***Agnes Parker. . . Girl in Progress

by Kathleen O'Dell

Reviewed November 24, 2003.
Dial Books, New York, 2003.  157 pages.
Available at Sembach Library (JF ODE).

Thanks to Erin MacLellan (author of Run from the Nun!) for recommending this book to me.

Kathleen O’Dell cites Beverly Cleary as one of her favorite authors, and indeed this book is reminiscent of Beverly Cleary’s books.  Agnes Parker is starting sixth grade, and life is interesting.  She gets glasses, breaks her arm, meets a nice new boy, deals with a bully, and has to dress up like Squanto for a report.

Kathleen O’Dell makes these everyday events entertaining and fun.  This is something of a slice-of-life book, but sixth graders will feel that here’s an author who remembers what it’s like.

The biggest thing I didn’t like in the book was that the author uses present tense, and I have an unreasonable prejudice against that in books.  However, thanks to my friend’s recommendation, I read it anyway and was glad I did.

Copyright © 2003 Sondra Eklund.  All rights reserved.

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