Review: Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry

Synopsis: To Anastasia Krupnik, being ten is very confusing. For one thing, she has this awful teacher who can't understand why Anastasia doesn't capitalize or punctuate her poems. Then, there's Washburn Cummings, a very interesting sixth-grade boy who doesn't even know she is alive. Even her parents have become difficult. They insist she visit her 92-year-old grandmother who can never remember Anastasia's name. On top of that, they're going to have a baby -- at their age! It's enough to make a kid want to do something terrible. Anastasia knows that if she didn't have her secret green notebook to write in, she would never make it to her eleventh birthday. (from the online description)

Review: Anastasia is an adorable, likeable, relatable character. She reminds me too much of myself at 10. I adore her outlook on her life, her parents, school, and friends. And her little green notebook, where she writes things she hates and things she loves - and how those things often change columns - is marvelous. As for her adjusting to a new sibling - Lowry wrote that well. And when Anastasia learned to deal with growing old and dying, Lowry allows us to learn alongside her. I recommend this for any middle-school child, in particular those dealing with new siblings or death of family members, but also, for anyone like me, who just enjoys escaping the adult life for a time.

Bookmarks: 8 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-0440408529
Date Finished: 7-26-2015
Pages: 144