So Totally Emily Ebers

Lisa Yee's debut novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, introduced readers to a prodigy who is forced to take part in a summer volleyball team. Yee followed up with two more stories, Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time and So Totally Emily Ebers, which retell that fun and eventful summer from other points of view. Emily Ebers is a truly nice kid. After her parents got divorced, she had to move across the country with her mom, Alice. The bulk of the book is a letter to her father which fills him in on everything that goes on that summer. She tells him all about volleyball, her new friend Millie, and her crush Stanford. She misses her dad like crazy, but she eventually realizes that she and her mom have the opportunity to make a new start in their new town. I really liked how optimistic and friendly Emily was throughout the book. She dealt with her parents' divorce and the move with some maturity, as well as natural curiosity, instead of woe-is-me angst. Emily is charming and sweet, and her story wraps up the trilogy with the smile.

Lisa Yee's SO TOTALLY EMILY EBERS is an adorable, fun read written in diary style format. The book tackles realistic issues that affect tweens and it was a page turner from start to finish.

Lisa Yee's SO TOTALLY EMILY EBERS is presented in the form of Emily's letters to her father and chart a move to California and a series of ideas and impressions on life, friendship, romance and divorce. It's a winning story of coming of age and coping with a new family and social life and the format and chatty style will involve young adults in a fine leisure choice.

Rumor has it, this series of books was not a planned one. Coulda fooled me! Each book seems to fit perfectly into the ones before it, making the whole experience richer and more interesting. This book easily upholds the promise of the previous books.

SO TOTALLY EMILY EBERS follows the adventures of eleven-year-old Emily, who has to move from Allendale, New Jersey to Rancho Rosetta, California. Since her parents are divorced, she has to move across the country with her mom, while her dad stays behind in New Jersey. When she thinks nothing good can come out of the volleyball classes her mom signs her up for, something does. She meets Millicent Min. Millie, as she calls her, also was forced to take the lessons. Emily and Millie never run out of things to say, but when Millie lies to Emily, she starts hanging around with the popular girls. They tell her to go on a diet and give her a makeover, but that isn't the girl her mother (or her friends) knows. Emily's mom, Alice, just wants to be a part of her daughter's life, but Emily wants to be alone, especially when Alice starts dating the town police officer. She hates her for making her leave her dad. She gets angry when she calls her dad's house and some lady answers. At first, she thinks she must have the wrong number, but suddenly she hears her dad's voice in the background. She quickly hangs up, but is sad that her parents have moved on from each other. How will she start a new school this fall without her old friends, who called to say they were having a great time without her? Why did Millie have to lie to her? Why can't her parents just get back together? Will Emily's life ever settle down and get back to normal? SO TOTALLY EMILY EBERS is another great read in Lisa Yee's series, following the release of Millicent Min, Girl Genius and Stanford Wong Flunks Big-time (Apple Signature Edition). Reviewed by: Audrey