Is It Them or Is It Me? - Hardcover

Grade 5-8-- On her first day of high school, Molly wants nothing more than for her laugh and her body to mature and to be with her best friend, Kathy, who has just entered a prestigious private school. But by the end of the day, her list has grown--she now wants a boyfriend, a new history teacher, and an invitation to join the school paper. This is a quick, witty story of a teenager trying to define her place with peers, in school, and at home. Molly is at a point in life where belonging to a crowd takes precedence over everything else, including family and grades, but this is not an unbalanced plot, just a realistic one. Molly is a resilient character, tough enough to cope with the angst of adolescence, tender enough to forgive both friends and foes. With humor worthy of Danziger's protagonists and with honesty akin to Lowry's Anastasia, Molly survives everything from her first kiss to her first detention, from an altered friendship to her mother's cancer, with spirit and with the egotism of a true teen. --Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Molly is nervous about entering high school, especially since her childhood friend Kathy is going to a different school. The first few weeks are difficult. Molly discovers that competition for a position on the school newspaper staff is very stiff, so when she is asked to interview her contemptible history teacher, she reluctantly agrees. Making friends does not come easily to Molly, and, even worse, she feels that she and Kathy are drifting apart. As the days pass, Molly begins to work through these problems, but then she is confronted with a genuine crisis--her mother has cancer. Haven delicately explores Molly's life at home and at school with verve and wit, writing about family, friendship and romance from a fresh, upbeat perspective. Crisp, concise dialogue brings this entertaining story's characters to vivid life. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.