EVERYTHING IS FINE by Ann Dee Ellis – REVIEW

 

 

Little, Brown and Company – March 2009

 

Mazzy has more responsibility than most people her age.  She has a severely depressed mother that barely moves and a father more concerned with his career than with what is going on at home.  Her only companionship comes from her neighbors, but friendships are hard to maintain because of her strange and off-putting behaviors.  The only outlet Mazzy has is art. Her mother’s abandoned art supplies provide her with a way to express her true feelings when everywhere else she has to hide what is really happening in her life. 

Readers witness the family’s struggles through Mazzy’s eyes and the reason for their downhill spiral becomes clear as the story unfolds. The author has written a short novel about a serious subject and your heart will go out to Mazzy.

The author could have developed Mazzy’s artistic nature a bit more.  It just seemed to be scattered here and there throughout the book and we never see her process of creating – just the product; however, this doesn’t take away from the story.  With only 154 pages of scarce text this is a book you can fit in anytime.

 

 

 

Everything Is Fine.

 

JANES IN LOVE by Cecil Castellucci

In this second installment of the PLAIN JANES series, the gang is looking for new ways to spread art around the community.  Problems are looming on the horizon though.  Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and everyone is looking for a sweetheart for the big dance and pulling their sneak art attacks are getting harder and harder with Officer Sanchez always on the look out.  

Jane still maintains correspondence with Miroslaw from the first book.  From one of the letters Jane gets from him, she gets the idea to find a legal way to spread her art.  She applies for a grant from the National Foundation for the Arts.  Her proposal is based on taking an abandoned corner and turning it into a garden paradise to whole community can enjoy.

Despite some ups and downs, the Janes stay focused on their goal.  This installment is just as entertaining as the first one.  I’m assuming there will be another one, but I have no idea what it will be about since JANES IN LOVE wraps up so nicely.

 

JANES IN LOVE by Cecil Castellucci

In this second installment of the PLAIN JANES series, the gang is looking for new ways to spread art around the community.  Problems are looming on the horizon though.  Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and everyone is looking for a sweetheart for the big dance and pulling their sneak art attacks are getting harder and harder with Officer Sanchez always on the look out.  

Jane still maintains correspondence with Miroslaw from the first book.  From one of the letters Jane gets from him, she gets the idea to find a legal way to spread her art.  She applies for a grant from the National Foundation for the Arts.  Her proposal is based on taking an abandoned corner and turning it into a garden paradise to whole community can enjoy.

Despite some ups and downs, the Janes stay focused on their goal.  This installment is just as entertaining as the first one.  I’m assuming there will be another one, but I have no idea what it will be about since JANES IN LOVE wraps up so nicely.