Ditched

February 1, 2012

Gr 7-10-The morning after the prom, Justina Griffith is fuzzy about how she ended up in a ditch. Her dress is stained; she has bruises, what she hopes is a temporary Tinker Bell tattoo, and foggy recollections of tumbling from a Toyota Prius. After making her way to a nearby 7-Eleven, she tells her story to the store clerk and a group of sympathetic listeners. Using the stains to spark her memory of what happened, Justina eventually sees what she hadn't been able to the night before. Decked out in her mother's choice of a consignment-shop dress and matching shoes, Justina planned to kiss Ian Clark, her thoughtful, understanding, perfect best friend and let him know that she was ready to take things to another level. But miscommunications, misunderstandings, and bad timing all played a role in keeping the pair apart for most of the evening. The pacing is a little slow at the beginning, as Justina's rehashing of events introduces the people who played a part in her downfall. The story has amusing characters and elements, including a dilapidated Cadillac, a giant daisy ring, and a rash of dog swapping. As events of the evening are explained readers find themselves knowing what happened well before the protagonist-which might prove to be frustrating. However, they will be able to relate to the feelings of regret, insecurity, and bravado that propel Justine through her madcap prom night, out of a ditch, and into a circle of new and caring friends.-Karen Elliott, Grafton High School, WI

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2011
Zany comedy dominates this romp through the prom night from Hell. When Justina literally finds herself lying in a ditch beside the road at the end of prom night, she hobbles to a nearby convenience store to get help. There she tells her sad tale to the clerk and a sympathetic customer. Justina and prom date Ian have remained just friends, and each seems a safe prom date for the other. Justina yields to her mom's wishes and wears a thrift-shop dress with everything dyed blue to match. Mellon tells Justina's story using various stains on the dress as a framework for introducing increasingly crazy episodes. The emphasis stays on comedy as Justina's tale of the night progresses, such as how she missed the chicken Marsala dinner and eventually including an incident involving a three-legged Chihuahua. Throughout, Justina receives cynical advice about men from her convenience-store audience, but a thread of real romance lurks just below the surface. Has Ian really ditched Justina, or is he caught in a similar comedy of errors? In any comedy readers can trust that everything will come out all right in the end, and that it will be a fun ride getting there. The author displays a well-developed touch for the absurd. For readers with a funny bone that needs a tingle, this should hit the spot. (Comic romance. 12 & up)

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