Klepto

This is a fast-paced, entertaining YA book that all girls--young and old alike--should read. Some say it's about how peer pressure can get kids into trouble, but this beautifully-written novel is much more than that: It's about teen-age insecurity, friendship, first experiences ... and, above all, it's about how being honest and doing the right thing pays off in the end. When the main character, fourteen-year-old Julie Prodsky becomes friends with Julie Braverman at her new high school, she looks up to her popular new friend, desiring to be more like her. So when Julie B. introduces her to shoplifting, Julie P. bows to peer pressure and goes along with it. It soon becomes a habit and she builds a wardrobe of the hottest designer clothing of the '80s. She knows stealing is wrong and her heart isn't in it, but she finds it hard to resist and begins to suspect she may be a kleptomaniac. She also fears angering and upsetting her new friend. And just her luck, while she's trying to think of a way to stand up for her own principles and express her true feelings to Julie B., they get caught! Poor Julie P.! Author Jenny Pollack does such a fine job of bringing her characters to life that your heart will break for these troubled teens, especially the heroine who is very sad at parties when she's not "cool" like the rest of them. Readers will empathize with Julie P. as they look back on their own anxieties during their teen years. I, for one, rooted for Julie P. from page one; she was quite endearing as she struggled for self-acceptance, struggled to remain true to herself while trying to fit in with the others. And stealing isn't the only age-inappropriate thing that Julie B. does! So how does the more honest, sensible Julie P. get out of this mess? What happens when she quits letting Julie B. control her life? Will their friendship survive? And how does Julie P.'s old boyfriend figure into this exciting, timely plot? And where are the kids' parents? You will have an exciting reading adventure finding the answer to those questions as this young author leads you from one exciting scene to the next, with great skill and seeming ease. This is a very good book, written in the voice of Julie P., whom the author portrays in such a realistic way you will think you're in the book, sharing the troubles and triumphs right along with the characters. I recommend this book very highly and can't wait to read Jenny Pollack's next novel. Reviewed by Betty, Dravis, 2008 The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley

I loved this book. It talks about things that actually happen to teens that parents like to ignore and pretend dont happen. I just loved this book and can realte to it not becuase i steal but becuase of the friedship problems and other issues in the book.

I saw Klepto in its "infancy" as a one-woman show in which actress Jenny Pollack read to us from her teen years' diary. And so I could see why so many in those audiences said "You must turn this into a book." Magically, she has turned a voice I am sure every teen will relate to into one that resonates just as immediately to adult readers like myself. Since I know the author and so, supposedly, how the book "turns out," I found it a magnetic "page turner" with equal parts humor, poignancy and solid good sense. Without ever preaching, Jenny Pollack captures the huge moments in a teen's life that bring hime or her to the point of taking a stand and deciding to become the one best person he or she can be. I am one of those who believe that readers read "authors" not just titles. So, I am especailly happy to find one of those authors whose every "next book" I will eagerly await.

I only wish I had been lucky enough to have read this book when I was 13 years old - I know it would have instantly been crowned "my favorite book!" Ms. Pollack creates a world that feels utterly authentic from her description of the mega-popular jeans of the early '80's and the kind of dinner you make when your parents aren't home, to the giggling, late-night phone conversations and the incredible loneliness that one can only feel at a high school party. I winced when Julie P.'s parents argued, got chills at her first "real" kiss and felt just as bewildered as she did by her inability to control her overwhelming impulse to shoplift. Julie P. is a winning narrator - her unsentimental honesty has you rooting for her from the first page and readers of all ages will relate to her struggle for self-acceptance. This book has everything - a plot that moves swiftly, characters that are true-to-life and at its heart, a message that every teenage girl needs to hear: you have the power to be the person you want to be and nothing feels better than being true to yourself.

Jenny Pollock beautifully captures the anxiety, angst and insecurities of a 14 year old girl in a new high school. Klepto is a tale of first experiences and friendships. Her protagonist is honest, endearing and readers will root for her in the end.