Rebel McKenzie is about a young girl named Rebel who wants to become a paleontologist one day. Similar to her name, throughout the book Rebel is trying to rebel from her boring life and dreams of going to a summer camp about paleontologist but her family cannot afford to send her there. When an opportunity arises for her to take part in a beauty pageant with a cash prize she takes it. Rebel did not realize how difficult a beauty pageant was but with great perseverance she strives for her summer camp dream. This book would be useful to teach children about setting goals and what you have to do to achieve them. ( )

I struggled with this one. I found Rebel to be a strong protagonist, but the premise of the story was so far-fetched, that I had trouble putting that aside as the story went on. Unless a parent was in a truly desperate situation, he or she would not send their daughter into an unsafe environment like that. Rebel's parents were in no such situation. I actually had a similar problem with One Crazy Summer. No parent in their right mind would have sent those girls to California to spend their summer with an abusive parent. Children's literature can be funny like that. I don't blink at a child sailing to America in a giant peach with a group of friendly bugs, but two reasonable parents sending their daughter to spend her summer in a trailer park? That's what I find unbelievable. ( )

Rebel McKenzie had planned on spending the summer at the Ice Age Kids' Dig and Safari, putting her paleontologist talents to work. But money's tight, and when Rebel's older sister Lynette moves back to town with her seven-year-old son, Rebel finds herself living with Lynette for the summer in her mobile home (only trashy people say trailer). Rebel cares for Rudy during the day while Lynette attends beauty school and works part time at the local salon. Not one to sulk for too long, Rebel makes the most of the situation, and her feistiness soon has the various residents of Grandview Estates and Frog Level, Virginia sitting up and taking notice. Throw in the Miss Frog Level Volunteer Fire Department's third annual beauty pageant (first prize: $250, which may get her to that paleontology camp after all) and things are set up for a most interesting summer! ( )

Cute and fun. ( )