Customer Reviews

I, Lorelei (Laura Geringer Books)

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4 star:		(1)
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My daughter, who just turned 11, read I, Lorelei and simply loved it. The characters really rang true to her and she insisted I read it too. Yeardley Smith has created characters who vividly come to life for young readers. The story is not just about how the turmoil of divorce radiates through Lorelei's family, but also how young people have to juggle the pressures at home and at school while discovering who they truly are as people. My daughter and I highly recommend this book.

Lorelei Connelly has decided she will start journaling about her life to her cat Mud, who recently died. She wants to be able to tell Mud what he's missing and also give her future biographers something to write about when she is famous. Her journal to Mud starts out with her everyday activities and Lorelei's foray into theater with her middle school production of Peter Pan.

When Lorelei's parent's marriage starts to fall apart, her journal to Mud becomes a place for Lorelei to share her feelings and try to understand what is happening to her family. Lorelei's dad starts to take all the furniture, her mom goes on a nanny hiring streak, and poor Lorelei is stuck in the middle.

Yeardley Smith is the voice of Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons, so I'm not surprised to see a smart girl as the lead of I, LORELEI. At times I even felt there was a little bit of Lisa in Lorelei.

Lorelei is a strong character and a great role model. She stands up to the mean popular girl and the school bully and doesn't let them bother her. She goes against the grain and befriends the unpopular girl at school. Lorelei's journal is full of laughs as well as her heartbreak over her parents. Not only is Lorelei dealing with things at home, but she's also coming into her own and trying to figure life out at school, boys, and friends.

This is a humorous, touching read that I'm sure will resonate with tween readers.

Reviewed by: Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen

I, Lorelei was a pleasure to read. The protagonist is a believable, interesting 11-year-old girl going through the normal pre-teen angst and some family issues that ring totally true to this reader. The other characters -- mainly her friends and family -- are variously quirky and occasionally fascinating. But Lorelei charms throughout, with her moxie and heart. She'll be inspiration to young readers, and adults will enjoy many parts of this book as well. Here's hoping for a sequel!

Every eleven-year-old girl dreams of growing up and becoming a star. Lorelei Connelly is no different. A practical-minded young lady, she has visions of fame and fortune as a Broadway actress, a chef, or even a famous author. In order to capture her rise to stardom, she has decided to document every step of the way in a diary written to her beloved deceased cat named Mud.

The Connelly family is quirky, but that's no surprise. No family is ever perfect. While Lorelei struggles with bothersome boys and gregarious girlfriends, her parents discover some marital troubles that need immediate fixing. As for her siblings, her older brother Teddy chooses to ignore the obvious while little baby brother, Ryan, hides in a world of his own. Thank goodness for her diary and her precious, yet faraway, Mud as Lorelei tries to cope with the pressure of a once idyllic world coming to an abrupt halt.

With the school play on the horizon, Lorelei pushes her family's turmoil aside as she prepares for her most important role to date. If only her mother weren't pressuring her to try-out for the role she herself once played. Luckily for everyone, things have a way of falling into place. And along the way, she befriends some unexpected characters who teach her the importance of being proud of oneself and more importantly, for standing up for what is right.

As the family she once knew turns the page to its next chapter, Lorelei begins to appreciate each member's uniqueness as they take baby steps towards becoming once again whole. With Mud by her proverbial side, her confidence soars as she embarks on the next phase of her lifelong journey to happiness.

I, LORELEI is a delightful pre-teen book written by the Emmy award-winning actress Yeardley Smith. Best-known as the voice of Lisa on the hit television show The Simpsons, she hits the mark with her witty, yet sensitive narrative of a sharp, young girl facing the everyday drama of growing up.

"Dear Mud," starts Lorelei Lee Connelly's diary, "I've decided to start keeping a diary, so that when I become a famous writer/actress/chef I'll remember everything that happened to me. Plus, when I'm dead, and someone wants to write my biography, they won't have to make stuff up about me."

Probably everyone writes in a diary for this reason, but Lorelei just puts it out there, straight and simple. That's the first indication you get that this sixth grader is reliable, smart and a lot of fun.

Mud, her cat, has recently died. All of Lorelei's diary entries are written to Mud because he was an excellent listener. So we, along with Mud, get to listen to Lorelei tell us about auditions for the school play, her crazy mother's never-ending quest to find a new nanny for Lorelei and her brothers, and the fights her parents seem to be having too many of.

While fighting parents is enough for any 11-year-old kid to deal with, Lorelei has plenty of other things going on. Her best friend, Jenny, is going stir crazy from having too many siblings, and Lorelei is in an interesting place herself, with a younger brother in pre-school making up his own language and an older brother just trying to stay cool while the rest of his family starts to fall apart. Just to make life a little more interesting, Jenny's crush seems to have a thing for Lorelei. And she's not quite sure what to make of that.

I, LORELEI takes us through half a year of Lorelei's life, and things get very hard. Still, Lorelei remains honest throughout, and she's almost always able to find a silver lining in every cloud.

I haven't read a character like Lorelei Lee Connelly in a long time, probably because it feels like not many of them have been written. Lorelei doesn't even feel written --- she feels real. Ever think you could be just like Eloise, the girl who lives at the Plaza, or that Ramona Quimby could be your next-door neighbor, or maybe you go to school with someone like Lisa Simpson? Add Lorelei to the list. And its fitting that Lorelei's creator, Yeardley Smith, is the voice of Lisa Simpson on "The Simpsons." She obviously knows a thing or two about how to be an awesome girl.

Parents and kids will get a kick out of Lorelei, who is at once very modern and now while also a bit of a throwback to other times. Her name will remind you of Marilyn Monroe's character in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and she's very well-versed in the areas of Broadway musicals, people and friend-making skills, and even interpreting her brother's made-up language. Lorelei is someone to look up to and is also refreshingly down to earth and familiar.

Smith's first novel is entirely enjoyable and well above the average book in many subtle ways. The kids in Lorelei's world don't look up to the latest Disney Channel star; they know about old musicals and good books. Not everyone is white; in fact, the cutest boy in Lorelei's class is biracial. And Lorelei begins many journal entries with a new word she wants to learn for the day. I, LORELEI is perfect for a smart kid who loves reading already or for one who needs the right book to get started.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez

I was at the book store looking to buy a gift for my niece, Nicole. The cover of I, Lorelei caught my eye. It was super cute, I couldn't help but look. I gave it to my 11-year-old niece, who reads like crazy and she finished it in two days. She sent me an email thanking me for the book and told me how much she loved Lorelei and wanted to know where she could get those tights. I, Lorelei made me look like the "rock star" aunt, I always knew I was. I highly recommended it!

When eleven-year-old Lorelei Connelly's cat named Mud dies, she begins a diary to him. In it she chronicles her daily life with her family and her adventures in the sixth grade. She's also writing the diary to ensure that when she's a famous actress, chef and/or bestselling author her biographers can accurately report her life.

The diary begins with Lorelei trying out for the middle school Peter Pan production. Lorelei wants to try out for Tinkerbelle but her mom, who played Wendy in college, is dead set on her trying out for Wendy in this play. Lorelei wonders how to break the news to her mom when her mom goes so far as to dig out her old Wendy costume.

In the midst of Lorelei's normal tween drama which includes being replaced as Jenny's best friend by the much hated Veronica and being terrified by the school bully Matt Newsome, her parents' marriage begins to fall apart. We follow along in her journey as she shares it all with the much loved and missed Mud.

It's hard to believe that this is Smith's first book. The writing is excellent and she captured the eleven year old voice so perfectly that I truly felt that this book was written by a young girl. Lorelei's diary entries are funny and you can't help but root for her when things start to go wrong. I fell right into the story and the characters became loved. You know a book is great when you find yourself thinking about the characters long after you've finished reading.

This book is perfect reading for the tween crowd, ages 8-12 but I also recommend this book for any adult who loves reading young adult books also. I hope Smith continues writing books and that she ventures into adult books soon.

My 4th grade daughter read this book to me and it lead to such great discussions. This book is smart, sad, funny, and realistic. I would definitely recommend this book.