Tracy Marchini

Laugh out loud funny. That's what Effie at the Wedding truly is! Effie is the younger sister. She's sure she's not as pretty, she may be a little overweight, and she has no idea why her sister would want to get married to a doctor. Doesn't she know that doctors don't have time for their wives? GOSH! What Effie does know is that she absolutely cannot be a part of this wedding. Especially in her Pepto Bismo pink wedding dress.

Tracy Marchini has created the perfect voice for Effie. She rings show more true as a young girl who is slightly self-centered (okay maybe sometimes a lot) and doesn't want to loose her sister to someone new. Effie's snark is hilarious, and the way she shares her reasons for things with the reader is in the form of lists. It is truly these lists that make this book. Effie's lists range from things dealing with herself, to dealing with other people, and each of them is giggle worthy. Her reactions to things and people are hilarious as well. While Effie may be a young girl, looking at things through her eyes is brutally honest in the best way possible.

This is a short story, but Marchini manages to bring a character and her surroundings to life almost instantly. It needs to be said, that as far as short stories go, this is a gem! Tracy Marchini has created a character who is lovable, adorable, and downright hilarious. I'm not going to lie, I got to the end of this wishing that there was more Effie and more wedding. Too cute! If you're in need of a quick read, and a lot of giggles, give this story a try. You'll definitely get both. show less

This is a very short, very sweet story about the bond between sisters. Effie, an obsessive list maker and older sister's Maid of Honour ruminates on the wedding. She obsesses about her dress (too pink), what's wrong with her sister's new husband (too nice), what's wrong with her (too fat), what's wrong with her sister (nothing) but mostly she obsesses about her fear of losing her sister who is also her best friend.

I am not a fan of chicklit. Too often it is just stories about gorgeous women show more crushing on extremely hot men while hating on other women. But Tracy Marchini's stories are different. The heroines aren't Angelina Jolie gorgeous, the men are nice and the relationships between women are kind and loving. Marchini's characters are likable and three dimensional - we know them or, at least we wish we did, and their stories are ours only funnier. There is no great adventure, no bodice ripping romance, no sparkly vampires, just a sweet and funny look at life as it is, reminding us that, despite the ugh of the dress, it's great to be at the wedding. show less

'I didn't punch Cindy Newsome in the face on purpose.'

This is the first line of Traci Marchini's little charmer of a book, Hot Ticket, and it sums up the story of heroine, Juliet Robinson's, life exactly. No matter what she does something seems to go wrong but never intentionally. Juliet is headstrong, impulsive and very likable so when she is the only kid in school who hasn't received a hot ticket or even a shame ticket, she has to find out why.

Given how far I am past the target audience show more for this book, I was surprised at how much I liked it and most of this is due to Juliet, the main character, and her friends Lucy and the unfortunately named Crammit Gibson ( a nickname Juliet accidentally gave him in third grade but which, some how, stuck).

Ms Marchini has captured, quite nicely, what it feels like to be a sixth grader in middle school, the lowest of the low on the school rung and, worse, to feel like the least cool kid around.

if you're looking for a book to entertain your own middle schooler on a rainy afternoon, this one is perfect. And you might want to sneak a peek yourself, not to, of course, read it read it but to, you know...umm...make sure it's a safe read because, as Lucy might say, that wouldn't be 'tote ridic'. show less

It was a well written story for those within the age bracket. It's an easy read and has a fun and relatable feel to it. Each character is someone we knew when we were in school (or for those of this age, that they know now) and even now we could potentially match those within our adult life with characters in the story. I liked the feel of the story and the focus on what a person will do just to feel like 'part of the club' and what it does when one isn't. I think Tracy Marchini makes a show more funny example of a very serious subject that faces kids (and I mean kids!) today with the pressures of their peers around them - both positive and negative. Marchini was able to get the message of 'be yourself and be true to your beliefs' in a way that kids can understand. Anyone with a pre-teen should read it and then have their child read it and discuss the implications of what this type of social pressure could potentially do. Bravo Marchini. Bravo. show less