Anastasia's Chosen Career

3.5 stars rounded down, because I don't think anyone should judge the series by this sample. The pop culture references date it (though maybe a child could read it as historical fiction?) and urban children might very well take offense at how 'exotic' Anastasia finds the city. Still very funny, and I am going to continue to enjoy the series as I can find the books in libraries.
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Reread from Little Free Library cuz I didn't remember it. This time what bothered me is how Mrs. Krupnik is such a model housewife - supposedly she illustrates children's books but that never comes up. And how can the family live on her income plus that of a poetry professor? (At least, I think he's a professor. They certainly couldn't live on just royalties.) show more Also, there's too much emphasis on looks.

But read as HF it does have moments of insight and plenty of humor. show less

After the last couple of Anastasia books sagged a little, this one was back in shape. Many episodes that had me laughing out loud in a well structured story.
Anastasia is assigned to do a report for school on her chosen career. She wants to run a bookstore, but she believes she needs more poise and charm to do so. So over a school break, she enrolls in a modeling school's week long class for middle schoolers. And while in Boston taking the course, she'll also interview a bookstore owner.
Nothing turns out as she expected. The modeling school is in a run-down dingy building and is run by an overweight old woman and her even more overweight husband. The bookstore owner doesn't have a clue how to run a business, but just lives on her show more husband's income and enjoys owing a bookstore that doesn't make any money.
At the modeling school, Anastasia meets Henrietta "Henry - call me Henrietta and you die" Peabody, and to her surprise, Robert Giannini, (a weird kid from the original Anastasia book) comes to the school as well.
Drawbacks: several insensitive comments about overweight people, and after Henry (who is 13 years old mind you) gets a haircut at the modeling school, she is so beautiful that grown men are ogling her... which made me pretty uncomfortable. show less

Anastasia returns to form in this volume of the series. Anastasia decides to take a modeling class to help her with her school project "My Chosen Career"...which is to be a bookstore owner. That sounds like the most excellent career in the world. However, this is also the least realistic of the Anastasia books so far. I find it unrealistic that the Krupniks would let their 13 year old daughter attend a modeling class in downtown Boston by herself. I find it unrealistic that Robert Giannini who appeared in the first and second books of this series would coincidentally show up in this same class. I also find it unrealistic that a 13 year old would have saved up enough babysitting money to take a $119 modeling course in 1987. I remember show more being paid $3 an hour to babysit in 1991. Oh, well. I always enjoy reading this book, even as an adult. show less

In one of the more mediocre Anastasia books, our heroine makes a typically teenage decision to enroll in a modeling course over spring break to make herself better and more glamorous. She persuades her parents to let her visit the city on her own by feigning interest in interviewing a friend of her father's for her school paper on "My Chosen Career." Over the course of the week she befriends Henry (Henrietta) Peabody, a stereotypically loud-mouthed Black girl who is destined to break free from her blue-collar background by becoming a successful model, and Ellen Page, an unsuccessful bookstore owner with a wealthy husband and a heart of gold. Anastasia decides that it's okay to not be stunning and that being a bookstore owner might be a show more good career choice after all. The book loses points for some pieces of formulaic writing, benign racism, and insulting depictions of the two characters who, though not fat by any stretch of the imagination, are not *as* thin as everybody else. show less

This one had some great moments, but it felt somewhat dated to me.

Anastasia only has one week to work on her school assignment called "My Chosen Career." She must first develop poise and self-confidence. So Anastasia takes the plunge and spends her life savings on a modeling course at Studio Charmante. She has one week to interview a bookstore owner, write a report, and complete her modeling course. Luckily her new friend Henry is with her most of the way so hopefully he can help her out. Only she has the answers!

All this book did was make me want to be Anastasia when I grow up. Alas.