Someone I Wanted To Be

Gr 9 Up—Best friends Leah, Kristy, and Corinne spend weekend nights looking for someone older to buy them beer and partying with their friends. There isn't much else to do in Hilton, CO. Corinne and Kristy are pretty; Leah is overweight. All three have difficult home lives. When an older guy who buys them beer wants to hook up with Kristy and gives her his phone number, Leah decides to call him and pretend that she is Kristy. Things begin to spiral out of control when Kristy gets mad at Leah, and Leah, partially because of loneliness, continues to chat and text with "Mr. Corduroy" even more frequently. For a while, the deception is fun and a way to "get even" with Kristy, but as it becomes more intense, Leah realizes that both she and Kristy are in danger. Wills's first novel is a realistic portrayal of small-town life, friendship feuds, family issues, and relationships gone wrong. The story, at times intense and painful, shows how Leah's strength of will, her dream of becoming a doctor, and the encouragement of new friendships enable her to overcome ostracism, bullying because of her weight, and her poor choices, to become a strong, independent person. The blend of danger, romance, and family and relationship issues makes for an ultimately satisfying read.