Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

My friend Andrea picked School of Charm for Book Club ages ago; I started it over two years ago and then got sidetracked by the holidays. For one reason or another it’s been languishing in the pile by my bed since then, waiting for me to get back to it–until now. Remember how I’ve been deliberately working on my “Currently Reading” list? I realized that School of Charm would probably make a good read aloud for my 11-year-old, and–hallelujah!–we finished it on Monday.

Here’s the thing. There’s a lot to capture my interest here–when Chip’s dad dies, she and her family move in with their maternal grandmother in North Carolina, whom the children have never met. While Chip’s mother, grandmother, and older sister are part of the beauty pageant life, and little Ruthie is young enough to fit in anywhere, Chip is a tomboy who spent much of her time with her father. As a result, she doesn’t know where to fit in with her family anymore. When she sees a sign nearby for “Miss Vernie’s School of Charm”, she decides that perhaps that will help; so begins a rocky journey to find her place in her new home.

So far, so good, right? Totally up my alley. The problem is that this is one of those books where the problem doesn’t get appreciably better until the very end; 90% of the book is suffering through the problem, and the solution feels comparably sudden. That’s never been my jam–I like reading about the process of recovery–and in this case, Chip’s unhappiness and her family’s attitudes are incredibly painful to read about as a parent. I’m not saying it’s not realistic–grief is hard, and when it necessitates other significant life changes, it can cause people to act in all kinds of uncharacteristic ways–but it made for a difficult reading experience.

Of course, on the other hand, I think my girlie enjoyed it. Perhaps this is just a book best enjoyed by its intended audience.