side of things – especially with Whit’s former best friend Doug, his schnapps-sneaking heat-seeking other best-friend Mackey, and his middle-age crisis Dad. Through it all, this book is a joy.
January 12, 2022
DO-Over was an amazing book in my opinion and even encouraged me to look into the author and check out some more of her books!
February 11, 2016
I wonder how old the reader has to be, before they start laughing at just about every thought that pops into Whitman Levy 19s head. There are so many complicated and subtle emotions to distract him, but he manages to stick with the obvious and literal reactions we all should expect from eighth grade boys. And every response is so quick; the sentences almost snap themselves shut. It 19s like reading an excellent comic strip series, without the graphics.
This is one of the funniest books I 19ve read in a long time, but Vail also manages to sneak in some very powerful serious moments. She builds sympathy for just about every character, no matter how awkward it sometimes feels to see their side of things 13 especially with Whit 19s former best friend Doug, his schnapps-sneaking heat-seeking other best-friend Mackey, and his middle-age crisis Dad. Through it all, this book is a joy.
This is one of the funniest books I 19ve read in a long time, but Vail also manages to sneak in some very powerful serious moments. She builds sympathy for just about every character, no matter how awkward it sometimes feels to see their side of things 13 especially with Whit 19s former best friend Doug, his schnapps-sneaking heat-seeking other best-friend Mackey, and his middle-age crisis Dad. Through it all, this book is a joy.
November 14, 2014
Do-Over by Rachel Vail: is a very quizible book (meaning mind puzzling). I always wondered how old the reader has to be, before they start laughing at just about every thought that pops into Whitman Levy’s head. There are so many complicated and subtle emotions to distract him, but he manages to stick with the obvious and literal reactions we all should expect from eighth grade boys. And every response is so quick; the sentences almost pop themselves shut. It’s like reading an excellent comic strip series, without the graphics.
Opinion: Do-Over by Rachel Vail is a book that can real you in by the cover and it’s sketchy and colorful book. In other words I this book may have some difficult words but it does keep lots of suspension. Anyways I really did like this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2007
One of my absolute favorite books at about age 11. I wanted to be best friends with the protagonist.
June 25, 2008
was a good book. it's really weird to read a teen lit book, from a boy's perspective. but i liked it!
October 8, 2008
Very good for people in middle school. Shows me how lucky I really am for not having guys like this in my school.
March 12, 2009
It could have been better. It didn't come close in comparing to WONDER, which was such a cute book.
March 8, 2010
Wonderful I love it greate fir young teens
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May 25, 2011Realistic fiction, a middle school romance from a boy's perspective, with a touch of sports fiction thrown in. An on-target look inside the early adolescent mind.
August 16, 2012
Easy to read! Fun and entertaining!!! Good book for people who dont really like to read! Its not that hard :)
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October 24, 2014another book I read as a pre-teen desperate to be a teen. Rachel Vail was the coolest according to me.
February 27, 2011
I thought this was an amazing book!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews