A teenage girl with dwarfism begins attending a performing arts high school and is sexually assaulted by several male students. Good for high school. ( )

At 16 years old Judy Loden is a precocious young girl; witty, smart, and a voice that could knock you over. She is also 3 ft 9 in tall and has convinced her parents to let her attend the the prestigious Ann Arbor Darcy Arts Academy. Life isn't exactly easy when you're a little person, but Judy handles it with aplomb, making new friends and falling for the best looking guy at school. Yet she is telling us her story from a seedy hotel room where she is hiding out, from her family, her friends, the media, and the sadly not all too uncommon event that has left her shattered, unsure if she will ever be able to recover.

I've read numerous reviews that compare Judy to both the iconic Holden Caulfield of Catcher in the Rye fame and the angst ridden Lee Fiora of Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep. I find both comparisons unfair. Judy is a unique character all her own, sharing only one thing in common with either novel, that it is a incredibly memorable coming of age tale, that is both modern and timeless. Judy was a very believable character; her internal thought processes and constant fears of judgment by her peers striking a chord that should remind any adult reading this book of what it felt like when they too were 16. While her stature could have come across as gimicky, it was handled quite well, without overshadowing the actual story. The rest of the characters were equally well written, making for an enjoyable read (or in my case listen). None of the background characters came across as cardboard cutouts resembling teenagers, despite the fact that they were made up of the ubiquitous in-crowd, geeks, and outcasts that you'll find in any high school. The adults were every bit as individual. The author's ability to give each character a unique voice, made this novel stand out from the crowd of coming-of-age novels that clog the shelves and I highly recommend this novel, both to teenagers and adults. ( )

I'm trying to keep an open mind, but am apprehensively starting this. It's one of my Odyssey First Edition books, which I am part of [partly] to expose myself to books that I wouldn't usually pick up. This is definitely a book I wouldn't normally read - there is nothing about the description that interests me and after the first disc, I'm already tired of the "anyway"'s and the "like"'s. It's stereotypical teenage narration and I've already rolled my eyes more than once. I don't like YA like this. To be honest, I'm suprised this was chosen by the Odyssey. But open mind, open mind... ( )

I found this an interesting read, although not really a 'good book'. Certainly a different topic - a little person at a performing arts school has something happen to her that drives her to run away from home. It wasn't all that difficult to figure out what the horrible thing was going to be by the time it happened (or at least guess the gist of it), but the character was interesting. However, I'm not sure it's very realistic. Judy has pretty high self-esteem - she knows she's a talented singer, deserves the accolades she gets at school and that she's quite pretty. On the other hand, when it comes to parties and boys, she just can't believe that any of them would be interested, especially the one she likes.

But let's be honest, this book is primarily about parties, drinking, and sex. Secondarily, it's about how boys see things (like sex) vs. how girls do and also friendship and families.

I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but thinking back, it wasn't really a book I would recommend readily to others. Teens might find it more interesting than most adults. ( )

Told in the first person, the protagonist, a 17 year old little person, weaves a stream of consciousness story that is entertaining, funny, heartbreaking, and honest about a personally traumatic event. ( )