Customer Reviews

Accent on April

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This is a fun book. I know that the 1950's/60's style of children/young adult books--gentle stories about teenagers whose worse problem is "fitting in" and invariably have loving and wise parents--has fallen into disfavor, while "modern" YA books emphasize real-world heavy problems such as teen pregnancy, drug use, abusive or broken homes, etc. But this book, like many others from its era, proves that a book with light content may still be well-written. This quiet story about teenagers fitting in, getting along with siblings, and growing is a pleasant exercise in nostalgia and a relaxing read. Also nice because the teenager girl character doesn't spend ALL her time thinking about boys.

Although this book was published in 1960, the characters' personalities and most of the story line still relate to the present. The heroine, Kathy, must find her own nitch in high school, while dealing with the adolescent trials of her older brother. I don't feel I'm giving too much away by revealing that Kathy takes an interest in the school paper, and also in the paper's editor, a senior. Ms. Cavanna's ability to convey Kathy's ups and downs as a fifteen-year old is what really draws the reader into the story. I enjoyed and related to this book in middle school, but liked it when I read it recently as an adult. The best part of Ms. Cavanna's story is the developing maturity of her characters' emotions. She is able to convey the angst that teenagers can feel over first love and sibling rivalry in a way that can be related to today. It also has interesting glimpses into 1960 mainstream views of Beatnik culture.