The Girl With the Mermaid Hair

Click. Sukie Jamieson takes a selfie after her tennis lesson. Click. She takes one before she has to give a presentation in class. Click. She takes one to be sure there's nothing in her teeth after eating pizza at Clementi's. And if she can't take a selfie, she checks her reflection in windows, spoons, car chrome—anything available, really. So when her mother gives her an exquisite full-length mirror that once belonged to her grandmother, Sukie is thrilled. So thrilled that she doesn't listen to her mother's warning: “This mirror will be your best friend and worst enemy.” Because mirrors, as Sukie discovers, show not only the faraway truth but the truth close up. And finding out that close-up truth changes people. Often forever. Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Delia Ephron crafts a powerful novel of truth, beauty, and the secrets about family and friends that lie beneath perfection. From School Library Journal Grade 7–10—Narcissistic, naive, beautiful, and rich, 15-year-old suburbanite Sukie learns that being real is preferable to being perfect when a series of messy truths (primarily discovering her father's affair) challenge her illusions. The central point of the novel—the teen's vanity—is exhaustingly revisited between minor forays into plot-furthering events; probably three quarters of the book's pages are devoted to the protagonist evaluating her pose, stride, clothes, hair, make-up, voice-modulation, etc. Readers may disagree as to whether this makes Sukie significantly realistic and empathetic or simply an over-the-top vehicle for Ephron's message. The only two supporting characters given more than cursory outlines are Sukie's parents, who are also shallow, blithe, and self-obsessed. There is also some half-baked hocus pocus with an image-morphing mirror and an omniscient dog. This title will hit home with some girls and preach others to sleep. Strictly an additional purchase.— Rhona Campbell, Washington, DC Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Fifteen-year-old Sukie is a self-observer. She is constantly looking at her reflection or taking pictures of herself with her cell phone. So when her equally vain mother offers her an antique mirror, she’s pleased to have one more venue in which to keep tabs on herself. But as the mirror begins mysteriously cracking, so does Sukie’s tightly controlled life. Ephron, perhaps best known as a screenwriter, brings a cinematic flair to her writing in a story that’s as much cautionary tale as it is slice of teen life. Because she writes with so much wit and clarity, it’s possible to overlook some of the book’s flaws, including a reveal that even kids will see coming a mile away. Just as she did in Frannie in Pieces (2007), Ephron tries here to incorporate a little fantasy into her story, with mixed results. But when her writing goes over the top (the depiction of Sukie’s dog, Señor, is both subtle and hilarious), readers will say, “Wow!” A book for girls who think they know everything and turn out to be wrong. Grades 7-10. --Ilene Cooper

click. Sukie Jamieson Takes A Selfie After Her Tennis Lesson. Click. She Takes One Before She Has To Give A Presentation In Class. Click. She Takes One To Be Sure There's Nothing In Her Teeth After Eating Pizza At Clementi's. And If She Can't Take A Selfie, She Checks Her Reflection In Windows, Spoons, Car Chrome Anything Available, Really. So When Her Mother Gives Her An Exquisite Full-length Mirror That Once Belonged To Her Grandmother, Sukie Is Thrilled.

so Thrilled That She Doesn't Listen To Her Mother's Warning: This Mirror Will Be Your Best Friend And Worst Enemy. Because Mirrors, As Sukie Discovers, Show Not Only The Faraway Truth But The Truth Close Up. And Finding Out That Close-up Truth Changes People. Often Forever.

acclaimed Novelist And Screenwriter Delia Ephron Crafts A Powerful Novel Of Truth, Beauty, And The Secrets About Family And Friends That Lie Beneath Perfection.

publishers Weekly

sukie Jamieson, The Vain Yet Glaringly Insecure Teenage Protagonist Of Ephron's (frannie In Pieces) Second Ya Novel, Has A Lot On Her Mind. Is Her Hair—“worthy Of Worship”—in Its Proper Place? Does The Slope Of Her Nose Accentuate Or Detract From Her Almost-perfect Profile? Will Star Quarterback Bobo, Who Tells Her, “i Really Like Your Body-fat Ratio,” Ever Ask Her Out? Matters Get Only Slightly Less Trivial When Her Faux-glam Mother Returns From An Extended Stay At The Spa With A Facelift (but Even Less Self-esteem), And Her Father Gets Beat Up By An Unknown Man. Ephron Keeps The Reason For The Assault Under Wraps For Quite A While, And The Gravity Of Sukie's Parents' Collapsing Marriage Is Overshadowed By Sukie's Complaints About Her Image And Want Of Friends, And Her Mother's Plastic Surgery Woes. The Parallels To The Descent Of A Certain Oscar Wilde Character Are Obvious, And Teens Who Use This Book Like Sukie Uses Her Grandmother's Antique Full-length Mirror, Which Cracks And Erodes Over The Course Of The Novel, May Be Similarly Conflicted About What They See. Ages 12–up. (jan.)

*A vain teenaged girl is obsessed with beauty and perfection until she uncovers a devastating family secret.* *Click*. Sukie Jamieson takes a selfie after her tennis lesson. *Click*. She takes one before she has to give a presentation in class. *Click*. She takes one to be sure there's nothing in her teeth after eating pizza at Clementi's. And if she can't take a selfie, she checks her reflection in windows, spoons, car chrome—anything available, really. So when her mother gives her an exquisite full-length mirror that once belonged to her grandmother, Sukie is thrilled. So thrilled that she doesn't listen to her mother's warning: “This mirror will be your best friend and worst enemy.” Because mirrors, as Sukie discovers, show not only the faraway truth but the truth close up. And finding out that close-up truth changes people. Often forever. Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Delia Ephron crafts a powerful novel of truth, beauty, and the secrets about family and friends that lie beneath perfection.