Customer Reviews

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks (Playaway Children)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After spending the summer working a labor-intensive job in Tennessee with the Student Conservation Association, fifteen-year-old Carly comes back to her home in Atlanta with a new perspective on life, her priorities, and the future. Her work outdoors strengthened her body and her mind, and gave her a new appreciation for the world outside of her wealthy town and her prestigious Christian prep school.

Carly and her younger sister Anna have always been thick as thieves. They are only one grade apart. Carly's looking forward to the new school year because Anna will be joining her on the high school campus. Anna clearly looks up to Carly, and Carly looks out for Anna. Carly even waited to take P.E. so that she could be in the same gym class as her baby sister.

But when Carly returns from her summer away, she finds that her sister has grown up, not in height or emotional or mental maturity so much as in curves. Even though she's barely a freshman, Anna suddenly looks like the older sister. On the very first day of school, Anna gets hit on by a number of boys, one of whom pulls a stunt which accidentally gets her in trouble with the headmaster - and Carly's the one who gets her out of it. She wonders what will happen on the day that she can't bail Anna out . . . and she worries that soon, Anna will outgrow her.

Carly is a great narrator. She has strength of conviction and a good moral compass. Myracle's trademark tell-it-like-it-is writing serves her well. Carly doesn't stand for it when people are rude to her or her sister, and she knows how to handle things when adults are condescending or try to pull the wool over her eyes. Myracle infuses her story with realism, especially when Carly considers and confronts some of the unfair stereotypes in her school and community. Carly knows she lives a privileged life, but unlike the equally rich characters in so many books these days, it makes her uncomfortable. What makes Anna uncomfortable is her changing body, but instead of dressing provocatively and slathering on makeup or going in the opposite direction and covering up in layers, she just keeps wearing her usual clothes, which are pretty mainstream-modest. Though their parents are well-off, neither Carly nor Anna are materialistic. While Carly puts on jeans and tie-dyed shirts, her mother is always impeccably dressed in brand-name clothing. When given the opportunity to go on a shopping spree, the girls leave their mother in Neiman's, drooling over Armani, to get some jeans and corny screen-print tops in Urban Outfitters, and Carly gets Anna to put some things back rather than overspend. Carly would rather listen to Cat Stevens than Top 40 radio, and she finds herself rather smitten by the new guitar-playing boy in school.

Each character has a clear voice and personality. Cole, Carly's crush, plays it cool - and he obviously knows that he's cool. Carly's buddy Roger, who moved to America from Holland the year before, is considerate and well-mannered. Carly's preppy friend Peyton is chatty and opinionated. Their classmate Vonzelle keeps her chin up, even when others look down on her because she's a scholarship student. Carly is bold and bossy while Anna is tentative and sensitive.

When confronted with something difficult, the siblings remind each other to "paddle harder" to get through it or get over it altogether. This sisterly in-joke is based on something their father said to Anna when she was four years old and scared to swim on her own without her duck-shaped float. Their father, the proud owner of both a BMW and a Jaguar, berates the girls on a regular basis. While he is never physically abusive, and though he is nowhere near as horrible as Terra's father in North of Beautiful, a fantastic book about self-acceptance by Justina Chen Headley, his put-downs really pain his daughters, especially Anna. Meanwhile, their mother makes pointed remarks about Anna's food intake and figure. When Carly calls her mother on her commentary, readers will cheer. In fact, readers will cheer at many points in this story, but I don't want to give too much away.

The book is split into three sections, with each given a portion of the title: first comes Peace, then Love, and finally, Baby Ducks. Each chapter is also given a title indictative of the events which occur in those pages. These breaks in chapters and sections are not at all distracting nor interruptive; the story flows right along from the first page to the last, and readers will keep turning those pages to find out what happens next.

The bond between the sisters is strong, so even when the current pulls them apart, they drift back together again. They sound and act like real sisters. They don't always get along, and they say things to each other that they regret later, if not immediately. Carly knows it's good to be yourself, rather than go along with what everyone else is doing, and Anna learns that, too, in her own way. Yes, it can be hard to swim against the current, but it's so worth it - so speak up, stand out, and, if you make a mistake or mess up, try again.

Myracle has written a variety of novels for kids, tweens, and teens. If you've read and enjoyed her books about a girl named Winnie (Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen) but are now a little older, then you will like Peace, Love & Baby Ducks, which is also a little older and a little bolder.

After you've read Carly's story, you'll most likely hope that Myracle writes a book from Anna's perspective. In the meantime, you should definitely pick up The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman, in which a family's move from city to country changes the dynamic between two sisters. While Peace, Love & Baby Ducks is narrated by the older sister, The Year My Sister Got Lucky is told from the point of view of the younger sister, and both deal with young women reconsidering their lifestyles and priorities. Thus, the two books compliment each other quite well. Also check out The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson, in which three sisters deal with the death of their father in very different ways.

This was actually a very good summer read. Carly, the main character, was multi-layered, there was the right amount of characters, *some* of the characters were also well developed, and I really liked some of the plot. It was really funny sometimes, and it was so absolutely believable! I loved the focus on sisterhood and friendship, too. But when it came to the romantic part of this book, I really wasn't impressed (more on that in a second)... :(

I did have a lot of problems with this book, though- like, when Carly first saw Cole at Holy Roller, the private high school she and her friend Peyton attend, and where Carly's sister Anna will be starting her freshman year- the cliches that arose made me so mad! "Head over heels"? "Falling and hard?" Inane stuff like that.

And as for the characters, they often came off the wrong way. I really liked Vonzelle- she was sweet and a good friend, funny and honest. But Anna? Anna was more like a spoiled baby. I really didn't like her throughout the whole book. And Carly, though she was supposed to seem real and different, beyond all the poor-little-rich-girl problems (another thing I had issues with!)- like, she loved disco, she wore stuff like dashikis, she laughed at people who weren't so extremely different like her. She just seemed like she was trying too hard to be different, and it was really annoyingly hypocritical when you think about her behavior throughout the book...

I also wish Roger would have been more developed. He was hardly in there, and he was REALLY important!

But overall, it was an original, goofy read that really showed perfectly the dynamics of sisterhood. A great summer read.

-Meggin

[...]

The last time I read any of Lauren Myracle's writing was in the Let it Snow anthology and I wasn't all that impressed with her writing style. But when I saw the cover of Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks, I decided it was time that I give her writing another chance. It's a good thing I did because this is one of the funniest books I've read in a while.

It opens with a letter between the two sisters. This is your first look into their relationship and you can tell how close they are. But, as the summary itself states and anyone who has a sister would know, things change as you get older and sometimes a summer seems like so much longer. This is where the drama begins unfolding.

Carly is probably my all-time favorite realistic character right now. I love her whole twenty-first century "hippie" vibe and almost wish I could pull off her style myself. The way she handles everything - from the way her parents act to her crazy hair style to the drama with her sister - is realistic. Anna was a little bit harder for me to relate to but she was also a fun character to read about.

Sibling drama is a very touchy territory to write about - siblings do tend to fight over little things but it's extremely easy to go overboard with the fights. Luckily, Myracle must have some expertise in this area because she wrote everything perfectly. The fights aren't petty and annoying - they're realistic and fit in well with the plot.

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks definitely restored my faith in Myracle. I look forward to her upcoming books and recommend this to everyone.

harmonybookreviews.wordpress.com

Length:: 0:27 Mins

Others have done a great job covering aspects of the book in their reviews, so I'll keep this brief. As entertaining as the book was, there were parts that were hard to get through. The narrator, Carly, could often be infuriating. Myracle made her as self-centred, hypocritical, and judgmental as teenagers often are, but I, as a reader, found it too much to handle. Readers are quite forgiving of their protagonists, but there is a line where a character stops being sympathetic, and Carly spends much of the second half of the novel walking that line. At one point, I almost stopped reading.

But the other reviews have very positive (and true!) things to say about the book, and I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it.

I'm a huge fan of Myracle's work and this book was no different. Vastly different from her previous release Bliss, pretty much opposite ends of the spectrum, it's back to the usual fare for Myracle- fun stories dealing with some big issues. This book is really character-driven, I think, and focuses on the relationship between sisters Anna and Carly and all the things that come with it- inferiority, insecurity, body growth, boys, etc. It's a wonderfully compelling book that explores these issues with depth and wit.

Yes, this book is also hilarious and had me laughing throughout it. There are sad moments too sprinkled throughout and I feel like I may have teared up a bit reading a certain part. Toward the end of the novel, during a party scene at Anna and Carly's house when their parents are out of town, the emotions Carly went through that whole night leapt off the page for me while I read it. I felt these emotions and it was seriously like I was actually there right beside Carly as it all went down.

There were a couple things that irked me though. I felt like both sisters had occasional bouts of not being able to take a joke and seemed to take the remark way too personally. Now, there are parts where I was like "OK, that was mean." but for others, it just made no sense. I also had a problem with the part of the ending where Carly and her father have a heart-to-heart. It seemed abrupt to me and a bit rushed and not completely believable.

But these are just tiny problems and are nothing major to be concerned about. Overall, this was a really fun read and Myracle did some great exploring of sister dynamics, which isn't always something I see in YA novels. Definitely recommended.

Having been accustomed to Myracle's Instant Messaging style of writing, it's a bit unsettling reading a grammatically correct and structured novel. It still retains the normal growing up, adolescent angst, combined with a serious look into the depths of sisterhood. I wished the characters could have been more real, rounded, and developed though. Like the parents, for instance. At points, they were so oblivious and wooden that I didn't even know if they were real or not. They were just there to create a a minor conflict. That's the problem. The minor conflict should be a huge conflict, because anyone can see there's so much tension and things unsaid that definitely could not be resolved just with three pages at the very end.

It was the same with Roger. She didn't even like him! So how did she suddenly just see the light? Obviously, it was because she just got her dose of reality with Cole, but she jumps so quickly from the Cole situation to Anna and to Roger that it seems so rushed. It's like she's going grocery shopping, and these are just things she has to do for the day; it seems fake, forced, and lacks development.

I, however, loved the sister dynamics. And the protagonist wasn't perfect either, but I really liked her outraged look at the people around her. It's really reminiscent of people I know.

Carly and Anna are two sisters who are very close in age, but very far apart in personality.

Carly is a sophomore in high school who is very skinny after spending six weeks of the summer working outdoors in Tennessee. She wants to be different than the "Barbies" (as she calls them) at her preppy Catholic School. Anna is a freshman in high school who suddenly grew a large chest over the summer, has all the right curves, and is beautiful. All of the boys want her, but she is seen as a sex object.

PEACE, LOVE, & BABY DUCKS deals with their relationship and the trials of high school life.

I read this book in one sitting. I really could identify with parts of both Carly and Anna. I could totally understand how Carly wanted to be different and wanted to be accepted for that. But I could also see how Anna didn't want to be different and wanted Carly to accept HER for that.

This was a great sisterly story (it made me wish I had a sister). I found myself laughing out loud at a bunch of what the sisters said. There was also a great love story with Carly. Who should she choose - the cool, guitar-playing Cole, or the always there for her, Dutch Roger? And I loved all the ducky references.

Overall, a really cute teeny-bopper story!

Reviewed by: Andrea

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle is a story about a girl named Carly who doesn't try to fit in. She wants to be her own person. She's kinda like a hippie. She uses words like "radical" and dresses in tie die and wears peace symbols.

Carly's sister and friend want to change her hippie ways, making her shave her legs and wear make-up, and her best friend Roger likes-LIKES her but she doesn't feel the same way about him because she likes the new guy Cole.

Her neighbors give Carly, her sister, and their baby sitter these three baby ducks and say, "Three hot chicks for three hot chicks." Her parents leave for the weekend and their babysitter doesn't really pay attention so they decide to throw a party that quickly gets out of hand when a bunch of uninvited kids show up with beer. Carly gets in a major fight with her sister at the party and her sister runs away.

I really like the cover because it uses symbols instead of words. Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks was a pretty fast read and the ending was really sweet. I've read other books by Lauren Myracle and this one is my favorite.

3 Book Bees
Originally posted at [...]

Teens will not be disappointed with Ms. Myracle's latest, a throwback to hippiedom and a testament to sisters, Peace, Love, & Baby Ducks. Taking place in the wealthiest neighborhood in Atlanta, this is the story of 60s-obsessed Carly and girly-girl Anna, two very different sisters with a very strong bond. But things change when Anna starts high school with her brand-new (gasp!) boobs, and Anna is getting the attention that Carly feels she, as the older sister, deserves. With everything suddenly in flux, how will Carly handle her new crush, her Dad's weirndess, and drifting away from her BFF, Peyton? Peace, Love, & Baby Ducks is a sweet, fun, true-to-life novel that not only rocks in a very modern way, but is a real throw-back to Judy Blume. Sisters everywhere will love reading this book.