The Encyclopedia of Me

August 13, 2012
Rivers (What Is Real) uses a clever format—the story unfolds in encyclopedia entries instead of chapters—to introduce Isadora “Tink” Aaron-Martin, a candid, biracial almost-13-year-old who has some time on her hands while she’s grounded over the summer. Inspired by her father’s set of “ancient” encyclopedias, Tink sets out to write her own version (complete with footnotes), inviting readers to examine the people, places, and significant events in her corner of the universe. From Aa (“Almost always the first entry in any encyclopedia”) to “Zetroc Prom, The,” Tink recounts her tumultuous family life (one of her older brothers is autistic), her vacillating frustration with and loyalty toward her BFF, and her crush on “Boy, Blue-Haired, Who Just Moved in Next Door.” Tink lives up to her early claim of being an “unstoppable force of encyclopedia-writing brilliance,” providing pearls of adolescent wisdom, dazzling accounts of adventure, and one near brush with fame. Tink’s first-person narrative is vibrant and exuberantly opinionated, whether she is describing life with her hairless cat or pondering the meaning of her first kiss. Ages 10–14. Agent: FinePrint Literary Management.

August 1, 2012
Cleverly woven through the titular encyclopedia--with entries as seemingly mundane as "Apple" and "Oxen"--is the touchingly real and often humorous story of a preteen's struggles with family, friendship and first love. Isadora "Tink" Aaron-Martin, nearly 13, means to make the most of her recent grounding by using her time on house arrest to write an encyclopedia, heavily annotated with footnotes. Frustrated by her reputation as the peacemaker, Tink's entries about life with an autistic brother are fresh and painfully honest. Rivers doesn't tiptoe around the destructive impact the syndrome can have on a family. Rather, through Tink, she explores what it's like to grow up in a house where everyone is constantly walking on eggshells, waiting for the next violent outburst. But family isn't the only place where Tink feels invisible. She also walks in the shadow of her "best friend," Freddie Blue Anderson, who seems to care more about being "pops" (popular) than about Tink. It isn't until a blue-haired skateboarder named Kai moves in next door that she gradually finds the strength to put herself first, both at home and at school. Though the footnotes feel gimmicky and distracting, readers will likely be able to look past them (or just skip over them) and cheer for Tink as she comes into her own. (Fiction. 12-14)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from December 1, 2012

Gr 5-8-Diminutive, biracial, freckled Isadora "Tink" Aaron-Martin is grounded for most of the summer after an incident with her best friend. She decides to write an encyclopedia, and in spite of the artificiality of the alphabetical format, Rivers has created a warm, funny, fast-paced story about an endearing middle schooler who keeps her cool and sense of humor when events spin out of control. Tink explains her role as the "Peacemaker" in a dysfunctional family whose lives tiptoe around the moods and rages of Tink's autistic older brother, Seb. As the summer progresses she finds friendship and a tender and diffident love interest in the boy next door, is humiliated in a disastrous photo shoot for a magazine article about families living with autistic children, and becomes good at skateboarding, an activity that replaces the detested ballet classes she has been taking at her mother's behest. When Seb becomes violent, leaving his twin brother badly hurt, Tink finally decides she has had enough of her peacemaking role. "Z" finds her in the arms of her boyfriend at the Zetroc Prom. Rivers delivers an appealingly heroine in Tink. She is original and authentic, and her story flows easily in spite of the tricky format.-Jane Barrer, Steinway Intermediate School, Long Island City, NY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
Grades 6-9 While grounded over the summer, 13-year-old Tink writes an encyclopedia of her life. It includes her parents, her older twin brothers (including one with autism), and her best friend/occasional competitor Freddie Blue. To Tink, her best friend is far more exciting and prettier than she'll ever be, and that's a concern because Tink hopes to snag the heart of a certain skateboarding boy next door. The AZ encyclopedia framework (complete with footnotes!) gets an A for effort, even if it slows down the plot a bit. Tink is a charming, smart, and honest young protagonist, and this makes for a heartfelt, light, but not-quite-breezy read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)