Will You Be My Brussels Sprout? [Library Binding]

Lucy Frank (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up

An aspiring sixteen-year-old cellist falls in love with her friend's older brother and finds that the relationship is moving too quickly.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of I Am an Artichoke may be in for a disappointment with this sequel: the deadpan wit, vivid characterizations and droll observations of New York people and scenery of Frank's first novel are for the most part absent here. Sarah, the 15-year-old narrator, must juggle her friendship with Emily Friedman, the anorexic girl she'd been hired to help in Artichoke, with her new romance with Emily's older brother, David, and her increasingly time-consuming music lessons-all during Saturday afternoon visits to Manhattan. But the conflict between friendship and love is barely mined and Emily, previously so thoughtfully portrayed, is, like the other characters, brought out of the wings only when it's necessary to move the plot along. Otherwise the inward-focused narrative centers on Sarah's growing interest in the cello and in David. Given Frank's knowledgeable descriptions of specific compositions, music classes and so forth, Sarah's absorption in the cello is easy to understand and even exciting. But the author never fully communicates the reasons for Sarah's attraction to David, who keeps pressuring Sarah to have sex and reacts boorishly when she refuses. All told, a better-than-average tale of first love, but not especially original. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9?Disappointingly open-ended, this sequel to I Am an Artichoke (Holiday, 1995) follows 15-year-old Sarah through the challenges of cello lessons at a New York City music conservatory and the exhilarations and anxieties of first love. Though she spent last summer in Manhattan with the Friedmans as a companion to anorexic, 13-year-old Emily, she never met the girl's brother. Enroute to an audition, she meets David, who is an accomplished guitarist and Julliard dropout. The two begin a romance that flourishes during pretentious dates to the Museum of Natural History, sushi bars, and Central Park. David's resentment of Sarah's music commitments and insistent pressure to have sex cause her to have serious second thoughts. While some emotional aspects of the romance ring true, loose ends mar the story. Sarah's change from lackadaisical musician to conservatory student is unconvincing; with the cello unmentioned in the first book, her rapid acceleration of ability seems contrived. Only David and Sarah are fleshed out enough to seem like real people. But the same girl who championed Emily in the earlier title abandons her friend for her brother. Sarah, a steamed "brussels sprout," finally dumps whiny, pushy David, but then has a change of heart and ends the novel with, "David, wait." Vegetable lovers can take bets over the next corny title and the conclusion of this slight story.?Alice Casey Smith, Sayreville War Memorial High School, NJ
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Library Binding: 152 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823412202
• ISBN-13: 978-0823412204
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,907,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Love and Music, January 25, 2001

By 

"jilly555" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Will You Be My Brussels Sprout? (Mass Market Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading this book. A great read for anyone who has been in love. This book deals with an aspiring cellist and her friend Emily's bout with anorexia. While Sarah spends time with Emily in her New York home, she becomes attracted to Emily's brother David. He also begins to like her. Then it gets really good. I couldn't stop reading, the book is a real page-turner. I could relate to the book. The part about being in love was a major thing I related to. The title really caught my eye. I thought it was an interesting and neat read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Ah, romance!, May 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Will You Be My Brussels Sprout? (Mass Market Paperback)

I adore the way the romance is handled. Boy meets girl, but boy is flawed. I squirmed and kept turning pages. The romantic in me wanted happy ever after. The feminist in me wanted girl to stick to her guns. Romantic and skeptic were satisfied in the end. Mighty satisfied! This is a marvelous read!

5.0 out of 5 stars It told of a teenages life in music and her dealing w/ love, December 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Will You Be My Brussels Sprout? (Turtleback)

i reall enjoyed this book. I felt it dealt with everyday life and what some have to go through to acheive a dream. The main character and her boygriend seem so real. The problems wqith anerexia really relate to some of the troubles girls go through. I really relate to this book because it talks about real life situations young people have to go through these days.