Dear Celeste, My Life Is a Mess - Softcover

Grade 5-7-- When their favorite advice columnist ``Dear Celeste'' visits their class, Leigh and Amanda are horrified to learn that she is not as beautiful and ``together'' in person as she comes across in her column. Unable to accept the real Celeste, the girls embark on a mission, Operation Celeste, to remake her into the person they feel she should be. Celeste not only does not share their enthusiasm, but is downright hostile toward their interference. Undeterred, the dogooders bumble their way through one hilarious mishap after another. This novel is funny from beginning to end; it's amazing--but not unrealistic--that two seventh grade girls could get themselves into so many scrapes, tight spots, and embarrassing situations. The characters are well defined, and the situations are mostly believable; the humor is suited to this audience, and readers will love it. --Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC-
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Readers are bound to savor this delectable treat about two friends who meet their idol--an advice columnist for teenagers. Celeste's ardent followers Amanda and Leigh are thrilled to learn that the nationally known journalist will be visiting their seventh grade class and moving to the neighborhood. But when the girls discover that Celeste Nussenbaum is a frumpy, disorganized, nervous wreck, they're stunned, disappointed and galvanized into action--they decide to help the unsuspecting woman get her life in order, with chaotic but always amusing results. Lantz's plot contains improbable situations, but the high jinks here are sufficiently animated to squelch any potential griping. Amanda's first-person narrative and the surrounding dialogue typify the language of today's youth. And, by story's end, the heroines are solving their own problems with intelligence and newly acquired maturity. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.