Everyone, it’s time for some whistles, cheers, and big time whoops!!
Today, we are celebrating the official release of Absolutely Maybe (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009), penned by the one and only Lisa Yee! Woo Hoo!!
ABSOLUTELY MAYBE by Lisa Yee (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2009),
Young Adult, 288 pp.
That’s right, the former Miss America and author of the wildly popular Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time; So Totally Emily Ebers; and Good Luck, Ivy!, has written a funny, touching young adult novel about 16-year-old Maybe (short for Maybelline), who hitches a ride from Florida to California, where she discovers just what she is made of. Phew! This book is coming out just in time; ever since I finished Good Luck, Ivy!, I’ve been suffering from serious Lisa withdrawal, simply wanting more more more from this Sid Fleischman Humor Award winner.
Anyway, Maybe’s life is pretty tough. Her mom, who goes through men like Kleenex, takes her scuzzball boyfriend’s side after he tries to rape Maybe, so she’s left no alternative but to run away from home. She takes to the road with her friends Hollywood and Ted, hoping to find her real father, whom she thinks is a famous movie producer.
After they get to California, her friends get in the groove right away. Hollywood, who’s been accepted to the USC film school, starts working on a documentary, and Ted finds a job and moves in with the famous Gloria de la Tour. This leaves Maybe to fend for herself. She is traumatized by the idea of babysitting triplets, stops for some tacos (my kind of book!), and ends up working at Taco Truck #4, where she proves to the owner and herself that she’s capable of creating some pretty awesome stuff.
What else? Finding her real birth father is not as easy as she thought it would be. She does meet her former stepfather and his girlfriend, but is hurt and betrayed when she sees Hollywood’s documentary. Who are her true friends? More importantly, if she’s not the charm school beauty queen her mother wants her to be, just who is she? There are many life lessons to be learned for this determined, spunky, resourceful main character who eventually comes into her own — Kool-Aid dyed hair and all. It promises to be a great read!
Now, in honor of Lisa, put on your sunglasses, grab a taco, and slurp some souperstar soup. Oh, and have your peeple call my peeple.
Today’s Special: Glitterati Gumbo (guaranteed to induce delicious fantasies
of Brad and Colin, maybe).
Absolutely Maybe may be purchased through IndieBound or your favorite online bookseller. What are you waiting for?
Be sure to check out Absolutely-Maybe.com.
Scholastic did a series of wonderful interviews with Lisa that are not to be missed. It’s totally cool hearing about all her books and her writing journey.
Lisa’s official website is here, and her Live Journal blog is here.