This Is Me From Now On by Barbara Dee

Book: This Is Me From Now On

Author: Barbara Dee

Age: Middle Grade (MG)

Release date: April 27th, 2010

Source: Author

My Summary: 

Evie's life has always been average, normal, and, well, kind of boring. But once Francesca moves in next door with her aunt, Evie's blown away by Francesca's larger than life personality. She's fun, exciting, and completely unique. Evie's two best friends aren't happy about the changes in Evie whenever she's with Francesca, and things only get worse when the the girls get stuck together for a huge project. Then Francesca pulls Evie into playing matchmaker with two of their teachers, and Evie can't help but to wonder if both of them are in over their heads...and if this is a disaster waiting to happen. 

Review: Cute and fun, This Is Me From Now On combines a great protagonist with a spiraling plot to create something amusing for readers of any age.

Evie's a sweet, and likable narrator. She stresses out over school, just like any other student. She leads a pretty average life, nothing too intriguing...until Francesca moves in next door. Francesca is bubbly, loud, and has a very unique personality. The two of them as a team was interesting to see, especially with Francesca's go-with-the-flow kind of attitude. 

The story was realistic, humorous, and very true to being a seventh grader, what with all the gossip, breakups, crushes and fights with your BFF's.

Highlights: Fun, cute, and very endearing novel to read. It's easy to get into the story, and this is the perfect book for tweens. I really loved some of the themes of this novel. I loved the relationships too, because they are very real to the way they are when you're a tween. 

Lowlights: A bit over the top at some points, but still a great novel. 

Rating *: 

* Middle grade ratings based on a different standard than YA ratings