Hi guys!
Welcome back to the weekend edition of Satisfaction for
Insatiable Readers….where the bookish party is ALWAYS started and you are most
certainly on the guest list.
For many out there, summer time officially ended with the
arrival of a new school year. Me? I LOVED the back to school shopping (new
school supplies…YAY! _calms down_) and the anticipation of what we’d be
learning that year (English Literature was also a fave subject…). For Arabelle, the star of today’s book, her
heart is set on making a good impression AND a name for herself in the school
play (something I would have been WAY to shy to do)…but as a freshman? Others are so thinking….AS IF! Shall we have a seat in the auditorium to
watch today’s production? Let’s…or
rather please do as I introduce today’s book of choice…
Starring Arabelle
By
From the publisher…
Impulsive, romantic Arabelle Archer is determined to make the most of her freshman year. She'll audition for the school play and soon be on her way to the stardom she knows is her destiny.
Arabelle's year gets off to a unexpectedly rocky start, however, when all the roles in the play go to upperclassmen and she has to settle for prompting. And to make matters worse, her guidance counselor insists that she fulfill her community service requirement by volunteering at the Heavenly Rest Nursing Home -- the last place she wants to be.
But when a crisis puts the school play at risk, Arabelle realizes the true value of the friendships she's made at Heavenly Rest, and discovers that making a lasting impression isn't always about being a star.
The cover screams of cuteness but the story holds more depth
than imagined. This is the story of
Arabelle Archer. It’s her freshman year
and she’s going to do things right like add to her circle of friends, perhaps
catch the attention of the opposite sex (in a purely demure way…no risqué here,
only good hearted fun!), and score a starring role (hence the title) in the
school play. Too bad for Arabelle that
the Seniors in the Drama Club do NOT like newcomers, especially those that are
lower in the high school food chain.
Yeah…it’s gonna be a GREAT year, simply marvelous….but you know
what? If you knew Arabelle, you might
not be so skeptical of that statement…
She is a lean, un-mean, freshman machine sent to the
hallowed halls of high school for higher learning (yes) and a chance to reach
for the stars! Her eyes are set on the
stars of Hollywood Boulevard
and she knows just how to accomplish her dreams…good for her! It’s great to see a go-getter in this genre,
which to me is a younger-ish Young Adult or older Middle Grade read. Too often do we see the damsel in distress
that can’t find her way out of a paper bag (not that I don’t like those stories
too); it’s refreshing to see someone who has her head on straight…for the most
part. There is one area that Ms. Archer
is lacking in and that my friends is compassion, or more pointedly,
understanding. It’s not that she doesn’t
understand things, she does but in this instance I’m referring to the
idiosyncrasies that reside in us all. Those
things we make exceptions for in others or love/like them in spite of them all;
even she falls victim to these oddities that make us who we are.
Arabelle doesn’t see her love of the arts as anything but
ordinary, yet to others, she can seem single minded to the point of
obsession…especially when a monkey wrench is thrown in the works with the
school play. Her friends accept this and
move on, happy to not rock the boat for something that is simply a part of
her. When the tables are turned and the
spotlight is not on her or her passion however, now that’s when we run into
trouble. Poor Erna Sue…her best friend
tries pretty hard to keep the peace but sometimes even she likes the
limelight. Boris, the new foreign
exchange student, is happy to make friends, but when his struggles with our
language get in the way of easy conversation, patience is the key not jumping
off the handle. Even Jeff who starts as
an annoyance yet has potential to become something more catches grief from the
storm that is Arabelle when things aren’t going her way. Try as they might, until she has her “AH-HA!”
moment, they are like actors in a silent film….screaming their heads off and
nary an ear drum split in sight.
A bleak picture I have painted, but not all is lost! There is hope for our star even in the most
unlikely (in her mind) of places. Its
name is Heavenly Rest. It’s a nursing
home to which Arabelle has the pleasure of being assigned to fulfill her
school’s community service requirement.
The good news? Not much is needed
and it’s only a few hours here and there.
The bad news? She loathes nursing
homes. You see, she remembers spending
time with her grandfather in such a place not so long ago and things did not
end well and as some children are apt to do, she blames herself. Why? That all comes out in the story as does the
healing of her heart, but suffice it to say it was no more her fault than
anyone else’s; sometimes people are simply called for greater purposes. Her time spent at Heavenly Rest is not all
down and out thought….especially with the “characters” that reside there. They are a hoot and a half for certain! You’ve got the older lady who won’t react to
anyone, an older man who forgets his clothes half the time and let US not
forget the uber cheerful Happy Holliday (Yes, that’s her name…^_^) who helps
run the show! It’s a varied cast but one
you’ll come to love as each in turn grows from the experiences they share.
All in all, it’s an inconspicuous little book with a whole
lot of heart and much fun to be had along the way. You’ll blush at Arabelle’s brush with a
crush, thrill at her first taste of young love, be excited for and with her as
she follows her passions, all the while discovering that everyone is good at
something and it’s our differences that make us the stars of our own
shows. Three cheers for Arabelle AND
friends! A book deserving of a standing
ovation …
ARC for review won via LibraryThing Early Reviewers and
received courtesy of Rachel at WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. (THANKS!)
For your chance to win a title of your own from upcoming favorites, be
sure to visit LibraryThing.com and connect with bookish friends the world
over. To discover more about the
publisher, be sure to stop by their official site, check out their blog, like
them on Facebook or follow along on Twitter.
Don’t forget to pass a little bookish love to the author as well for
creating this fictional world of possibility!
Author Hillary Hall De Baum can be reached online, or on Facebook. This book was released just last month via
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers and should be readily available on a bookstore
shelf near you.
Until next time…happy reading!
4 comments:
This sounds like a fun book and I love that the MC is a girl who knows how to go after what she wants! Arabelle seems like a character I will root for all the way through the book. Thanks for the introduction!
~Jess
Enjoyed your review! Great to hear about a book with a strong, confident girl as the main character! We need good role models for girls and it sounds like Arabelle fits the bill! Much better than Bella at least! *L*
Have a great weekend!
Wow, I just discovered your wonderful review of Starring Arabelle, and since I'm the author, I want to thank you belatedly for your enthusiasm and vote of confidence. If I were Arabelle, I'd toss a blood-red rose at your feet!
Hillary De Baun
DMS: Yes, I definitely agree....I think you'd LOVE her character. ^_^
Alexia561: Agreed...but hey, Bella had her moments. (Twilight fan, whoo! ^_^) She certainly represents a more "Real" experience than some...
Hillary DeBaun: Wow...thank you so much! *accepts rose* It never fails to put a smile on my face when I have a chance to hear back from the author. Hats off to you on this wonderful book; thanks for sharing your creativity with the world!
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