Mona Lisa Corsella has never felt that she lives up to her famous namesake, so she's shied away from dating and boys. That is until Julio Avila, star of the Chavez track team, asks her to come watch him run at his next race. Mona is thrilled and more than a little nervous because why would someone as cute and popular as Julio be interested in her? Julio is sweet, caring, and dedicated, and he shows Mona that she's hiding behind her insecurities. The only thing standing in the way of these two young people is Mona's mom. Julio isn't good enough for her baby girl and she won't see Mona waste her life on a boy who is nothing but trouble.
MISJUDGED by Anne Schraff is a moral tale about not judging people based upon their wealth or circumstances. For me, this reads a little bit like a church play. The majority of the cast are nice, helpful, and supportive while there is one character who must learn a lesson the hard way. The dialog is written so it revolves around this moral lesson, and because of that it feels unnatural and stilted. The characters are also just a little too nice to be realistic or have much depth. While there are mistakes made by the characters, they aren't mistakes that expose weaknesses or flaws in their character. They're "mistakes" that are turned into examples of the person's selfless behavior. I prefer grittier, realistic characters in YA, so MISJUDGED wasn't the right book for me. If you're looking for a sweet romance with a strong moral theme and characters who exemplify caring and thoughtful teens, then MISJUDGED could be for you.
Mona Lisa is average. Not pretty. Not ugly. She's very
insecure and lacks self confidence. Mona's mom harps on her
to start dating. Then Julio begins to show an interest in
her. He's on the track team and a close friend of Ernesto's.
When Mona returns Julio's interest, though, her mom is upset
because Julio is not from a good family. He's poor. His
father is practically a bum.
They live in a mobile home, and
not the plush kind. Not the type of "people" Mrs. Corsella
approves of. And she hatches a plan to get her daughter to
date someone more socially acceptable. Mona becomes defiant,
running away from home. Her mom is convinced she's been
kidnapped by Julio. But Julio turns out to be the hero when
Mona calls him to rescue her in Phoenix after she is
approached by a smarmy guy and loses all of her cash.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy