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The Japanese hold a Mogi ceremony for young women coming of age. Latina teenagers get quinceaneras. And Janice Wills of Melva, NC ... has to compete in the Miss Livermush pageant.
Janice loves anthropology—the study of human cultures—and her observations help her identify useful rules in the chaotic world of high school. For instance: Dancing is an effective mating ritual—but only if you're good at it; Hot Theatre Guys will never speak to Unremarkable Smart Girls like Janice and her best friend, Margo; and a Beautiful Rich Girl will always win Melva's annual Miss Livermush pageant.
But when a Hot Theatre Guy named Jimmy Denton takes an interest in Janice, all her scientific certainties explode. For the first time, she has to be part of the culture that she's always observed; and all the charts in the world can't prove how tough—and how sweet—real participation and a real romance can be.
Funny, biting, and full of wisdom, this marks the debut of a writer to watch.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
July 12, 2011 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780307916914
- File size: 175227 KB
- Duration: 06:05:03
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 5.5
- Lexile® Measure: 810
- Interest Level: 9-12(UG)
- Text Difficulty: 3-4
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Reviews
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May 16, 2011
How better to survive high school than by pulling back and observing it with the cool, detached eye of an anthropologist? That's junior Janice Mills's plan, though readers will soon recognize that Janice isn't nearly as objective as she believes she is. For Janice, living in the small North Carolina town of Melva is an opportunity to engage in the kind of cultural analysis practiced by such heroes as Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict. As Janice puts it, "Melva is a town of biscuit-eating sports enthusiasts who smile, pray, and sing the national anthem while the town seems to be crumbling under everyone's feet." But there's a thin line between honesty and cruelty, and her judgments and assumptions are starting to cause trouble. Debut novelist Pearson has created a wonderfully insecure protagonist in Janice, one as uncomfortable in her own skin as she is in just about any social situation ("I believed in hiding my hopeless innocence behind scorn whenever possible"). Janice's path to increased self-knowledge and empathyâthrough the unlikeliest of avenues, the annual Miss Livermush pageantâis rewarding, honest, and quite funny. Ages 14âup.
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