Deenie
Judy Blume
Mass Market Paperback
(Dell Publishing Co./Laurel, Jan. 1, 1976)
Deenie wasn't entirely against being a model, but her mother's insistence and all the nagging about her posture were a bore. Deenie liked being pretty-ugly things like hunchbacks and bad cases of eczema repelled her-and she liked being attractive to boys, especially Buddy Brader. She wanted to be a cheerleader, too, but it was the posture thing again! Was she going to have to walk around with books on her head forever? Then her posture problem really got out of hand. After all the doctors and all the examinations, it had a new name, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, and it meant that Deenie would have to wear a brace from her neck down to her hips for four years-or longer. "The story, told from Deenie's viewpoint, expresses poignantly her hopes, her worries...Ms. Blume has a keen awareness of the teenager. Her book is rich in dialogue and characterizations: it should be popular."
Q