ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Rosenberg, Madelyn , Wan-Long Shang, Wendy

Not Your All-American Girl

256 pp. | Scholastic | July, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-338-03776-0 $17.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-338-03778-4 $10.99
(2) 4-6 This follow-up to This Is Just a Test stars Lauren Le Yuan Horowitz, sister of the previous book's protagonist. In 1984 suburban Virginia, Lauren is starting sixth grade secure in the "Royal We" of herself and her best friend, Tara. Auditioning for the school musical, Lauren--a talented singer who nails her "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" rendition--is disappointed to be cast in the ensemble while Tara snags the lead. The show is about a 1950s "All-American Town," and according to the drama teacher, Chinese and Jewish Lauren doesn't fit the part. Casual racism and microaggressions abound through Lauren's day-to-day interactions with friends, community members, and even '80s pop culture (i.e., squirming her way through Sixteen Candles). Her growing love for country music (with an extended vignette about mistaking Patsy Cline for Jewish) helps boost her confidence, as do new friendships with her ensemble-mates. A side story about Lauren's paralegal mom contemplating law school--and our protagonist's bratty reaction--leads to support and understanding. Lauren's two peppy grandmothers, in continual competition for matriarchal domination, are back, providing generational wisdom and snappy comic relief. A button-making business, a Sun In hair mishap, a Hula-Hooping janitor--all add levity and scene-setting detail to this entertaining and thoughtful coming-of-age story.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?