Loves Me, Loves Me Not [Paperback]

Anilu Bernardo (Author), Anuilu Bernardo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

Maggie is a smart, hard-working, responsible teenager who wants to become a doctor. She is given a great chance to try her skills when she is hired to care for an ailing elderly woman. They take a genuine liking to each other--and her grandson is the shool basketball strar that Maggie has been pining over. But he has a girlfriend, and Maggie is being pursued by an all-too-serious suitor herself. This delightful and entertaining novel is as much an exploration of values and perceptions as is of young and romantic love.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-10. Cuban American Maggie has a crush on handsome, blond, basketball player Zach, and by helping him with his German grammar, hopes to win him over. Then there's new student Justin, who has a crush on Maggie, and there's Maggie's best friend, Susie, who has a crush on Carlos, and who convinces Maggie to go on a double date: Maggie and Justin, Susie and Carlos. Justin turns out to be solicitous and kind; Carlos to be sex driven. However, this sweet teenage romance is not as simple-minded as it might sound. It has depth in characterization and a recognizable Latino ambience. Maggie's mother is a nurse, something that Maggie aspires to. So when she gets a job helping a friendly, elderly woman recovering from a broken leg, Maggie is very happy, and when she learns the woman is Zach's grandmother, she is ecstatic. Unfortunately, Maggie soon discovers that Zach is a bigot with a strong dislike of Latinos in general. Both Maggie and Susie learn a lot, most of it through their abiding friendship. A story sure to please many romance readers. Sally Estes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

paper 1-55885-259-X A cardboard romance enlivened slightly by its Cuban-American milieu. Maggie is smart and focused; she wants to be a nurse, as her mother is, and scarcely recalls her father, who died just out of medical school when she was a baby. Maggie and her best friend, Susie, live in Miami; they are typical teenagers whose Cuban background is evident in their use of Spanglish and in family customs and food. Maggie pines for golden jock Zach, the grandson of an elderly woman, Mrs. Maxwell, whom she helps around the house; her crush so blinds her that she refuses to see that Zach is careless of his grandmother's needs and feelings, and dismissive of Maggie's heritage. In a subplot, Susie sets Maggie up with Justin, her boyfriend Carlos's best friend. Standard teen temptations are created and demolished: Justin barely escapes getting into a fight; Carlos pressures Susie for sex so she breaks up with him. A climactic Christmas dinner with Zach's family, where Maggie is Mrs. Maxwell's guest because her own mother has to work, convinces her of Zach's true nature. Everything's a little too easy and neat, but Maggie's veering from sensible to silly will comfort teenagers who do the same. (Fiction. 12-14) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Pinata Books (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155885259X
• ISBN-13: 978-1558852594
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,398,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Social Issues > Dating & Intimacy > Nonfiction

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best, March 21, 2002

By 

James M Sorensen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loves Me, Loves Me Not (Paperback)

this book is a great book if you are struggleing in a relationship or you are a young teenage girl who is lovesick, or in need of love. the book is about a cuban girl maggie and her life she incorperates other stuff into it but it is mostly a love story for teens, i know that i wanted it to keep going, in most romances there is way too much goosh but this one was not, it was perfect! i borrowed it from the library but as soon as i finished it i wanted to buy it so i could read it over and over again! i am not one to re-read books but i want to read this one billions of times.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book!, November 12, 2000

By 

izzyfree "izzyfree" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loves Me, Loves Me Not (Paperback)

I think, "Loves Me, Loves Me Not" is a really good story because I understand how Maggie feels. I mean, this is relatable and this happens with people.

Maggie Castillo likes this guy Zach Sherwood, only he doesn't really notice her. Maggie doesn't really see Zach's true nature because she's so blind thinking of him as a God. Then there's Justin Bentley, the new guy from a private school. When Maggie's with Justin she has fun and there is a certain thrill. But which guy does Maggie really like and can she recognize whom she really likes in time?

This book is not really adventurous but I really like it, because Maggie explores herself and learns more about herself. In a way, I think this is a powerful book because of how it shows people. There are some issues that this book explores and I would recommend this book to all readers!

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW I COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN, April 5, 2005

By 

Karla Cortez "KC" (LOS ANGELES, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loves Me, Loves Me Not (Hardcover)

ONCE I GOT THIS BOOK I STARTED TO READ IT AND I SERIOUSLY SAT DOWN FOR FOUR HOURS WITHOUT GETTING UP TO EAT OR ANYTHING... AND IT WAS WORTH IT. I WISH I HAD READ THIS BOOK WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. GREAT BOOK. IT WOULD BE COOL IF THERE WAS A MOVIE MADE ABOUT IT TOO!