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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richie's Picks: THE YEAR OF SECRET ASSIGNMENTS, March 17, 2004
Lots of laughs, plenty of attitude, mystery, and hijinx permeate this book. Three longtime girlfriends in high school--Emily, Lydia, and Cassie--who are connected through parents who went to law school together, are each required to become penpals with guys in a cross-town school with a bad reputation. The story is told primarily through these letters back and forth, along with some journal entries, and a hysterically funny fill-in-the-blanks writing workbook that Lydia's dad has given her.I'd considered myself pretty waterlogged from the publishers' wave of girl-writes-a-journal books of the past few years, but this is a horse of an entirely different flavor. I'm sure there are some great lessons to be garnered from this book, but, above all, I found it to be a totally delightful read. And the author's background as an attorney is certainly put to good (comedic) use.
At first I wasn't sure what more to say about the book.
But being away for a couple of days up in the middle of the (cold, snowy) Sierras this week, with nothing to do at night, I found myself rereading it like it was comfort food. And it's as good as leftover lasagna the second time around. For one thing, I caught many of those little clues concerning who did what that I'd missed the first time through. But, more importantly, I understood all the Emily-isms that I wasn't clear about on the first go round.
In the same way that non-Americans might find it a bit more difficult to understand the wisdom of Yogi Berra or the rapid-fire dialogue in a Marx Brothers movie, I wasn't sure on the first read exactly what was Emily and what was the English language as it is spoken Down-Under. But the second time I understood what the author has accomplished in creating the wacky voice of this young woman who longs to be a lawyer someday:
"I am not saying that this is true. I am only giving a hyperactive situation of how you might give offense."
" 'You must have dislocated it. Try looking again.' "
"I was just nom-plussed..."
"I decided to use this opportunity to practice my handwriting. As you can see, I am developing a highly eloquent style."
"Anyway, I didn't believe that for one millimeter..."
"They have very sun-dewed light so you look attractive in the mirror..."
"I think this is a "play" on Thompson, which is my last name. I think it is an angiogram of Thompson, actually."
"I can't explain how beautiful the singing was because you can't write music."
"We need to cook on the element of surprise."
"It's immortal keeping a secret."
"...he says that schools which are close to one another should forge ties, and I hope you are as keen as I am to get started with the forgery."
"Hyperbole is something to do with graphs. What is it in particular? I don't know. I hate maths."
"Also, I have seen on TV that you can get head transplants and it seems to me that it is a tragedy if you are bald and you don't get a head transplant."
Bravo for the girls from Ashbury and the guys from Brookfield. I have no doubt that this will be a major hit with our students. That is, if they can wrestle it away from us grown ups.
Richie Partington
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Your Secret Assignment, June 22, 2004
Operation Book PurchaseAgent: Reader
Nickname: REDR
Number: 0102930291
Experience: Has read a variety of other books, is a member of amazon.com ASSIGNMENT: Buy and read THE YEAR OF SECRET ASSIGNMENTS. Notes:
This is not a difficult assignment because this book is hilarious, touching, and filled with penpal letters, diary entries, writings in The Notebook (tm), and even court transcipts, complete with adverbial phrases. TYOSA is also from the excellent author of the terrific book Feeling Sorry For Celia, Jaclyn Moriarty. This novel is in fact a companion to said terrific book, and if you have not yet read FSFC, that is your next assignment. THIS ASSIGNMENT MUST BE COMPLETED ASAP.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Roller Coaster Ride, October 27, 2004
I have to say that I was touched by the quality of friendship between the girls and the new one between the boys. It was amazing to know what's going on in a teenager's mind abroad. I found myself comparing it with my own and wishing if only our language teacher had asked us to do that kind of penpal project, I would have found myself in the crowd too.
There are some issues gave my some thoughts to ponder on, such as this:
The story brought up the children's privacy issue which was interesting since parents sometimes need to know what's in their children's head if something goes wrong. This point was actually broken by the girls themselves by breaking into the culprit's bedroom which I think is a private area, although they had just declared the their amazing declaration about how fragile and what it meant by someone (teacher) breaking into their private stuff (when they were accused).
I know that the breaking the culprit's private stuff was needed to release the girls and it was very wrong for teacher to just breaking the girls' private stuff when their aledgement was not strongly based (the evidence being that someone had told them was really lame to be used by the Form Mistress, I agree). I guess this comes back to the statement: anyone must have prooved and strong enough reason for breaking other's privacy regardless a child's or a grown up's. So that leaves me to the 'insane' Form Mistress. Why could she ever have that attitude towards her own school's students?
It made the adults in this book (specially the teacher) looked bad, but that problem was balanced by the parents' effort to support their children and also without their parents, they might not be able to go free with their argument. Other than that issue, the progress of the penpal project and Cassie's problem were heart-warming. What a way to see yourself and the world.
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