Do-Over [Paperback]

Christine Hurley Deriso (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Imagine having the power to turn back time. Not 100 years—just 10 seconds. Enough to take back those embarrassing missteps and wrong answers.

Elsa’s mom died suddenly one year ago, but she appears one night to grant Elsa do-over power. Elsa thinks she dreamt it until she utters the words the next morning and watches her whole world rewind 10 seconds.

Elsa needs the do-over power to become cool at her new school. It’s fun taking people’s answers and being a star student one day, and gossip queen the next. Even the ultra-popular Slice Girls want to be her friend now. Elsa can re-do anything until she gets it right. So why doesn’t her new life feel so perfect?


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–Elsa is having a hard time. Her mother recently died and she is moving to a new school right before the end of seventh grade. On her first day, she is ridiculed by Darcy and her friends, the über-popular clique that Elsa would love to be a part of, or so she thinks. Thanks to a special appearance by her mom and a magical family heirloom, Elsa is gifted with the power of do-over: she can rewind the last 10 seconds of her life and change it as many times as she wants to, until her 13th birthday in a month's time. No, this is not a Lindsay Lohan movie; it's a typical coming-of-age, finding-yourself-among-snobs novel. Unfortunately, the writing is average and the characters are not fleshed out. Readers don't get much more than stereotypes: Elsa, the struggling newbie; Darcy, the stuck-up cheerleader; and Martin, the cute nerd. The theme is a bit too obvious and Elsa learns her lessons all too easily. Average fare, with a fast pace and lots of dialogue but little depth.–Carly B. Wiskoff, Sayville Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Christine Hurley Deriso's picture book, Dreams to Grow On, received the 2003 Independent Publisher Book Award in the Most Inspirational to Youth category. She lives in North Augusta, South Carolina.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (November 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440421195
• ISBN-13: 978-0440421191
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.5 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,081,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."--William Wordsworth

One thing that strikes me about my writing is that the process has changed very little since I first started jotting down stories around age six. An idea fills my head and whines, cajoles, begs or bullies until I pay attention. Sometimes the ideas are so charming that I scoop them up in a hug. Other times, they're so annoying that I snap, "What?" at their insistence. But either way, I can no more walk away from one than I could walk away from a child in need.

The ideas originate in my head, but they seem to have a mind, an essence, an existence of their own. I feel more like a vessel than an owner. Succumbing to these ideas' insistence to flow through me is profoundly joyful, yet also utterly involuntary. And that hasn't changed since I was six.

What has changed, I hope, is my wisdom, my insight, my courage ... my head's ability to make enough sense of these ideas to shape them into something meaningful, even the ones that scare me. Especially the ones that scare me.

I'm guessing you'll glean from my books that I love all words, any words, Whether I'm writing for a young child, a tween, a young adult or a Ph.D., I try hard to move my reader ... to make his world a little bigger or his heart a little fuller. Hopefully both.

So there you have it: I love words and I love ideas, and if I didn't love them, they'd badger me anyhow. Thanks for sharing the experience with me.

www.christinehurleyderiso.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book anyone in middle school can relate to, June 23, 2006

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do-Over (Hardcover)

DO-OVER is a coming-of-age novel by Christine Hurley Deriso that deals with the insecurities and self-esteem problems that plague middle-school students. After Elsa Alden's mother dies suddenly, the 12-year-old's father decides that they should move to Harbin Springs and live with Elsa's grandmother. Elsa always enjoyed visiting there and is eager to escape from her problems with the Slice Girls clique at her current middle school. Unfortunately, Elsa learns that all middle schools are basically the same. They each have a popular crowd that's very hard to get into. Her first day of school is so awful, she wishes she could just do it over again.

Elsa gets her wish when her dead mother pays her a visit one evening. Her mom grants her the power to rewind time 10 seconds by using a special locket. Now she can undo all of those embarrassing moments, like spilling chocolate milk on her shirt or saying the wrong thing in front of the popular crowd. Her mother advises Elsa to stay true to herself, but that proves to be more difficult than she thought. Elsa uses her power to become friends with Darcy, Jade, Jen and Carter, the most popular girls at Harbin Springs Middle School. After a few weeks, though, Elsa isn't so sure these girls are really her pals. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Elsa does meet one nice person at school, Martin King, who is popularity suicide for her. He's brainy and wears both glasses and braces. Three strikes and you're out! Although Martin is the first person who treats Elsa like a real friend, she decides that she can't risk her new reputation as a popular girl by hanging out with a boy like him. Now that she has the popularity she's always dreamed of, why doesn't her life seem perfect?

DO-OVER will appeal to both boys and girls in their middle school years. It is a tender, heartwarming novel with believable dialogue and realistic characters. Even though the plot is far-fetched, the author makes it seem believable.

--- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner ([e-mail])

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for pre-teens and teens!, June 15, 2006

By 

Marie Cook - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do-Over (Library Binding)

This is a book that pre-teens and teens will love. It has all of the elements of a fun book - - it's contemporary, clever, and engaging. I'm ordering a copy for my school's library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do-Over by Deriso, June 30, 2008

By 

T. Nelson (South Dakota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Do-Over (Paperback)

As a middle school reading teacher, I have recommended Do-Over to a number of my students and found it to be a hit every time. Everyone would like the opportunity to 'take something back' and do it over. This appeals to all of us. I have purchased multiple copies of this book for literature circles in school and heartily recommend it. It is especially good for middle school girls.