Why Can't I Be You - Hardcover

Walker, Melissa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062567209 ISBN 13: 9780062567208

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2018

Synopsis

“This book is for anyone who has ever felt ‘less than’ or on the outside. That is to say, this is a book for everyone.” —Elana K. Arnold, author of What Girls Are Made Of

"With a clear, compelling voice, Walker creates a believable world where socioeconomic tensions challenge, but never defeat, her well-rounded characters."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Claire Ladd knows that this summer is going to be special. She and her two best friends, Ronan and Brianna, are turning twelve. She is leaving camp behind and gets to do what she wants all day. She feels everything starting to change.

But things don’t always change for the better.

With Brianna’s cousin Eden visiting for the summer, Claire feels like a third wheel. Even though she is only a year older, Eden seems so much more sophisticated and glamorous . . . and when she's around, she takes up everyone’s attention, including Brianna’s.

But that doesn’t explain why things have felt awkward with Brianna ever since she moved to a fancy new house, or why Ronan, who lives in the trailer next to Claire’s, has started acting moody anytime anyone mentions his dad.

Claire has always been happy with her life just as it is, but as the summer wears on and the issues with her friends start to grow, she can’t help but wonder: Would everything be better if she could just be someone else?

About this title

About the Author

Melissa Walker grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is the author of eight young adult novels, including the Violet on the Runway series and Small Town Sinners. In the nonfiction world, she is a magazine editor and writer who works from the comfort of coffee shops in Brooklyn, where she lives with her husband and two young daughters. Find Melissa on Twitter @melissacwalker or visit www.melissacwalker.com.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4–7—When Claire Ladd overhears her friend Ronan's joke, "You know you live in a trailer park when...", she is knocked senseless. She and Ronan both know very well what trailer park life is like, as they both live in one. During the summer before turning 12, Claire's world sees an earthquake of changes, shaking her once simplistic life to near shambles. When her best friend Brianna moves into a mansion, complete with a pool and basement theater, the two begin to notice the major differences between them. Next, Eden, Brianna's older cousin, waltzes into town like a runway model with style, perfectly pink lips, and amazing hair, threatening not just Claire's self-confidence but also her friendships. Walker vividly describes trailer park life, showing the good with the bad, from Ronan's dysfunctional father to the beauty and strength of the close relationships created in Twin Pines Trailer Park. VERDICT Realistic fiction set in a trailer park is unusual; many kids will see themselves reflected in Claire and Ronan. Recommended for most collections, especially where contemporary, realistic coming-of-age stories are needed.—Mary-Brook J. Townsend, The McGillis School, Salt Lake City

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0062567209
• ISBN 13: 9780062567208
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 208