About book Cross Your Heart, Connie Pickles (2007)
"Cross Your Heart, Connie Pickles" is a little like "Harriet the Spy" meets "Ghost World." This book was the personal diary of 14 year old Connie Pickles and her meddling misadventures. It was both laugh out loud funny and a realistic, endearing coming-of-age story. Some children's books are written solely for kids, but some kids' books can be appreciated even more from an adult perspective. I found myself thinking more than once that kids were probably missing out on some of the book's insight, some parts of the total message of the book, and even some of the humor. Connie lives in a small flat in the UK with her mother and two small siblings. Her main objective at the start of her personal diary is to find her mother a new boyfriend. Her father passed away when she was a baby, and her stepfather and mother had been divorced for a while. Connie gets a Saturday job at the local pharmacy with the intention of fixing her mom up with the cute, young owner, Mr. Leakey. The job and Mr. Leakey both turn out teach her much more than she bargained for.Both of Connie's female best friends seemed to have grown up in a lot of ways without her. They are already going to parties and snogging boys. Even though Connie is still close with the other girls, she feels like she might be missing out. And Connie's very best friend, William, is acting even more strangely. All of a sudden, he's acting like he likes her as more than a friend, which Connie doesn't want at all! Or does she?The progression of Connie's feelings towards William is so heartfelt and honest. At first, she's so scared of her feelings for him, that she is rude and almost mean to him. William is the perfect first love. He's so sweet and continues to like Connie even after she pushes him away. The way he rides up and down the street while she's at work struck me as so darn cute-something that could only be cute between 14 year olds in love. Also, she was always opening her door to find that he had left chocolates on the doorstep for her. Still, it was hard for her to see more than her best friend in William.I loved Mr. Leakey as a father figure for Connie. He was such a thoughtful, reassuring influence on her. He guided her to open her mind to see different viewpoints, not to blindly follow what others say, including himself. He wanted her to take others' advice and then think for herself. And Connie herself was just a fantastic character, so self-assured and vulnerable at the same time. Her strong sense of herself and funky thrift store clothes willl pull her through even the roughest parts of adolescence. I can't wait to read the next book in this series, and I hope Durrant writes more, because I can't get enough of Connie Pickles!Reviewed for: http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com/
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