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| Book #5 of 2010 |
| Title: Outside Beauty |
| Author: Cynthia Kadohata |
| Publisher: Atheneum |
| Pub Date: June 2, 2008 |
| Grade: A- |
| Comments: Shelby, Marilyn, Lakey and Maddie are sisters who share a mother, but have four separate fathers. The fathers haven’t played much of a role in their lives so far, and the girls have varying relationships with them. Their mother has made a career out of “dating” different men, using her beauty to convince them to shower her with jewelry and enough money for her to not have to work. The constant in their lives is their relationship with each other. Marilyn takes care of Lakey, and Shelby, our narrator, takes care of Maddie. When their mother gets into a car accident and needs multiple surgeries, the girls are split up and sent to live with their respective biological fathers.
Is it a little embarrassing to admit that while I was intrigued by the premise of the book when I read about it in one of the review journals, what pushed me over the edge of reading it was that Malia Obama read it? I hope she liked this as much as I did. This book had lovely characterizations of the sisters and their fathers. Jiro, in particular, really won me over as the guy who didn’t really intend to have a child but ends up being rather effective in this role. The Mr. Bronson character did bother me, not only because he was such a jerk, but because it was never really clear what their mother would have seen in him in the first place. He has raised other kids, but why hasn’t it occurred to him until recently that Maddie is his responsibility? He is fighting for custody, but it’s unclear what prompted this. I would agree with him that their mother isn’t the best role model, but at the same time, he clearly isn’t doing that great of a job either. Other than that, this book is just nice writing and a warm family story.
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| In Depth Reviews: Shen’s Books, Read, Read, Read, Killing Time Reading |
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