The Boy on Cinnamon Street

Starred review from January 16, 2012
There’s a dark mystery propelling this extremely well-done novel about Louise,
a tiny seventh-grader nursing a deep wound. Something so terrible happened
a year earlier that she has “blocked a whole week out of conscious mind.” However, she’s still miserable, having moved from Cinnamon Street to a condo she shares with her (quirkily adorable) grandparents. Louise has changed schools, renamed herself (Thumbelina, to reflect her pint-size proportions), and given up gymnastics; her only friends are Reni and Reni’s brother, Henderson, a “volcano-loving, poetry-crazed flannel teddy bear in wire-rimmed glasses.” After Louise receives a note that reads “I am your biggest fan,” she and Reni decide it came from a hunky, high school–age, pizza delivery boy. Predictably disastrous actions ensue, but the resulting trauma is enough to shake Louise out of her torpor. Executed with wit and delicacy, Stone’s novel is made more poignant by her admission that she experienced a tragedy similar to Louise’s and reacted by blocking it out. “In fact,” she writes in her author’s note, “the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing to remember.” Ages 8–12.

Starred review from December 15, 2011
Something terrible happened to seventh-grader Louise's parents, and only the kindly ministrations of an unknown admirer can pull her back from her insulating--suffocating--layers of denial. Louise lives with her quirky grandparents, vividly depicted by Stone (The Romeo and Juliet Code, 2011) as they strive to relieve the girl's obvious suffering. She's given up gymnastics, turned away from most of her peers and cut herself off from the devastating truth of her past. But some friends continue to reach out to her, especially her overweight best buddy, Reni, and Reni's tall seventh-grade brother, Henderson. After Louise discovers a note--"I am your biggest fan"--that seems to have been left by pizza–delivery boy Benny, she develops a shaky sort of crush on this all-but-unknown person. Her emotional fire is eagerly fueled by Reni's frustration with her own safely unrequited fixation on Justin Bieber. The true identity of Louise's biggest fan is gradually, achingly revealed, along with a gentle, loving exploration of the characters of these admirable, young teen protagonists. Readers of Louise's self-deprecating, sometimes funny first-person account will figure out the terrible thing that has happened to Louise, and a young man's role in her redemption, long before she does, just adding to the building suspense. An outstanding tale of love, loss and the true power of friendship. (Fiction. 10-14)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

January 1, 2012

Gr 5-8-Living with her doting grandparents since her mother's death, seventh-grader Louise used to be a gymnast, but then she quit. She has decided that she will be called Thumbelina and have a crush on the pizza delivery guy. Her friend Reni encourages her despite her own failure to get any response from Justin Bieber. Her other friend, Henderson, is his own brand of unique, and while Thumb admires him, she doesn't quite make the connection that someone approachable could be a crush. Thumb's old house was in North Pottsboro where streets are names after spices, and the transition to South Pottsboro has left her off balance. She doesn't really recall her old life before her father left the family and her mother was unable to deal with it, but there are moments in italics where the past intrudes. A fondness for multiple adjectives and cutesy names like "Toot Toot Tourist Trolley" and "My Princess Prom" provide a light layer of froth over the very real pain that Thumb is blocking. Of course, that fog will eventually dissipate and Louise will need to use all of her four, feet seven inches to meet the challenge. The cloying quality of some of the dialogue and the obvious blindness to reality seem as superimposed as the names of the streets, but for readers looking for an emotional ride, this title will satisfy. The balance beam introduced in the first chapter provides the obvious metaphor for Louise's being off center and her need to find her own place in the world.-Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2012
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* At 4'7?, seventh-grader Louise Terrace looks more like a fourth-grader, and she prefers to be called Thumbelina. She lives with her hilariously dorky yet loving grandparents, who give her socks made out of recycled milk cartons. Louise's life begins to change one day when a pizza is delivered, as well as a mysterious note I am your biggest fan. With help from best-friend Reni and Reni's brother, Henderson, Louise allows herself to get swept up in the mystery of her secret admirer. In spite of the funny details and Louise's self-deprecating humor, the novel has a tone of pervasive sadness and emptiness, stemming from something terrible that happened to Louise's mother. Louise has blocked out her former family life on Cinnamon Street, remembering not one thing. Instead, she has retreated inward, building an impenetrable, protective fortress around herself. Lovely, nerdy Henderson gradually pulls Louise closer and closer to the heartbreaking truth about her family, though, and how he does it is achingly sweet. Readers will figure out Louise's secret admirer early onand likely guess what happened to her motherbut that's part of the beauty of Stone's (The Romeo and Juliet Code, 2011) deeply affecting novel about Louise's personal journey. Readers will feel for her and cheer for her in equal measure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)