The Year Of Secret Assignments

This is third one I've read (out of order, but it doesn't seem to matter)in this series. So much to love about this author and her characters. Her humor is just my type-quirky and silly, with an obvious love of language. Emily's malapropisms had me laughing out loud. The parents are actually characters and not props in these books (Emily's dad is my favorite), and the friendship and loyalty among the characters is touching and sweet.

Glad there are still a few of her books that I haven't read. Jaclyn Moriarty is a new favorite.

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT TEENAGE PSYCHOPATHS. also, this book was super charming and I loved it but damnit, I want to know WHAT HAPPENS THERE, AFTERWARDS, and I am willing to bet up to five dollars that I won't find out!!!! I'll just have to try to be okay with that.

This was a fun YA read. Three high school girls are assigned secret pen pal friends at another school, and all participants start off resenting the project. Having their identities kept secret (at least at first) leads to all sorts of pranks and misadventures and (are we surprised?) romance. It took me awhile to pick up on the different voices of the characters writing back and forth, which was distracting and you'd think it would be a higher priority for a book consisting of the correspondence of six teenagers, but by the end I was pretty sold on the girls and cheerfully bought into their indignations and victories.

Grade: B
Recommended: Good for people who like current YA high school romance fiction (the Louise Rennison crowd, I'd show more imagine), it would probably appeal to middle school girls who are picky readers. It's not prissy in any way. show less

Let me just start by saying I do t like epistolary novels. I like the word "epistolary", but the books themselves have always left me feeling removed and frustrated with a story. With the cast of Lydia, Cassie, Emily, Seb, Charlie, and even Matthew, the letters were a rich, satisfying, effective window into their world. Regardless of content or form, I can't wait to read more by this author.

Three best friends from Ashbury private school are forced to participate in a pen-pal program with their rival school.

Soon secret missions, crushes, and spitefulness abound as everyone tries to find out who everyone else truly is.

First off, I love the style. Lydia writes in a notebook designed to turn her into an author (it's not a great book), Emily's parents send her legal memos...it's awfully funny. However, it does suffer from some limitations. We hear very little about the actual interaction (in person) between the penpals. It might have been nice with more of a diary or email/IM presence to explore the meetings and budding relationships.

A little simple in terms of how everything works out (with everyone getting a crush on their show more OWN penpal, for example), but there are some 'deep' bits about dealing with grief, dating, etc.

Luckily for all of us post-adolescents (and the adolescents, too) the 'deep' bits tend to be mercifully brief and well-integrated. No offensive preaching here.

A fluff read for the high school set without much cross-age appeal (aside from the legal memos...). show less

This fun, funny, and sweet novel is told entirely through letters and emails between students at two rival high schools. The three girls, all students at the private Ashbury school, exchange letters with three boys from the public Brookfield school as a penpal assignment for English class. The girls' English teacher encourages them to find "The magic of the Envelope," and all three jump in with surprising results. There is a very nice romantic subplot here, which is predictable but not boring, but the main draw is the devoted friendship between Lydia, Cassie, and Emily. It's letter-oriented format and slightly twisted sense of humor should increase its appeal to those who have very little time for reading, or who like to do their show more reading in small bites. I enjoyed it very much, and ran right out to the bookstore to buy the companion novel, The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie. show less

This is probably the BEST YA novel I've ever, EVER read!
I like it, seriously. At the beginning I couldn't decide which character I like most of all. While I read Lydia's notes I thought she was the favorite. Then Emily became my choice. And then I changed my mind again as Charlie and Seb appeared on stage.
Seriously, this book is almost like a play. In the theatre of my head. Don't call me stupid, but it includes all the thing a good play should include: humour and tragedy, love and friendship, monologues and witty dialogues, crazy and lovable characters... oh, and this hilarious court at the end!
Ohmigod! I'm going to keep this book in safe for many-many years so my future child (whether it will be a boy or a girl) will read it and like show more it as much as I do! show less