About the Book
Changing My Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan
Format: Electronic for Reading Addiction Blog Tour
Synopsis: From www.bn.com
Incoming freshman, Lindsey Ames, wants to take Italian,and she wants to join the National Honor Society. She wants a new image, and she wants better clothes. She wants Avery to stop tormenting her, and she wants Marco to ask her out. She wants Jocelyn to go away, but she wants Grouper to be happy. She wants to save Teeny's reputation, but she doesn't want to lose everything.
Will Lindsey find the courage to stand up to her enemies before it's too late?
Excerpt
I had a hard time falling asleep that night. I kept
imagining different scenarios with Marco. I played out the upcoming movie night
and then our “first date.” Naturally, in my imagination, I looked flawless and
my conversation was smart and witty.
I also imagined our
first kiss. This was difficult to do since I had never kissed a boy before. I
had pictured our first kiss like one from a PG-13 romantic comedy. I certainly
didn’t want to picture it like a kiss from an R-rated slasher flick or like one
from the disgusting public make out sessions that Cal and Avery regularly
performed.
After about an hour
of daydreaming, I finally fell asleep and started my real dreaming. I dreamt
that I was in the school gym running laps with Jocelyn. Jocelyn was running
fast, her feet barely touching the ground. I had a difficult time keeping up
with her. Even though we were running, we didn’t seem to be going anywhere.
Marco was standing at the end of the gym under one of the basketball hoops. I
was trying to run forward, to get closer to Marco, but I couldn’t.
Teeny and Grouper
were sitting in the front row of the otherwise empty bleachers. Teeny was
wearing a cheerleading uniform, and she was cheering for Jocelyn and me.
Grouper was wearing his neon swimsuit, but he wasn’t cheering. Instead, Grouper
was laughing at us because we weren’t going anywhere. The two of them annoyed
me; I wanted them to help me, but they remained spectators. I tried to call to
them, but I didn’t have a voice.
Then, I noticed Cal
and Avery sitting on the top row of the bleachers, making out. I could have
sworn that the bleachers were empty a second ago. I was glad that Avery wasn’t
paying attention to me. I knew that if she saw me, she would start to make fun
of me. Jocelyn and I continued to run, but we were no longer in the gym. We
were outside of the school running on the street. The bleachers were still
there, and Teeny, Grouper, Cal, and Avery were still doing their thing. Marco
was at the end of the block waving to me, but he seemed farther away than he
was before.
I was having a
difficult time running when I realized that the pavement was dissolving beneath
my feet. After the pavement was completely gone, I continued to run in mud.
Jocelyn was starting to pull ahead of me; she seemed to be having an easy time.
The harder I tried to keep up with her, the slower my feet moved. The mud
became slippery and thick, and I started to sink. Jocelyn didn’t notice that I
was sinking and kept running. Marco seemed to be at least two blocks away from
me now.
I looked to Teeny
hoping she would see that I was in real trouble, but she continued to cheer.
Cal and Avery were still making out, but they were changing; they were morphing
into one being. Before my eyes, they transformed into a single hideous
monster—a manticore with green eyes, the tail of a scorpion, and huge blood-red
wings.
Jocelyn and Marco
were too far. I could no longer see them. I continued to sink. I was in so deep
that I could no longer move my feet. I was worried for Teeny and Grouper
because they weren’t aware of the creature sitting behind them. I tried to
caution my friends about the creature, but I still had no voice. Without
warning, the monster swooped down from the top of the bleachers towards Teeny
and Grouper. I wanted to help my friends, but I was up to my thighs in mud. I
couldn’t run to them, and I couldn’t scream. I watched in horror as it
descended and attacked Teeny.
I could hear her
screams, but I could do nothing. I was helpless. As the monster feasted on
Teeny’s flesh, I sank deeper and deeper into the mud until it covered my entire
body. I could no longer see or hear anything. I was entombed in the earth, but
I was still alive.
I snapped awake. My
pajamas were drenched. I looked at the clock, and it was only two. I wasn’t
sure if I would be able to go back to sleep after that nightmare. So, in an
effort to clear my head, I took out my copy of Pride and Prejudice and started
to read. I was desperate to fall back to sleep. Shopping with Teeny was close
to running a marathon, and I needed to be well rested for our trip to the mall
in the morning. After reading a couple of chapters, I finally dozed off. This
time there were no nightmares.
My Thoughts:
First I want to say that I absolutely loved this story. I think everyone should read this book whether you have young kids, old kids or no kids. I also believe everyone knows a Lindsey or an Avery or was one or the other themselves. Bullying is so big in children nowadays, having books like this available to children is a great deal. It's like an outsider looking in and understanding the different aspects of bullying and how and why some people become bullies.
This story touched me because it somewhat reminded me of myself when I began high school in some ways. Except I didn't have a Teeny or Grouper to be my "cheerleaders". I thought it was really good Lindsey had her two best friends to lift her up and give her some of the confidence she needed. We also get a glimpse of where Avery learns her behavior; and it is quite unfortunate.
Bullying is so big in children nowadays, having books like this available to children is a great deal. It's like an outsider looking in and understanding the different aspects of bullying and how and why some people become bullies.
I think the characters in this book were very "real" and relate-able to our everyday world. There were parts of the story where I wanted to jump in and put Avery in her place. There were parts I wanted to cry and there were parts where I did cry.
I won't give too much away because I want and think EVERYONE should read this book. Everyone should own it and embrace it. The author did a really good job of putting an important issue today on paper.
I GIVE THIS BOOK:
DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I agreed to post for the Reading Addiction Blog Tour.
*Disclosure
of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a
copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have
been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in
exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with
those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This
disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part
255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*
