Toothpick

Jamie Almont, who has a crush on Ginger Gregson, the most popular girl in eleventh grade, befriends a scrawny new girl nicknamed Toothpick, who has a terminal disease, even if it means alienating the in-group

Grade 6 Up Jamie Almont, called Needle because of his long skinny legs, is an ordinary high-school nerd. He admires a beautiful girl in school but is too overwhelmed and insecure to get to know her. A new classmate, Janice Brooks, (Toothpick), who's skinnier than Jamie due to her cystic fibrosis, helps Jamie gain confidence, the beauty queen and a special relationship with a true friend. Janice's cystic fibrosis is described through basic, but not heavy, discussion. This gradual method of learning about a friend's disability or disease is typical of the way in which most people get to know a friend and the many special qualities of that person. Thus, this is a realistic approach to developing Janice's character as a sensitive, warm person with a life-threatening disease. The quick, chatty style of Jamie's narration will help young readers to identify easily with Jamie and his friends. Even slower readers will find this a rewarding book. Ruth Amernick, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.