CITATION: Mackler, C. (2004). Vegan virgin valentine. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press.IDENTIFYING #: 0763626139
CLASSIFICATION: FICTION
GENRE:REALISTIC FICTION
CALL #: FIC MACKLER
RECOMMENDED AGE/INTEREST LEVEL: YOUNG ADULT
RATING:4.5
Annotation: When straight-laced high school senior Mara Valentine's 16 year-old scandalous niece moves into her room and moves in on Mara's ex-boyfriend, Mara's carefully ordered world begins to unravel--and maybe that's not such a bad thing.
Summary: Mara Valentine had a plan--for everything, and those plans certainly did not include having her room, and her carefully-controlled life, invaded by her "look at me", slutty, stoner, only one year younger, rebel niece, V. Mara's flaky and much older sister Aimee, has dragged V across the map chasing and inevitably running away from love, as she dates, moves in with, and dumps one man after another. When Mara's parents (V's grandparents), offer V a stable home, she shows up with profanity written on her fingers and a definite attitude. It's all too much for Valedictorian candidate and Yale-bound Mara, who has absolutely nothing in common with her trouble-making niece. From the moment V arrives, the relationship is off to a rocky start, and things only get worse when V makes out with Mara's ex-boyfriend, and closest competitor, in a bathroom stall on her first day at Mara's high school. When Mara finally confronts V, V takes off on Mara, letting her know that maybe Little Ms. Perfect ISN'T so perfect. Conflict and tension mount as the months pass, and the more Mara gets to know V, the more she learns about herself.
Notes: Teens who enjoyed The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, will appreciate Mackler's humor and realism in dealing with family, relationship, and identity issues. Mackler doesn't underestimate the reader's intelligence by tying everything up into a nice, neat package where all issues are nicely resolved. Her characters portray growth and developing maturity in realistic and yet, surprising ways, resulting in an authentic story with experiences most young adults will relate to.
