Zitface

Gr 5–8—Thirteen-year-old Olivia Hughes was a pretty, popular eighth grader starring in TV commercials and dating the coolest boy in class. Then puberty arrived along with a bad case of acne. Dr. T, the dermatologist niece of Olivia's commercial agent, doesn't have a quick fix for her complexion and Olivia loses her contract and her boyfriend. This story covers a lot of preteen and early teen concerns with descriptions of current treatments for different forms of acne and a window into the world of commercial acting and modeling. Olivia moves beyond her losses to befriend a boy with juvenile arthritis and get involved with community theater. Howse's novel (Amazon Children's Pub., 2011) covers themes of puberty, bullying, divorce, and self-acceptance. Olivia is an inspiring protagonist and the other characters are believable. Kate Reinders authentically portrays them all in this coming-of-age story that's is a good choice for middle school students.—Mary Lee Bulat, Harwinton Public Library, CT