Choldenko (MOONSTRUCK) vividly captures the feelings of a middle child
torn between wanting to be noticed and wanting to be invisible, through
the narration of sixth grader Ant (Antonia) MacPherson. And believes
she was misplaced at birth. "Dear Real Mom, / this is what I would like
to happen. I would like you and my real dad to come RIGHT NOW," she
writes in the book she's keeping for her "real parents." She feels like
the thorn between two roses, overshadowed by her sisters ("Your Highness
Elizabeth" and "Katherine the Great") and misunderstood by her mother
and father. She takes solace in the idea of a fantasy family, and in
the company of her beloved dog Pistachio and quirky best friend Harrison
(he's obsessed with chickens) as well as the nest of falsehoods she
constructs for herself. Some have serious consequences, such as
switching her stellar report cards with Harrison's lackluster ones,
dodging vet bills and accidentally endangering herself and others while
volunteering at the zoo.
A sympathetic art teacher Just Carol ("she
always says "just call me Carol,"), glimpses the hurt behind Ant's
misdeeds and steps in, but ultimately it's up to Ant to face some hard
truths, take responsibility for her behavior and forge a fresh start
with her family. Poignant passages belie Ant's tough exterior, as with
her observations about her best friend, and her interaction with her
father upon his return from a six-week business trip. This funny and
touching novel portrays the tug-of-war within this strong heroine and
taps into very real emotions.
Gr. 5-8. Ant, short for Antonia, is keenly aware that her mother finds her
deeply annoying and uncomfortable to be around. She is so different from her
sisters, "Her Highness Elizabeth" and Katy, that she becomes convinced that
she's adopted. The saving graces in her life are her Chihuahua, Pistachio,
her friend Harrison (with whom she swaps her great grades for his terrible
ones), and a teacher, who goes by Carol ("Just Carol" as Ant always calls
her). Just Carol gets work in a zoo for Harrison and Ant, but when Ant
smuggles Pistachio into the zoo, endangering herself and the animals, she
almost loses Just Carol's support.
Choldenko catches the prickliness of
adolescence, making Ant fearful and vulnerable as well as a sharp observer,
particularly of adult frailities. As Ant eventually realizes, although
Mother prefers the reflection of herself that she sees in her other two
daughters, Ant is just as clearly her mother's offspring. Funny, moving, and
completely believable, this is a fine first novel.
Booklist
Gr 5-8-Author Gennifer Choldenko (Putnam, 2001) captures the thoughts and feelings of sixth grader Antonia (Ant) MacPherson, who has made lying a way of life. Ant can't believe she is part of the MacPherson family. Her exasperated mother nags and criticizes her endlessly. Her ballerina sisters are too perfect for words, winning their mother's affection with methods Ant abhors. Ant's dad moves from job to job, so the family must move from town to town.The most important people in Ant's life are her odd artist friend, Harrison, and a caring art teacher. When her lies spin out of control and hurt those she loves, Ant realizes she must make a change. Choldenko does not offer any easy answers, and the results are riveting. Narrator Ariadne Meyers does an excellent job conveying Ant's sarcasm and tenderness. Her flexible voice brings Choldenko's three dimensional characters to life, from the amusing haughtiness of Ant's sister Katherine the Great to the surprising vulnerability of her mother. Meyers is a versatile storyteller, ably conveying the tension of a mother/daughter confrontation as well as the love a young girl feels for her less-than-perfect pet. As Ant's lies accumulate and she feels the repercussions, the novel grows in power. Yet this is no sentimental melodrama. The story has its share of hilarity and gross-out moments (thanks to Ant's stint as a zoo volunteer). The entire production is first rate.-Brian E. Wilson, Oak Lawn Public Library, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Sixth-grader Antonia "Ant" MacPherson, a difficult middle-child with "thick, straight dark hair and skin the color of a brown paper grocery bag," feels like an ugly duckling among her blond mother and sisters. She lies routinely to champion her tiny elderly dog, Pistachio, and her chicken-loving artist friend and classmate Harrison. Bright (she's selected to compete on her school's math team), funny, prickly, and defensive, Ant composes letters to her "real" parents and looks for an ally in Just Carol ("Not Ms. or Miss or Mrs. Anything"), the young art teacher who befriends Harrison and Ant. Ant has lived nearly two years in the California city of Sarah's Road, but frequent moves have left scars on the family. At 12, Ant nurtures a painful relationship with her mother, who seems to diminish and insult her almost unconsciously: "She sees a weed growing in the lawn and . . . she just can't stop herself from swooping down and snatching it out . . . I will always be a weed to her. I am all wrong." Just Carol takes Harrison and Ant to volunteer at the city's zoo, but Ant sabotages the day by concealing Pistachio in her jacket pocket so she can keep his medication on schedule. When the feisty dog escapes and tries to take on a lion, Carol-furious with Ant-lies about the uproar in the lion's enclosure to protect her volunteer job. Ant's loneliness and pain ring true but we don't get a complex sense of Ant's interior life, despite the first-person narrative. The convergence of plot points is disjointed; even a vigilant reader may be baffled about the timeline. A climactic return visit to the zoo (Pistachio nearly becomes lion-food again, and Ant puts herself in harm's way to save him)blunts the emotional impact of chapters near the end where Ant achieves a truce with her mother. Lots of ingredients but only moderately satisfying results. (Fiction. 10-14)
"Funny, moving and completely believable, this is a fine first novel." -Booklist, starred review
"For any kid who is a middle child, for kids who have trouble getting along with their parents, for kids who are sure that their parents prefer their siblings, this book will bring delight and understanding." -School Library Journal, starred review