Myracle, Lauren (2005). The Fashion Disaster that Changed my Life. NY: Dutton Juvenile. ISBN: 0525472223. 160 pages.
Seventh grader Alli has been out of the loop since sixth grade, when she had to leave school for two months due to illness. The changes Alli noticed in her classmates that seemed to have emerged during her absence--increased interest in boys among the girls and the rise of one student to Queen Bee status--just become more obvious in seventh grade. When Alli accidentally arrives at school with a pair of her mother's underpants stuck (via static cling) to her own pants and everybody sees the fashion faux pas, she is certain that her social fate has been sealed. Interestingly, however, this moment of attention attracts the Queen Bee to Alli and, through the course of the novel, Alli considers the benefits and pitfalls of becoming one of the "cool girls" in school. Written as a journal, this book has more depth than I had originally judged. Alli's intensity of feeling towards her older, less cool friends and her confusion about "moving on" are well described and seem authentic and the gradual realization that her original best friend is no better than the stuck up Queen Bee is an interesting touch. The Fashion Disaster is a quick read that handles a familiar trope with light and well-placed humor. Much like Rachel Vail's "The Friendship Ring" books but with less angst, this will find an audience among junior high readers of the female persuasion. |
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