Tell It to Naomi [Paperback]

Daniel Ehrenhaft (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 2004

Dave Rosen has a secret. “Naomi,” the wise, witty, always-on-target, female writer behind his high school’s hit advice column, is, well, him. A native New Yorker who likes secondhand CD shops, The Simpsons, and meatball heroes.

A kid like him doesn’t have all the answers. He doesn’t even have most of the answers. Dave only got himself dragged into this fiasco to help out his older sister, the real Naomi—and because he let himself be convinced that it might, in some lunatic way, enable him to meet his dream girl, the senior who gets his weak little sophomore heart racing: Celeste Fanucci. If he could get Celeste to write in and open up her soul to “Naomi,” he could use this secret knowledge to transform himself.

He could bridge the unbridgeable chasm between sophomore boys and senior girls. It’s a grand, grand scheme. And it’s about to go haywire.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–According to friends and family, Dave Rosen is in touch with his feminine side and doesn't talk like a "normal" guy; in short, he is sensitive. A sophomore, he is trying to navigate through high school, friendships, and the typical angst associated with adolescence. He finds himself infatuated with a new student, who is a senior, and therefore untouchable. To try and get close to Celeste, who authored an advice column for the newspaper at her former school, Dave comes up with the idea of writing one of his own. His sister, a recent college grad and unemployed journalist, pitches the idea to Joel, the newspaper's teacher advisor, who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend. He loves the sample she sends him, but refuses to believe that Dave wrote it, since it sounds like a feminine voice, and assumes that Naomi is the author. The siblings agree to keep the real author a secret and the column becomes an instant success. In a scene reminiscent of one in Todd Strasser's The Wave (Turtleback, 1981), Dave finally tells the truth during a speech at school; faculty members are angry about the lie and his classmates feel betrayed. The plot is weak and convoluted; the characters are believable but not endearing. Students who want a male perspective on high school would be better served by Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl (Knopf, 2000) or by one of Chris Crutcher's books.–Angela M. Boccuzzi, Merton Williams' Middle School, Hilton, 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.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. Dave, a self-described "gangly, unglamorous 15-year-old," is an unlikely advice columnist. But a series of misunderstandings and a powerful crush lead to his secret gig as the author of "Dear Naomi," a column ostensibly written by his "glamorous" older sister. As the column's popularity grows, so does Dave's loneliness, as he struggles with his secret, grows apart from his best friend, and admires his crush from afar. Not everything makes sense. Dave's rationale for writing the column is a bit shaky, and a subplot about a student with an ill father feels superfluous. But Ehrenhaft creates an utterly winning character in Dave, who tells his own story in a believable, sympathetic, clever, and uproariously funny voice, whether he is describing his warm, eccentric Manhattan family, who listens to Jimi Hendrix on Yom Kippur, or the pretentious literature club members, who "dress like they're sitting shiva for the death of goth rock." Hilarious, honest, and raw, this will appeal to fans of Jaclyn Moriarty's The Year of Secret Assignments [BKL Ja 1 & 15 04]. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (June 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385731299
• ISBN-13: 978-0385731294
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,617,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read, June 25, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tell It to Naomi (Paperback)

Fifteen-year-old Dave Rosen is a guy, hence the masculine name. However, he's very in touch with his feminine side, after all, what guy who's grown up in an apartment on the Lower East Side with three women wouldn't be? And, like most 15-year-old boys, Dave is gangly, and has just become a statistic, as he, a lowly sophomore, has fallen in love with Celeste Fanucci, a senior who's just moved to New York from California. Suddenly Dave finds himself thinking up ways to get Celeste to fall in love with him, and he's found one. Start an advice column. Advice columns are entirely popular with teenagers, and are loved by all. But who wants to read an advice column written by a guy? So Dave makes an agreement with his older sister Naomi. He'll give the advice, and she can take the credit. It's the perfect deal. And who knows, maybe Celeste herself will write in to the column, and Dave will finally be able to bridge relationships for sophomore boys and senior girls the world over.

When I first heard about TELL IT TO NAOMI a few months ago, I absolutely knew that I had to have it. It sounded like the perfect book, and it was. Dave is a fun character, who's personality and life takes ups and downs daily, going from happy to sad, mad to angry within seconds. His story is hilarious, while at the same tragic. Much like THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, Dave's story is one of growing up, and coming-of-age, of realizing that maybe being young isn't really that bad, after all, you don't have to deal with so many problems and disasters as a kid. Daniel Ehrenhaft has created a fabulous book, that will be loved by male and female teenagers the world over. And if you're looking for another great read, check out THE WESSEX PAPERS series, Volumes 1-3 written by Daniel Ehrenhaft, only under the pseudonym Daniel Parker.

Erika Sorocco

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, June 10, 2004

By 

"jak0202" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tell It to Naomi (Paperback)

Once I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down...I was totally engrossed and couldn't wait to see how it ended. It was a really fun read. I really related to the main character, Dave Rosen. Down to earth, witty, smart...I felt like he was someone I would want to hang out with. I also liked the way the author portrayed high school. Unlike T.V. shows like the O.C. where high school is full of beautiful people with tons of money who party constantly, he shows a more realistic view where the students are actually insecure and awkward! Hurray! I really hope there's a sequel so I can find out what happens to Dave next!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humorous..., January 19, 2005

By 

fiona (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tell It to Naomi (Paperback)

A delightfully humorous read, Tell it to Naomi is about a plan involving an advice column turned awry.
This book made me laugh and I really enjoyed reading about Dave (a very likeable and adorable protagonist)'s antics - and even his way of talking :)

I have read Ehrenhaft (well, he has a pseudonym)'s other work (The Wessex Papers), and I think he has a very smart and clever way of writing. The humour is wry and very entertaining, and the plots are always intriguing.

A good, light read. Recommended.