Charly's Epic Fiascos

Gr 7 Up–Charly St. James wants to live a perfect life… so much so that she can’t help but tell huge lies every chance she gets to make it seems like she has one. To Mason, the hottest new guy in school, and her newest crush, she is a jet-setting New Yorker who travels back and forth to see her Dad in the Big Apple, all the while acing her classes in school and working  part time at a pet salon in town. In actuality, she lives with her younger sister and horrible mother in Illinois; she works at a BBQ joint and hasn’t seen her Dad in years–she doesn’t even know if he’s still in New York. Then things go from bad to worse when Charly finds out that her currently unemployed mom has stolen all the money she’s saved for a cell phone and blown it at the local casino.  She decides that she’s going to New York City to find her Dad, and no one is going to stop her. Although this story seems, by glancing at the cover, to be a fun and flighty story of a teen chasing her destiny, Charly’s situation is very sad. Her mom is extremely cruel and uncaring, and her grandmother also steals from her. There is a ray of hope at the end with a sequel almost certain to follow, but not many teens who are looking for a hopeful story will follow Charly on her adventures.–Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, Eugene, OR