When Is Perfect, Perfect Enough? (Raise the Flag) [Paperback]

Nancy Rue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 1999 | Series: Raise the Flag (Book 6)

Just as the teen characters in Nancy Rue's Raise the Flag series continue to meet at the school flagpole to pray for one another, teens and preteens will continue to find encouragement and hope in stories that address vital issues and help them find strength to meet the greatest challenges in life-continuing with Book Six: When Is Perfect, Perfect Enough?

Quiet, studious Shannon D'Angelo has never made trouble before-and she's not about to start now! People have started to figure out that she's got a problem with anorexia, but she's certain she can handle the situation on her own. There's no point in worrying her parents; they have enough problems dealing with Caitlin, Shannon's troubled younger sister, who's been getting involved with everything from car accidents to house fires. How can Shannon's struggles even compare?

But Shannon quickly learns that there are some things she can't control, including her illness and, well?life. That means if she's ever going to get well, she's going to have to let go of her need to be perfect and allow herself to be loved and healed by the ones-and the One-who love her most of all.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Just as the teen characters in Nancy Rue's Raise the Flag series continue to meet at the school flagpole to pray for one another, teens and preteens will continue to find encouragement and hope in stories that address vital issues and help them find strength to meet the greatest challenges in life-continuing with Book Six: When Is Perfect, Perfect Enough?

Quiet, studious Shannon D'Angelo has never made trouble before-and she's not about to start now! People have started to figure out that she's got a problem with anorexia, but she's certain she can handle the situation on her own. There's no point in worrying her parents; they have enough problems dealing with Caitlin, Shannon's troubled younger sister, who's been getting involved with everything from car accidents to house fires. How can Shannon's struggles even compare?

But Shannon quickly learns that there are some things she can't control, including her illness and, well?life. That means if she's ever going to get well, she's going to have to let go of her need to be perfect and allow herself to be loved and healed by the ones-and the One-who love her most of all.

About the Author

Nancy Rue has authored over thirty books for teens and preteens and is a frequent contributor to Brio magazine. She and her husband Jim live in Tennessee and are the parents of one daughter.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 1 edition (June 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578560888
• ISBN-13: 978-1578560882
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 6.2 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,570,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nancy Rue is the author of 110 books, including 9 novels for adults, 17 for teens, and 60 for tween readers, as well as 2 parenting books, 32 non-fiction books for tweens and teens, and the features for the FaithGirlz Bible. Her Lily Series, published by Zondervan, has sold well over one million copies. Her ability to relate to a wide audience has made her a popular radio and television guest and an in-demand speaker and teacher for writer's conferences across the country. She has been a regular keynoter for The Young Writer's Institute and Virtuous Reality Ministries, and now anchors Zondervan's Beauty of Believing Tour for FaithGirlz, which draws thousands of tween girls and their moms. Nancy is also the founder of the "Writing for Children and Youth Conference" in Glen Eyrie, Colorado. Her latest titles include The Reluctant Prophet for adult readers (David C. Cook) Limos, Lattes, and My Life On the Fringe (Zondervan) for teens, and That Is SO Me (Zondervan), a year-long devotional for tweens. A student of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, sponsored by the Upper Room, Nancy continues her own spiritual journey even as she writes and speaks for mothers, daughters, and would-be writers about theirs. For more information, visit her website at www.nancyrue.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Good Read, December 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: When Is Perfect, Perfect Enough? (Raise the Flag) (Paperback)

This is the moving story of Shannon, one of a group of close friends who stick together through everything and love each other a lot. In the story, Shannon believes that she has to be perfect to make up for the way that her sister acts (this chick is horrible--through the beginning of the book, she is at a Christian boarding school). If that isn't enough, Shannon is also anorexic. This story, though fictional, is a great story of friendship and togetherness, one of those books you curl up with and read by the fire. Rue has woven together yet another wonderful tale!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When is Perfect, Perfect Enough?, September 4, 2001

By 

Heather S. Alpert "BatmanFanGirl" (Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Is Perfect, Perfect Enough? (Raise the Flag) (Paperback)

Though I am not super religious, I have found over and over when it comes to being honest, insightful, and dead on, Christian novels do the best job.

I highly related to the main character Shannon, whose life is being controlled primarily by her mother. Her father treats her like a little kid and doesn't respect her opinion. As her life spins out of control she tries to remain in control by not eating.

The author does a wonderful job in making Shannon a totally believable character. I related to her thoughts of the need to be in control and the way she avoided social situations so she wouldn't have to eat.

The only complaint I would have about the book is that it seems that Shannon was at a pretty low weight. I'm not sure what her height was because the author never mentions it, but it seemed that unless she was pretty short she would have been hospitalized.

But it really was an awesome book.

I also recommend Ashely and Jenn, if you want another very insightful story.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read, February 13, 2012

By 

Debbie (Harrison, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: When Is Perfect, Perfect Enough? (Raise the Flag) (Paperback)

"When is Perfect Perfect Enough" is a young adult Christian novel. This book is the sixth in a series. This story appears to have began in book five (which I haven't read), but the things that have come before this regarding Shannon's anorexia and her sister's misbehavior are summarized at the beginning of this book. Certain events from books four and five regarding Ira are mildly spoiled in this one.

Of the four books in this series that I've read, the other three seemed to push events to extremes to increase the suspense. This one felt more realistic to me in terms of it being a situation the readers are more likely to encounter (in person or in a friend) and in how the characters reacted to the events. All of the characters were more rounded out and complex in how they dealt with problems, and we got to know them on a deeper basis. I liked that. I also liked how her friends were involved and how they learned how to help her.

The Christian element was mainly some God-talk ("we'll pray" and "God loves you"), and God was credited for helping Shannon make progress. There was some "he cussed" style bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I would recommend this book.