Koya Delaney and the Good Girl Blues - Softcover

Greenfield, Eloise

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0590432990 ISBN 13: 9780590432993

Publisher: Apple, 1995

Synopsis

Koya Delaney hides behind her smile and cannot express her feelings--until she is caught in the middle when a fight erupts between her sister and her best friend just before her pop star cousin comes to town to do a concert. Reprint.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

As neatly summed up in Jan Spivey Gilchrist's attractive jacket art, there are several themes in this warm school-and- family story, set near Washington, D.C. Koya is distressed by a falling-out between her sister Loritha and her best friend Dawn, the result of a spiteful trick Dawn plays on Loritha just before a ``double-dutch'' contest. The jacket's swirling jump-ropes with the two girls suggest a treble clef--even more important than the team competition is a visit from cousin Del, a popular singer. Del's fans' adulation leads to Koya getting in touch with her own emotions: though her inability to express her justifiable anger at Dawn has delayed resolving the bad feelings among the three girls, when the fans drown out Del's music with their enthusiasm her indignation erupts; and once she's felt it, Koya creatively learns to combine righteous anger with her habitual tactic when she's upset--telling jokes, for which she has a special gift. The resolution here is a tad simplistic, and the adults- -though admirable role models--seem a little too good to be true. (Still, it's grand to read about a pop idol who turns down his sound to protect young ears and picks up the litter his admirers have left by his host's door.) The girls are credible and more subtly drawn, their troubles and triumphs engaging. Meanwhile, Greenfield (a much-honored author and poet) narrates with grace and clarity, weaving her several themes into a carefully structured, thought-provoking story that should be a long-lived favorite. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly

Sisters Koya and Loritha get along very well, though they don't always see eye to eye. Koya never loses her temper and does her best to keep everyone happy. Her sister's propensity for being accomodating doesn't sit well with Loritha when she is double-crossed by Koya's best friend, Dawn. Instead of sticking up for Loritha, Koya continues to be buddies with Dawn so that her feelings won't be hurt. In a rather dramatic, epiphanic moment, Koya realizes that it's okay to be angry sometimes, and finally gives Dawn a piece of her mind. All is forgiven, and the three girls are friends again. Meanwhile, such events as a double-dutch contest and a visit from the DeLaney sisters' cousin, a famous pop singer, keep Greenfield's ( Under the Sunday Tree ; Africa Dream ) plot rolling along at a sprightly clip. Youngsters will warm up immediately to the feisty Koya, a '90s Pollyanna with a witty edge. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Apple
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0590432990
• ISBN 13: 9780590432993
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 124