Lily B. On the Brink of Cool

A great book for any young reader, I reccomend it to all. Very funny in all senses. This book is thought provoking by being narrated by a 13 year old girl, but also has some hilarious lines. You can feel for the character as if she were right there beside you. I think all of us have a little Lily in us. I reccomend the first book, but the sequels are not worth a read. Kimmel shows great character in this first book. A great read for all in the mood for a good comedy.

Everyone can get swept into being cool and 'fitting in', but Lily was blown over! Her parents are dreadfully boring. The rest of her family is no better, including a 'tapeworm' aunt who doesn't even eat her own wedding cake. But, there is hope (!), for the LeBlancs are somehow related to her boring-as-a-stick relatives. They are enviromentally-aware, vegetarians, and they have AMAZING fashion-sense! Their daughter, Karma, is the girl everyone wants to be. Beautiful, rich, confident, and did I mention, beautiful? Waiter-dropping-his-tray-full-of-glasses, drop-dead beautiful? Well, she is. THIS is how Lily wants to be. But instead, she's stuck with her driving the exact speed limit, even in the fast lane, parents. Whats a girl to do? Ok, yes, the main character may be self-centered, but that is one of the reasons that made me laugh so hard! Most books that other people find funny, I usually don't. I'll read the whole thing and usually don't crack a smile. But, this is a book that made me laugh so hard, out loud, in our car on a 15-hour drive. Needless to say, everyone thought I had gone off the deep end. I was laughing so hard that tears came to my eyes. This is a truly creative book, that really cracks into a 13-year-old girl's brain who is aspiring to be cool. I love to read this book again and again. And again, especially when I'm having a bad day.

I absolutely LOVED this book!!! I laughed and laughed and laughed... sometimes something would be so funny I'd run into the other room and tell it to my mom, and she'd laugh too. The review a seventh grader wrote about the characters being "cardboard," well, you have to appreciate the book for what it is. The story is about a naive seventh grader who's totally bored with her life. Elizabeth Cody Kimmel wasn't TRYING to write a deep, thoughtful book. She was trying to write a lighthearted, fun-to-read story for young girls. I suppose if you're used to books that make you think, you might not care for this one as much, but personally, as the eleven year old that I am, I LOVED it.

Future biographers of Lily Blennerhassett, rejoice! Lily B. is keeping a journal to assist you in your work (and also because she needs the credits for Advanced English). Yes, Lily expects to be a great novelist one day, winning all kinds of accolades and awards. In the meantime, her life is dull with a capital D --- especially this summer.Her best friend Charlotte leaves to attend Young Executive Camp. Lily's parents drag her off on Family Outings to tour accordion manufacturers, learn how to spin yarn, make cornhusk dolls, and other adolescent tortures. Well, let's face it: Lily's parents are uninteresting. Her father drives the speed limit in the fast lane. Her mother cares so much that people won't find them untidy that she makes their beds while staying at motels.Ho hum.Excitement skyrockets into her boring existence when Lily meets the glamorous LeBlanc family. Karma and her parents, Charles and Veronique, are Cool People. They're beautiful, dress amazingly, and care about the important things in life, such as the environment and vegetarianism. Lily herself must be on the brink of cool to be hanging out with these hip folks. But why have Lily's parents forbidden her to spend time with the LeBlancs? When Lily stakes all for her fabulous friendship, her life becomes a nightmare.The story, told in rapid-fire diary entries, grabs the reader. I sat down to read a few pages and, gripped by the mystery of Lily's new buddies, finished the book in one enjoyable sitting. It's hard to imagine a more endearing character than Lily, who grows and changes throughout the story in a most satisfying manner. Elizabeth Cody Kimmel expresses essential themes --- the importance of family and the meaninglessness of appearances --- skillfully and joyfully. This is the stuff of which rabid fans are made. Oh, how I am hoping for a sequel! --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (...)

This is one of my favorite books! It is extreamly funny and is one of those books you can read over and over! I couldnt help cheering for Lily while I read this book. It should get a newberry medal!