About Face - Hardcover

Wood, June Rae

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399234195 ISBN 13: 9780399234194

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile, 1999

Synopsis

Having been born with a large birthmark on her face, Glory finds making friends difficult as she is teased about it constantly, yet when she meets Marvalene, a young girl who travels on the carnival circuit, Glory thinks she has finally found someone who will accept her as she is.

About this title

About the Author

June Rae Wood lives in Windsor, Missouri. She is the winner of the Mark Twain Award, the William Allen White Award, and the Friends of American Writers Young People's Award. Her books have been nominated for over twenty state awards.

Reviews

Alternating the points of view of shy, small-town Glory and outspoken Marvalene, Wood (When Pigs Fly) writes a poignant story about friendship and discontent. The two girls, both 13, meet on the fairgrounds where Marvalene and her parents work as "carnies." Glory, painfully self-conscious of a large birthmark on her face, wishes she could be as confident as Marvalene; Marvalene, tired of living in a trailer and helping to sell corn dogs, longs to be as rooted as Glory. While they come to the unsurprising conclusion that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, the lesson is hard for them to learn, punctuated by betrayal and disillusionment. The protagonists are unconventional enough to be interesting and complex enough to be believable, and Wood respects them; she does not trivialize their problems with pat solutions. Colorful minor charactersAincluding the reclusive new boarder in Glory's grandma's house, who Marvalene suspects is actually Glory's allegedly dead motherAadd an extra dimension to the novel; so do details about "carnie" life and Glory's grandmother's second-hand shop. Readers may not want to trade lives with either heroine, but they will enjoy vicariously experiencing the warmth of their growing camaraderie. Ages 10-14. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

By virtue of a brief but meaningful friendship, two dissatisfied girls from sharply different backgrounds come to realize the value of what they have. Glory Bea Goode, who just finished seventh grade, hates living in her rural Missouri town in an old historic home that doubles as a junk shop. But Glory's stable life in ``a house without wheels'' is the envy of Marvalene Zulig, who travels around the country with a touring carnival. Although they are at opposite ends of the temperamental spectrumMarvalene is in-your-face assertive, while Glory is timid and diffidenteach embraces past hurts that poison their lives. Marvalene holds her father and the grueling carnival life he loves responsible for her mom's disfiguring stroke, while Glory, whose face is marred by a large birthmark, is too self-conscious to make friends. In the course of this colorfully written novel, Glory finds out that if she sees herself ``as imperfect, other people will, too,'' and Marvalene comes to learn that she's a true carnival ``firefly,'' a person who ``only shine(s) while on the wing.'' Peopled with a quirky mix of improbable characters and somewhat lacking in emotional punch, this humane story conveys, in a quiet but stubbornly persuasive style, that happiness comes from within. (Fiction. 11-13) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 6-9-An intriguing plot, abundant dialogue, and rich inner monologues intricately portray the negotiation of friendship between two 13-year-olds, both longing for a different lifestyle, in the outskirts of Turnback, MO. Glory has lived with her Gram since the death of her single mother 10 years earlier. When Marvalene and her carnival family come to the fairgrounds across the highway, Glory is determined to overcome shyness and shame over a large facial birthmark, to make friends with the girl. Outgoing, impulsive Marvalene is desperate to make friends with a town girl. Throughout the story, they work through their personality differences, as well as the mutual prejudices of their communities, often meeting secretly. In the end, both girls come to realize that they have what they need and want-loving, supportive families. Many of the characters have suffered significant loss, yet live with hope and have a positive outlook, including Marvalene's mother, who, no longer able to dance because of a debilitating stroke, works hard as a fortune-teller. Several subplots are skillfully woven into the plot, but none of the ends are neatly tied up, leaving room for thought and discussion. Adolescents who are questioning their lives and looking beyond appearances will appreciate this contemporary story. It's as satisfying as a hot, crisp corn dog at a carnival.
Laura Scott, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0399234195
• ISBN 13: 9780399234194
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 265