Lisa Yee makes her YA debut with this hilarious novel about a charm-school dropout who becomes a drop-dead charmer on a quest for her father in California.
Meet Maybelline Mary Katherine Mary Ann Chestnut, named for two Miss Americas and her mother Chessy's favorite brand of mascara. Chessy teaches the students in her charm school her Seven Select Rules for Young Ladies, but she won't tell Maybe who her real father is -- or protect her from her latest scuzzball boyfriend. So Maybe grabs a ride to California with her friends Hollywood and Thammasat Tantipinichwong Schneider (aka Ted) -- and what she finds there is funny, sad, true, and inspiring . . . vintage Lisa Yee.
### From Booklist
Maybe (short for Maybelline, her mother’s favorite mascara brand) wears oversize men’s T-shirts, uses lots of black eye makeup, and rejects everything girly—which is probably a reaction to her mother’s charm school and impending seventh marriage. This latest husband-to-be is the worst yet, and when he attempts to rape Maybe (in a scene that is realistic but not explicit), she and her friend Ted decide to join their buddy Hollywood when he moves to California for film school. Maybe’s stated goal is finding her biological father, but as she runs out of money and hope, that goal changes to finding herself. Despite the heavy topics, this is a breezy read populated with friendly characters and sunny serendipity: Maybe is welcomed into the home of an ex-stepdad, Ted, finds work as an assistant to a movie star, and Hollywood aces his first film. When your starving protagonist spends her only five dollars on eyeliner, the intended audience is obvious; for those readers, Maybe’s ugly duckling–type transformation will be predictable but pleasing. Grades 7-10. --Daniel Kraus
### About the Author
Lisa Yee’s novels include Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time (an ALA Notable Book); the first Bobby book, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally); and most recently WARP SPEED. She lives in South Pasadena, California, with her family. Please visit her website at www.lisayee.com.
Description:
Lisa Yee makes her YA debut with this hilarious novel about a charm-school dropout who becomes a drop-dead charmer on a quest for her father in California. Meet Maybelline Mary Katherine Mary Ann Chestnut, named for two Miss Americas and her mother Chessy's favorite brand of mascara. Chessy teaches the students in her charm school her Seven Select Rules for Young Ladies, but she won't tell Maybe who her real father is -- or protect her from her latest scuzzball boyfriend. So Maybe grabs a ride to California with her friends Hollywood and Thammasat Tantipinichwong Schneider (aka Ted) -- and what she finds there is funny, sad, true, and inspiring . . . vintage Lisa Yee. ### From Booklist Maybe (short for Maybelline, her mother’s favorite mascara brand) wears oversize men’s T-shirts, uses lots of black eye makeup, and rejects everything girly—which is probably a reaction to her mother’s charm school and impending seventh marriage. This latest husband-to-be is the worst yet, and when he attempts to rape Maybe (in a scene that is realistic but not explicit), she and her friend Ted decide to join their buddy Hollywood when he moves to California for film school. Maybe’s stated goal is finding her biological father, but as she runs out of money and hope, that goal changes to finding herself. Despite the heavy topics, this is a breezy read populated with friendly characters and sunny serendipity: Maybe is welcomed into the home of an ex-stepdad, Ted, finds work as an assistant to a movie star, and Hollywood aces his first film. When your starving protagonist spends her only five dollars on eyeliner, the intended audience is obvious; for those readers, Maybe’s ugly duckling–type transformation will be predictable but pleasing. Grades 7-10. --Daniel Kraus ### About the Author Lisa Yee’s novels include Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time (an ALA Notable Book); the first Bobby book, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally); and most recently WARP SPEED. She lives in South Pasadena, California, with her family. Please visit her website at www.lisayee.com.