529 reviews1 follower

August 6, 2018

Amelia is excited to finally be in the 7th grade, but finds that this year is more complicated than 6th grade. At the first dance of the year, Amelia notices the others girls have started using makeup, including her best friend Carly. Amelia isn't comfortable wearing makeup and worries that she is not growing up as quickly as Carly and the other girls. This begins Amelia's wondering about whether she is pretty, if she should wear makeup, and how others see her. A relatable story on how young girls see themselves and what makes each person unique.

Nadine

358 reviews

May 14, 2023

I have read from this series before. It's cute. The protagonist is Imperfect and relatable. I guess she's a little obsessive. My student liked it too.

XXMiaXX

14 reviews

March 23, 2017

lol, this book is very funny. Very realistic.

finished

Jen

253 reviews1 follower

April 2, 2015

Moss, M. (2007). Amelia’s 7th-grade notebook. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Amelia is a 7th grade girl. She is very self-aware and is trying to navigate friendships, school, boys, makeup, and her body image in this journal-style book. The medium in which Amelia’s thoughts and the story’s plot is recorded is an eye-catching way for the reader to stay along with the story. The notebook style lends itself to illustrations and therefore it supports the text narrative. This is one book in a series of Amelia’s notebooks. In this particular story, Amelia is anxious about the upcoming school dance. She’s afraid of no one asking her to dance. Her older sister Cleo does not do much to encourage her sister, so Amelia turns to her best friend Carly, who tries really hard to convince Amelia to go to the dance. Once she’s there, though, Carly dances nonstop with boys, while Amelia is a wallflower. Amelia gets jealous, and doesn’t like the fact that Carly wears makeup. So then Amelia wonders if it’s because she doesn’t wear makeup that boys don’t ask her to dance. She has her biggest fight with Carly about not wanting to wear makeup, and not being okay with her friend wearing makeup. Amelia realizes that she can’t project her own desires onto other people, and Carly and Amelia make up. In the end, she understands herself better- her desire to wait until she’s a little older to wear makeup, her true beauty that lies within, and her values. Amelia learns that people grow at their own rates, and that’s okay.

This is a good book for tweens, especially girls, who might feel insecure about themselves. Tweens start looking more towards their friends for validation, and this book gives an honest look at how Amelia went through the validation-seeking process with Carly. Hopefully by seeing how Amelia ultimately claimed her own values and lived them, tween girls and boys will learn that they must be their own person. This book can shift the power of peer thought onto one’s own thoughts. I like how Amelia is not perfect- she has flaws and insecurities like a real person does. Marissa Moss created a very realistic character with whom tweens can identify and empathize. It’s helpful to see Amelia’s thought processes as she encounters conflict within herself and with Carly and Cleo. Amelia is a well-rounded character who tweens will want to read more about.

Genre: realistic fiction, graphic novel

Reading level/interest level: Tween

Similar books/materials: Dork Diaries, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Reader’s advisory notes:

i. personal thoughts: I like the journal-style of narrative writing. I think kids will like this style, too. The pictures are engaging.
ii. subjects/themes: identity, friendship, growing up, family, boy-girl relationships

iii. awards:

iv. series information: part of a series of Amelia’s Notebooks
v. character names/description: Amelia, 7th grader, is self-conscious about her appearance, her maturity level with boys and friends; Cleo, Amelia’s older sister who’s a 9th grader, picks on Amelia; Carly, Amelia’s best friend, Amelia thinks she’s beautiful and has no problems with how she looks, boys, etc., idolizes her a bit, an encouraging friend.
vi. annotation: Amelia wants 7th grade to be a good year. The 7th grade kick-off dance is a chance for her to solidify her reputation and set things right. If only she could find out what’s best for her: to wear makeup or to not? To go to the dance, or not? To be friends with Carly, or not?

graphic-fiction graphic-fiction-series