Tag: growing up

Earlier this year, Marshmallow read and reviewed Almost Identical by Lin Oliver, the first of a series of books recommended to us by one of our readers (thank you again, you-know-who-you-are!). Today she is talking about Two-Faced, the second book of the series, published in 2012.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about family, friendship, or middle school drama, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Charlie Diamond just got invited to the party of the century but her twin sister Sammie didn’t. Ever since they came to their new middle school, Charlie and Sammie began to grow apart; Charlie was immediately drawn to the popular, rich SF2 group while Sammie found a home with the nerdier, geekier Truth Tellers. The division between the social groups is rather stereotypical except that the two sisters are now on opposite sides. They’ve worked it out pretty well after the first book, but the invite reminds them of this separation again and things start to unravel soon after.

Lauren–the richest, prettiest, and most popular girl in school–is Charlie’s new best friend but can’t bother to study with her for their upcoming history final. Because of her bad grades, Lauren is banned from attending the big party which is the biggest tragedy she’s experienced. As a naturally sympathetic friend, Charlie feels horrible for her and she’s slowly persuaded by her friend group to help Lauren get a good grade through shady means. Charlie is faced with the classic dilemma of sticking with her morals or doing what she knows will get her further acceptance by the popular group.

Sammie is initially blissfully unaware but eventually realizes that Charlie is struggling with this decision. As almost identical twins and tennis partners, they are two halves of the same circle. Keeping secrets creates fractures though and Charlie finds herself in the midst of classic middle school suspense, drama, and excitement while also holding herself to her father’s competitive expectations in tennis.

To get a scholarship for college, she and Sammie need to win; to win her crush’s heart, she needs to not mess up. To not mess up her social life within the popular circle, she needs to keep secrets. But, as one expects, keeping secrets is never a good idea and the web of lies eventually untangles before her. Luckily, her sister and friends are there for her! Still, there are some things that friendship and family can not fix and Charlie learns far more about life than she first expected when she received that initial party invite that started it all.

Marshmallow’s Review: I found it interesting that the book started off rather classically with a cliche “should I do something bad to become popular?” dilemma but transformed into a more unique story. I was surprised that the ending was not very simple. I expected there would be a sudden happy ending and, even though it seemed for a while that there was a set-up for that, things ended well but in a realistic way.

I found it interesting that the people in the book were not walking stereotypes without dimension; both jocks and nerds are presented with more depth and character. I applaud the author for adding good characters in both social circles. I liked how Sammie also kept Charlie grounded when the richer kids began rubbing off on her and giving her a skewed sense of perspective. I think the author also did a good job of establishing that all of the characters are flawed but fundamentally good people, something most coming-of-age stories do not always accomplish; often, individuals are representative of one specific trait that is either positive or negative and that is the extent of character development.

I will say that I was a little disappointed that justice was carried out unfairly (I can’t say much more without spoiling) and that the book ended with an ambiguous message. The moral of the story kind of implies that it is okay to break rules and go against what you know is right as long as the people you do it for are still nice to you after. I think it is important for young bunnies to learn that you should have boundaries you set for yourself that you will not cross for any relationship, regardless of how much you care about the other individual. I understand that circumstances influence decision but this book does (SPOILER) kind of let Lauren get away scot-free with cheating on a history test while Charlie ends up being punished by the school.

Academic violations are not a joke and the fact that the book kind of glosses over the fact that Lauren and Charlie stay good friends without Lauren ever owning up to her own guilt allows that unhealthy relationship dynamic to remain. Charlie ends up being prosecuted by the school (luckily not expelled at least) while Lauren just says sorry to her privately and gives her gifts as an apology. She is sweet but that doesn’t mean that it is okay for her to keep quiet and let Charlie take all the blame, especially since the reason why Lauren cheated was because she was too lazy to actually study herself.

I’ve written about this a lot because I do not think this was a very good handling of the situation because ultimately Lauren chooses herself and Charlie stays loyal to her, reinforcing a hierarchical dynamic that might reflect their respective economic positions (Charlie’s father works for the sports club owned by Lauren’s parents). It might be a realistic situation but I think it should be highlighted by parents giving or teachers assigning this book to young readers. I found that aspect to be unsatisfactory. Charlie doesn’t end up getting most of what she wants except for a sweet romantic moment; one should interpret this as a warning but this once again reinforces the idea that it is okay to succumb to peer pressure because–hey, you might get in big time trouble and almost get yourself and your sister kicked out of school but–you will eventually get the guy!

Charlie is content at the end of the book even though the book does do a good job detailing the repercussions of her actions. I think this contradiction is worth thinking deeper about. This is overall a very good book. I think there are just some mixed messages on the surface that should be looked at closer to see the fuller message: you can make a mistake and still be happy but you will still lose some of the things you want.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Today Marshmallow reviews Almost Identical, the 2012 book by Lin Oliver that starts the eponymous four-book series. This book series was recommended to the book bunnies by a reader of the blog: thank you, you-know-who-you-are!

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like sweet stories that surprise you with their depth and potential significance to your own life, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Sammie and Charlie Diamond are identical twins. Though their names might not sound like it, they are both twelve year old girls (twelve years and three quarters to be exact!) Being identical twins, they’ve done everything together since birth. They are extremely good tennis players and compete constantly in doubles leagues. This is mostly due to their father’s desire to live somewhat vicariously through their success. He was set to become a professional player but was injured in a game and had to have a career-ending surgery. Now, he works as the athletic director at the Sporty Forty beach club in Santa Monica teaching tennis and supervising things in general.

Luckily, the family and GoGo (the girls’ grandmother) are allowed to live in the old caretaker’s beautiful bungalow for free by the beach. Unluckily, Sammie and Charlie’s mother is off in Boston at culinary school so she can start up a restaurant when she comes back. That means Sammie and Charlie are on their own to deal with their annoying older brother Ryan. They have plenty to worry about besides him though. Moving from Culver City Middle School to the more affluent Beachside Middle School is a bit of a jarring change.

One girl in particular–Lauren Wadsworth–is so rich and famous and smart and beautiful (allegedly) that they had heard about her before moving. The cool kids / jocks call themselves the SF2s because they are the second generation of the owners of the Sporty Forty (which is owned by several very wealthy families). Sammie and Charlie meet Lauren before school starts though as she is hosting her birthday party at the club; because she has a crush on Ryan, Lauren eventually invites all three of the Diamond children to the event.

This is the start of the end for Sammie. Before all of this, she was already being essentially attacked by her father and brother for being ‘too heavy.’ At the party, she is reminded yet again that she does not fit in as well as Charlie. Charlie is desperate to get in with the in-group and she does well, especially since Lauren can’t wait to get closer to the Diamond family (though she is mostly interested in a specific annoying eighth grade boy…cough, cough, Ryan).

Basically, Charlie fits in. Sammie, on the other hand, does not. She is uncomfortable around the girls and feels like she has to constantly be putting on a fake performance to hang around them. When she leaves to play Frisbee with the boys on the beach, she is quickly told that Charlie is “the hot version of you.” This feeling of growing alienation between Sammie and the SF2s and Charlie remains long after the party is over. Sammie feels most comfortable with the ‘weird’er kids, like Alicia whom she meets at the party. After immigrating from El Salvador at the age of three, Alicia’s family is integrated into the club in a different way from most of the party guests. Her mother works essentially as a maid while her father is the groundskeeper. She is similarly an outsider and the two girls click.

The only thing is that Sammie and Charlie no longer do. Like it says on the book’s cover, they are “growing up and growing apart.” Charlie is doing pretty well for herself in the cliquey SF2 group while Sammie is starting to embrace her more authentic, unique identity at a school club called the Truth Tellers (where students practice and perform stand-up speaking intended to reveal personal stories to the audience in a meaningful way). The two girls were always “two halves of a circle” but change is the only constant. Within three weeks, Sammie and Charlie slowly realize that they are more different than they thought; with new, growing identities, they are no longer almost identical.

Marshmallow’s Review: Almost Identical is so very well done! I think the author deserves a round of applause for handling a relatively overused trope with new nuance and depth. This was the first time I read a book about siblings or best friends growing apart in different directions and I felt like it was truly a detailed account of the storyline. Oftentimes, pre-teen books or teen books about growing up and change in middle school have to resort to the typical Mean Girls level of characterizing certain cliques. This book did also have the SF2s, which are somewhat similar. However, it felt a lot more realistic and less cartoonish. I really liked the Mean Girls movie, but Oliver’s novel is a lot more grounded in reality and speaks more to the true middle school experience than most other, more exaggerated accounts do.

Sammie is a very impressive young girl and seeing things from her lens is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. She definitely suffers a lot from body shaming as her father is determined to make her into the best possible tennis player. He believes she is too heavy and that her weight is slowing her down, despite the fact that she is not really overweight in the first place. Her brother joins in unhelpfully in the worst possible situations and his girlfriend-to-be a.k.a. Lauren soon follows suit. Within the first chapter, you develop a deep sympathy for Sammie and she is a very likeable protagonist.

I think the author was very smart to start the book the way she did as it curries favor with the reader to like Sammie almost instantly. This book–as it is told by her–portrays Sammie as the morally correct, wiser of the twins. However, Charlie’s growth is also portrayed in a relatively nonjudgmental light at the end. I really liked how the rapidly expanding rift between them is eventually accepted as separate paths that will define them as different people. This was handled in a very soft, beautiful way.

I feel like this story of struggling, navigating, and then willing letting yourself be taken by change is relevant to more than just middle schoolers. As a high schooler realizing that things are changing and will continue to change a lot more, I found this story very comforting. It gave me a sense of clarity that, despite continual change and occasional chaos, impermanence can lead to new places, perspectives, and people you had never considered before. That is a lesson I think we can all benefit from.

Given its accessible and entertaining prose, I think Almost Identical is a very sweet story that would be amazing for all bunnies. Of course, it is most important for pre-teens and teens to read about situations that most closely align with their own experiences. But adults shouldn’t scoff at the idea of reading this book either! Caramel and I aren’t twins, but I hope he reads this book too. Change is an undeniable, unyielding force in our universe, and reading these seemingly small works of human art can serve as a tether to what grounds us as the world seems to transform around us.

I would like to especially thank the reader who recommended that we read this book! Even though the author finishes this book in a satisfying manner, I look forward to reading the next book of this series!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.