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Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
By Allie Costa
Sometimes, what you don't do can be as consequential as what you do.
Parker was a good girl. A nice girl. A cheerleader. A straight-A student.
Then something happened. Something which changed Parker completely. Something she wishes she could change. Her mood, her grades, and her spirits have all plummeted. Haunted, Parker is no longer the girl she once was - and she doesn't want to be, not anymore.
From its first page, Cracked Up to Be is raw and real. Courtney Summers' debut novel will immediately strike a chord with readers. When the characters speak, they sound authentic: some kids swear and some kids laugh while others toss out a word or two while swallowing down what they really want to say. Adult readers will quickly be transported to the halls of high school and feel as if they never left. When worries and bravado and the sound of lockers opening and shutting fill the space between classes, the air becomes so thick with activity and words and things that she's no longer a part of that sometimes Parker just can't breathe.
With everything referring back to a party and alluding to something that transpired there, there's an element of mystery to the story. That element will inspire the desire to keep reading, not only to find out what happened then but also see what happens next.
In a way, there are three Parkers - past, present, and future - and all of them are worth knowing. Repulsed by her former self, she acts out on purpose, pushing everything and everyone away. Once perfect, whole, and untouchable, she is now a broken girl. Shattered. As she struggles through her senior year, she may or may not find all of the pieces of herself. If those pieces can come back together again, Parker might be able reclaim herself - if she even wants to - but she'll have to let go of some heavy things in order to do so.
I highly recommend this title, which I have included on my Best Books of 2008 list. If you want to see the full list, visit my blog Bildungsroman after December 31st.:
http://slayground.livejournal.com