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Outside Beauty (Hardcover)

by Cynthia Kadohata (Author)
Key Phrases: Outside Beauty, Benton Springs, Deputy Jensen (more...)

3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Shelby, Maddie, Lakey, and Marilyn have the same mother but four different fathers. Their Japanese mother is obsessed with her beauty, which she uses to charm the men she meets and seduces in order to keep her family solvent. The four Chicago sisters have primarily raised themselves and are incredibly close. Late one night, their world shifts after they learn that their mother has been injured in an auto accident and will require extensive plastic surgery. The girls can’t stay alone, so they are separated and farmed out to their fathers. Only Shelby and her father, Jiro, reach each other’s hearts, and it’s Jiro who eventually understands that the sisters need to be together. His realization only comes, though, after the girls’ enact a junior-high version of a Thelma & Louise auto escape. Kadohata, author of the Newbery Medal–winner Kira-Kira (2004), never fully develops the theme of beauty that’s implied by the title, but Shelby’s venture to Arkansas, where she has some first experiences with outdoor living, is endearing, as are the relationships among the closely connected sisters. Grades 6-9. --Cindy Dobrez

Review
...the superb composition and characterization will carry (readers) along. -- Pointer Review, Kirkus, May 15, 2008

Kadohata's gifts for creating and containing drama and for careful definition of character prove as powerful as ever in this wise, tender and compelling novel. -- Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, May 15, 2008

Readers who like their family stories with some freshness and their sisterhoods literal will want to join this fascinating clan. -- Starred Review, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 2008

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Product Details

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Atheneum (June 3, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0689865759
ISBN-13: 978-0689865756
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #457,464 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Outside Beauty, Benton Springs, Deputy Jensen, Las Vegas, Helen Kimura, Mountain View Road, Chuang Tzu

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!

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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, July 3, 2008

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

It's always been Shelby, her mom, and her three sisters. The story is told through Shelby's eyes. She is the second eldest of the four. They live in an untraditional family, to say the least. Each of the sisters has a different father. And they each have different ancestry, as well. One is half Japanese, half Italian. One is half Japanese and half Chinese. One is half Japanese and half Anglo. And Shelby is all Japanese.

Their mom has always been on the quest for eternal beauty and the rich husband. None of the girls' fathers have satisfied her, even though Lakey's father, Larry, wants to marry her. It's only after learning of Larry's engagement to another woman that Helen realizes what she could've had.

Even with the bizarre family ties, the girls and their mother are close. They do everything together. And though maybe unconventional, their mother has done a good job raising the girls. It's only after her mother is in a serious car accident that their world crumbles. Since none of the girls are legally adults, Helen must arrange homes for the girls while she recovers.

It is decided that each of the girls will go to live with their respective fathers. Shelby has only seen her father a handful of times. Jiro is a reserved man, living a quiet life in Arkansas. Except for the fact that he dresses terribly uncool, as the summer unfolds, Shelby realizes he's not a bad man, just unknown to her.

It's Maddie that has the worst situation. Her father, Mr. Bronson, has been legally trying to obtain custody of her, stating Helen is an unfit mother. He's a stern disciplinarian, and Maddie's personality starts to disappear, living in his oppressive home.

When notified that their mother may die, all the girls are flown home to be with her. The girls take matters into their own hands when they fear that they could be permanently separated if the worst happens. They will do anything they can to keep their family unit together, and to save Maddie.

Ms. Kadohata writes a powerfully moving novel of four girls struggling to keep the lives they've always known. Separated from each other, they can barely survive. Looking in from the outside, the reader knows what is going on, but feels powerless to stop the momentum that is driving their lives. After reading OUTSIDE BEAUTY, the reader will come away with a wonderful feeling of family, and of how love can pull you through anything.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Different, August 6, 2008

By	Andrea "Readaholic" (USA) - See all my reviews

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)

This book was a fun romp from start to finish. Although not the typical type of book I normally read, I enjoyed it very much. This book is about Helen, a beautiful Japanese woman, and her four daughters:

(In birth order, oldest to youngest)

1) Marilyn - half Japanese and half Italian; father: Mack.

2) Shelby - half Japanese and half Japanese (which would make her full Japanese); father: Jiro

3) Lakey - half Japanese and half Chinese; father: Larry

4) Maddie - half Japanese and half Anglo; father: Mr. Bronson

Helen is an extremely beautiful woman who takes full advantages of her astonishing beauty. Because of this beauty, she does not have to work; she can take advantage of men and let them support her. She is so beautiful, she can afford to only deal with the rich, successful winners - not the junky losers. She goes through boyfriends like water. This seems unrealistic, but there are realistic parallels that make it seem more realistic. Such as, the men don't always wait around for her - they find other women; she isn't necessarily happy and might be lonely; men fight even beautiful women for custody; accidents and bad things can happen even to the beautiful. (The moral I see in it: 'Do not envy Helen or any other woman like her'.)

Even though Helen is nontypical and off the beaten path, she is a wonderful mother and loves her four daughters. The four sisters love each other and would do anything for each other (which says a lot). Helen was doing something right as a mother, obviously.

This lovely book, narrated by the second oldest daughter, Shelby, is a wonderful tale of the four sisters and their bond and their adventures. Even though Helen is a glamorous women living in Chicago, I enjoyed the "trip" to rural Arkansas, complete with lightning bugs, a goat, hills, and various vegetation. I also enjoyed the road trips.

This book was very well written. Characterization was well developed and vivid. I felt as if I knew the four sisters and the fathers, even better than I knew Helen. The author did very well.

This was a wonderful and fun book from start to finish. I enjoyed the loving bond between the sisters. I enjoyed the adventures. I also enjoyed the fathers. (The fathers each had different personalities. My favorite was Jiro.) I enjoyed the whole book. I would highly recommend this book.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sophiscated for a "young" reader, August 2, 2008

By	anon_2003 "anon_2003" (usa) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)

This book is about a mother with 4 girls who thinks her appearance matters more than anything. The story is told through the eyes of her 2nd oldest daughter. The girls are very close to each other and their somewhat eccentric mother. This is a great read and well-written. However, due to some mature references and concepts, I would not recommend it for preteens. OK for a high schooler.

The story tells of how the girls come into their own after their mother's car accident. She may die and the girls must deal with imperfect fathers as well as their own feelings. Despite the premise - one mom with 4 girls by 4 dads, the girls learn some good things: a woman can be valued for more than her beauty, running away isn't always the answer, sometimes it's good to love some one back, etc...

Very well-written, lots of fun, some ups & down. Highly Recommended!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The beauty of a sister's heart
I really enjoyed this read. Shelby, the protaginist, recounts the series of events in her life as one of 4 sisters... Read more

Published 1 month ago by S. Harrison

2.0 out of 5 stars For young readers only, but not too young.
I asked my wife to read this book as it is more her cup of tea and being a literature degree holder, I trust her opinion. Read more

Published 7 months ago by kamus

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, sister - girlie book!
Being half Okinawan (Asian),I was intrigued by this book. First the positives:

Being a book targeted for 'young adults', I thoroughly enjoyed reading a book that I... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Christina

2.0 out of 5 stars Amazon needs a rating system to make 'young adult' books easier to spot
This is the second time I've been fooled into ordering a book that is actually geared toward teens, aka the 'young adults' without realizing what I was ordering. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Deanna

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting....yes
As a child who grew up without parents, I was drawn to this book. At first it was interesting and fast paced but the author's way of writing is distracting. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Marilyn J. Adams

4.0 out of 5 stars Unconventional, easy read about beauty and sisterhood
When I first picked up this book, I was unfamiliar with the author and wasn't sure what to expect. Despite it been a "teen" book, it was engaging and I had to keep telling myself,... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Emily E. Brown

4.0 out of 5 stars Outside Beauty
Title: Outside Beauty

Author: Cynthia Kadohata

Rating: 3.5/5

Good:

I really like the concept of this book. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Chelsie

4.0 out of 5 stars Families come in all sizes and love can form bonds
Four sisters, Marilyn, Lakey, Maddie & Shelby all live with their mother who makes her living off of being nice to men and using her appearance to find new boyfriends to finance... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Sandra Trolinger

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes beauty isn't enough...
All their lives, four young sisters have listened to their mother tell them how to be beautiful. Nothing is as important as catching a man, Helen says. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Joanna Mechlinski

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read for women!
This book started off slowly for me, then picked up. It is an interesting and hilarious read about a womans life journey and what a LIFE it was! Read more

Published 10 months ago by T. Sullivan

› See all 21 customer reviews...

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