Gr 5–8—Living with her doting grandparents since her mother's death, seventh-grader Louise used to be a gymnast, but then she quit. She has decided that she will be called Thumbelina and have a crush on the pizza delivery guy. Her friend Reni encourages her despite her own failure to get any response from Justin Bieber. Her other friend, Henderson, is his own brand of unique, and while Thumb admires him, she doesn't quite make the connection that someone approachable could be a crush. Thumb's old house was in North Pottsboro where streets are names after spices, and the transition to South Pottsboro has left her off balance. She doesn't really recall her old life before her father left the family and her mother was unable to deal with it, but there are moments in italics where the past intrudes. A fondness for multiple adjectives and cutesy names like "Toot Toot Tourist Trolley" and "My Princess Prom" provide a light layer of froth over the very real pain that Thumb is blocking. Of course, that fog will eventually dissipate and Louise will need to use all of her four, feet seven inches to meet the challenge. The cloying quality of some of the dialogue and the obvious blindness to reality seem as superimposed as the names of the streets, but for readers looking for an emotional ride, this title will satisfy. The balance beam introduced in the first chapter provides the obvious metaphor for Louise's being off center and her need to find her own place in the world.—Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO
There’s a dark mystery propelling this extremely well-done novel about Louise, a tiny seventh-grader nursing a deep wound. Something so terrible happened a year earlier that she has “blocked a whole week out of conscious mind.” However, she’s still miserable, having moved from Cinnamon Street to a condo she shares with her (quirkily adorable) grandparents. Louise has changed schools, renamed herself (Thumbelina, to reflect her pint-size proportions), and given up gymnastics; her only friends are Reni and Reni’s brother, Henderson, a “volcano-loving, poetry-crazed flannel teddy bear in wire-rimmed glasses.” After Louise receives a note that reads “I am your biggest fan,” she and Reni decide it came from a hunky, high school–age, pizza delivery boy. Predictably disastrous actions ensue, but the resulting trauma is enough to shake Louise out of her torpor. Executed with wit and delicacy, Stone’s novel is made more poignant by her admission that she experienced a tragedy similar to Louise’s and reacted by blocking it out. “In fact,” she writes in her author’s note, “the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing to remember.” Ages 8–12. (Feb.)
"Most winning of all . . . is the romance itself, which bursts out in a joyful, honey-sweet dénouement that’s destined to be one of the great romantic moments in preteen fiction." - STARRED review The Bulletin of the center for Children's Books
"Extremely well-done." - STARRED review, Publishers Weekly
"An outstanding tale of love, loss and the true power of friendship." - STARRED review Kirkus Reviews
"Achingly sweet." - STARRED review, Booklist
Something terrible happened to seventh-grader Louise's parents, and only the kindly ministrations of an unknown admirer can pull her back from her insulating--suffocating--layers of denial. Louise lives with her quirky grandparents, vividly depicted by Stone (The Romeo and Juliet Code, 2011) as they strive to relieve the girl's obvious suffering. She's given up gymnastics, turned away from most of her peers and cut herself off from the devastating truth of her past. But some friends continue to reach out to her, especially her overweight best buddy, Reni, and Reni's tall seventh-grade brother, Henderson. After Louise discovers a note--"I am your biggest fan"--that seems to have been left by pizza–delivery boy Benny, she develops a shaky sort of crush on this all-but-unknown person. Her emotional fire is eagerly fueled by Reni's frustration with her own safely unrequited fixation on Justin Bieber. The true identity of Louise's biggest fan is gradually, achingly revealed, along with a gentle, loving exploration of the characters of these admirable, young teen protagonists. Readers of Louise's self-deprecating, sometimes funny first-person account will figure out the terrible thing that has happened to Louise, and a young man's role in her redemption, long before she does, just adding to the building suspense. An outstanding tale of love, loss and the true power of friendship. (Fiction. 10-14)
