Brett McCarthy: Work In Progress [Hardcover]

Maria Padian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2008

Brett McCarthy lives for soccer, vocabulary words, and her largerthan-life grandmother, Nonna. Unfortunately, Brett’s got a huge mouth she can’t seem to tame and opinions she can’t keep to herself. It’s thanks in part to both of those things (well, really, the evil Jeanne Anne) that Brett finds herself going from good student and BFF to Diane, to twicesuspended, friendless, and lunching with the principal every day. Indefinitely. So when Nonna starts going for lots of medical tests and no one will tell her why, Brett’s already turned-upside down world goes from bad to worse, and she’s not sure where she fits, who she is, or how to make right what she, and her big fat mouth, have made wrong. Maria Padian makes her literary debut with a laugh-out-loud coming-of-age novel about one smart-mouthed 14-year-old who’s learning the hard way that she is a work in progress.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, March 3, 2008:
"Forceful and heartwarming, this coming-of-age story examines what happens when old friends are outgrown and loved ones are no longer there to lean on."

Review, Parade, June 22, 2008:
"[A] hilarious coming-of-age story."

About the Author

Maria Padian has worked as a news reporter, an essayist for public radio, a press secretary for a U.S. congressman, and a freelance writer. An avid tennis player, gardener, skier, and hiker, she is also the mother of two teenagers, who provide countless inspirations and insights for her writing. A graduate of Middlebury College and the University of Virginia, she has also attended Oxford University and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She lives with her children, her husband, and their Australian shepherd in Maine, where she is at work on a new novel. To learn more about her, visit www.mariapadian.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375846751
• ISBN-13: 978-0375846755
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,832,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maria Padian is an author of young adult novels as well as a freelance writer, essayist and former broadcast journalist. Her first novel, "Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress" (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008) was chosen by the ALA and YALSA as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2009 and also received a Maine Literary Award and Maine Lupine Honor Award. Her second novel, "Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best," will be published by Knopf in March, 2011.

A graduate of Middlebury College and the University of Virginia, she has also attended Oxford University and the Bread Loaf Writers' conference. Along with being a passionate, life-long reader, she is an avid gardener, tennis player, nordic skier and coffee drinker. She makes her home in Maine with her family and their Australian Shepherd.

To learn more about Maria and her books visit www.mariapadian.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 11, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brett McCarthy: Work In Progress (Hardcover)

Normally a decent student, a star soccer player, and responsible only daughter, Brett McCarthy isn't exactly sure what is going wrong. First she is suspended, then earns unlimited lunchtime detentions with the middle school principal, and then she is suspended again. It is enough to freak anyone out.

To complicate matters, Brett learns that her long-time best friend is not only dealing with divorcing parents, but has also lost her mind and decided to try out for the cheerleading squad. With her friends deserting her, Brett turns to her grandmother, "Nonna," only to suspect something fishy is going on with her and some medical situation.

Brett is an extremely likeable teen dealing with a crazy middle school year. Typical adolescent problems are creatively mixed with Nonna's kooky schemes, a lot of chocolate brownie baking, and a plan to resurrect an old lighthouse. One adventure after another holds the readers' attention and keeps this story moving quickly.

Debut author Maria Padian has something for everyone in this book. Brett's father, an English professor, provides countless poetry references for just about any situation. Brett's own love of vocabulary shows up as she introduces a new word with each chapter. And with 45 quick-read chapters, readers are bound to increase their personal vocabulary whether they want to or not. There is no shortage of humor. I found myself chuckling plenty. Padian doesn't shy away from heart-rending emotion, either. Be sure to have a tissue or two close at hand.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Define-itely, August 8, 2008

By 

Jeffrey Fischer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brett McCarthy: Work In Progress (Hardcover)

At first I thought I was getting a fairly typical -- though very knowing -- young adult novel about the trials of middle school friendship, but the story grew on me, and I found I couldn't put it down. A compelling plot, a creative first person voice, and depth in the relationships, particularly as the story of Brett's grandmother Nonna evolves. The building of chapters around Brett's vocabulary lessons is not corny: it begins and ends with the concept of (self) definition in a satisfying, theme-building way.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Let the Cover Fool You, January 25, 2009

By 

E. S. Damone - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brett McCarthy: Work In Progress (Hardcover)

A truly human story about a girl struggling to find herself as she embraces the obstacles of adolescence, family, and life in her own strong, unique, and unexpected ways. Brett is smart, witty, and obsessed with words. And don't let the Catcher-in-the-Rye-esque cover fool you, this is a story of trial, tribulation, love, and hope. For anyone who has every wondered how we become who we are, how we manage to constantly redefine ourselves and our relationships in an uncertain world, this is beautiful place to start.