Yellow Mini

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Overview

Mark, Mr. Popularity, tools around town in the yellow mini left to him by his recently deceased father; his new girlfriend Stacey can’t believe her luck, but doesn’t understand Mark’s odd need to disappear into the woods from time to time; her former friends Mary and Annabelle try to find their place in the world – shy Mary transforms into a concert pianist and Annabelle into an world-changing activist with the idealistic and adoring Christopher by her side. In the background, the teens’ parents struggle with ...

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More About This Book

Overview

Mark, Mr. Popularity, tools around town in the yellow mini left to him by his recently deceased father; his new girlfriend Stacey can’t believe her luck, but doesn’t understand Mark’s odd need to disappear into the woods from time to time; her former friends Mary and Annabelle try to find their place in the world – shy Mary transforms into a concert pianist and Annabelle into an world-changing activist with the idealistic and adoring Christopher by her side. In the background, the teens’ parents struggle with their desire to protect their children, yet give them room to grow into the adults they must become. Each voice tells his or her story in powerful free verse.

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Editorial Reviews

VOYA - Etienne Vallee
Five characters share this free-verse novel. Annabelle, Mary, and Stacy had been friends since elementary school, until they were torn apart by teenage relationships. Christopher is invisible but hopes to gain Annabelle's attention. Mark is Stacy's boyfriend, but he would rather be with his yellow Mini, chasing the dreams and fulfilling the expectations that his dead father placed on him. Focusing primarily on the first few months of school in their senior year and a talent show, the characters explore their feelings and voice their hopes and fears. Annabelle is trying to save the world by following her ideals. Mary surrounds herself in a cocoon of music. Stacy left her friends when she started dating Mark, one of the hottest guys at school, but she is not sure what she wants out of their relationship. Mark bought the Mini with the settlement money from his father's traffic death, and he hopes to escape his town. Christopher only wants Annabelle. In this short novel, Weber accesses not only the feelings of the five main characters, but also of their parents, teachers, and others who contribute knowledge and emotions to explain their actions or their perceptions. The voices are compelling as they reflect and comment on events. Each page presents the perspective of one character, and several black-and-white doodles can be found throughout the book. Fans of Kirsten Smith's The Geography of Girlhood (Little, Brown 2006/VOYA December 2006) will enjoy this novel, as will those who like the writings of Sonya Sones. Reviewer: Etienne Vallee
VOYA - Monique Perry
This book is about five teenagers who are trying to find their way through their last year of high school. Relationships and interactions between these teens are explored in poem form, with each teen presenting their perspective on events happening to them. Poetry lovers will enjoy this book, as will those who like a quick read about relationships. Reviewer: Monique Perry, Teen Reviewer
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—Mark's father died in an accident, and, instead of saving the insurance money for college, the teen squanders it (in his mother's eyes) to buy the titular yellow car. He speeds all over town with his hanger-on of a girlfriend, Stacey, at his side. A new convert to the ranks of cool kids, she has forsaken her two former best friends, Annabelle and Mary. They are hardly sitting at home twiddling their thumbs, however. Annabelle discovers the school's Social Action Group and finds first love in someone she'd never considered before. Mary inches out of the shadows to give a public performance on her beloved piano. Told in verse from multiple perspectives, the story is straightforward and fast-paced, and may appeal to readers who can identify with one or more of the characters. It takes more than 20 pages, however, until a reference to the Iraq War erases the suspicion that this is a work of historical fiction due to some dated remarks by the characters. Annabelle, for example, describes how the cool kids "smoke up" and don't care about "good marks," not descriptors of choice for today's teens. Such phrases, coupled with somewhat flat characters and a smattering of trite sayings, sometimes add to the feeling that someone's mom, not teens, are speaking. This is a decent read for fans of novels in verse in a contemporary high school setting, but most readers will find Ellen Hopkins's Perfect (S & S, 2011) or Samantha Schutz's You Are Not Here (Scholastic, 2010) more compelling.—Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Montclair, NJ
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781554551996
  • Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Limited
  • Publication date: 10/15/2011
  • Pages: 224
  • Sales rank: 1,342,114
  • Age range: 13 - 17 Years
  • Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 7.50 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Meet the Author

Lori Weber was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A member of CANSCAIP, she is currently an English teacher at John Abbott College in Montreal and is the author of Klepto, Split, Tattoo Heaven, Strange Beauty, and If You Live Like Me.Yellow Mini is Lori's first novel written in verse.

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Read an Excerpt

I can’t help wondering what he was like, or is like, because he’s not dead,
he’s just not here, in my life.

My mom tells me I don’t need to know him, that knowing him wouldn’t change who I am.

But how does she know that? It’s like the one about the tree falling in the forest when no one is there to hear it. Doesn’t it still fall?

I guess I’m kind of like the tree, only my father isn’t around to see me.
Maybe I’d grow differently if he were.

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