Skin Deep (Hardcover)

by E. M. Crane (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—Friendless, bullied by her mother, and insecure, 15-year-old Andrea Anderson considers herself a "Nothing" until she starts dog-sitting for Honora, an eccentric life-loving artist who is battling cancer. Their friendship grows organically and realistically through the novel, slowly causing Andrea to learn to value herself. Honora (and her St. Bernard, Zena) is the true star of the book, a powerful character almost too full of wisdom and kindness in a uniquely independent feminist way. The story is well placed in the naturalistic beauty of small-town Pennsylvania. The smoothly written narrative is imbued with a sense of faith in humanity and respect for the arts. Primarily a book about adults as seen through a young woman's eyes, and the effect this relationship has on her own growth, this languid read for introspective girls is an auspicious winner of the 2006 Delacorte Press First Novel Contest.—Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public Library
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Product Description
If all the world’s a stage, Andrea Anderson is sitting in the audience. High school has its predictable heroes, heroines, villains, and plotlines, and Andrea has no problem guessing how each drama will turn out. She is, after all, a professional spectator. In the social hierarchy she is a Nothing, and at home her mother runs the show. All Andrea has to do is show up every day and life basically plays out as scripted.
Then one day Andrea accepts a job. Honora Menapace–a reclusive neighbor–is sick. As in every other aspect of her life, Andrea’s role is clear: Honora’s garden must be taken care of and her pottery finished, and someone needs to feed her dog, Zena. But what starts out as a simple job yanks Andrea’s back-row seat out from under her. Life is no longer predictable, and nothing is what it seems. Light is dark, villains are heroes, and what she once saw as ugly is too beautiful for words. Andrea must face the fact that life at first glance doesn’t even crack the surface.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385734794
• ISBN-13: 978-0385734790
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #740,489 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching story, March 18, 2008

By	M. Moran (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Skin Deep is a touching story about a young woman who learns much about her self and life through relationships with other young people and significant adults. It is very well written and engages the reader in reflections of one's own life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars " 'You are not a surface person.' ", August 4, 2008

By	K. M. "literary devotee" (California) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

For Andrea Anderson, who considers herself a Nothing, these words (about not being a surface person) from her reclusive neighbor are music to her ears. As a sophomore in high school, Andrea has been hiding amongst the Dorks, Cheerleaders, Smokers, Nerds, Goths, Geniuses, and other Nothings. Her father left when she was a child, and her mother is so busy providing for the two of them and absorbing herself in trivial pursuits that Andrea feels unloved. Then she and her classmates are thrown for a loop when one of her teachers does something irrevocable. Into this jumble of a teenager's life comes the chance to help a neighbor, Mrs. Honora Menapace, who is forced into the hospital for emergency surgery. Andrea agrees stop by her house and feed her huge dog, Zena. Andrea always thought Mrs. Menapace was a crotchety old woman. Of course she had never really seen her...until day the lady of the house returns unexpectedly while Andrea is seeing to the slobbery, kind-eyed St. Bernard. Andrea becomes Honora's paid assistant and learns to see herself and the world with more confident and even trusting eyes. Yet, she must also face that she and Honora " 'met by chance at the crossroads.' " How will the sixteen-year-old handle this stark reality? Will she close up again or will she unfurl, like a rose bud, farther into the world?

SKIN DEEP is E. M. Crane's acclaimed first novel. It is a book written with sureness of pitch and impeccable pace. It's alive with countless details and characters who certainly people the real world too. And it is alight with complex themes concerning the meaning of life, boldly reflecting 21st century humanist values. For example, at one juncture Andrea extols the modern notion that there is no right and wrong, and artist Honora's New Age/Bohemian attitudes don't counter her but do challenge her to reach beyond that dual view to a multiplistic one. " 'You can't outrun the sunrise.' " Honora says. She means we can't overcome the inevitable: that life isn't an endless gift. But Andrea learns what we CAN do while we live.

SKIN DEEP is highly recommended to thoughtful, questioning teens and their elders alike. One doesn't have to be in total agreement with its belief system to savor its depth and the queries over which it ruminates so charmingly.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning journey to self-realization, March 20, 2008

By	Patricia L. Nielsen - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A brilliant story of the meaning of true intimacy and how a deep meaningful relationship can curve and shape all that follows on the journey to adulthood.