Outside Beauty

Starred review from May 12, 2008
Newbery Medalist Kadohata's (Kira-Kira
) gifts for creating and containing drama and for careful definition of character prove as powerful as ever in this wise, tender and compelling novel. Although the 12-year-old narrator, Shelby, and her three sisters are as different as their respective fathers (whom they rarely see), they remain devoted to one another and to their stunningly beautiful Japanese-American mother, who uses her looks to collect men the same way she collects pieces of jewelry (and for much the same purpose). When their mother is critically injured—and disfigured—in a car crash, the girls are dispersed from their Chicago apartment to the care of the four fathers. At first Shelby's father, a Japanese-born gum manufacturer in rural Arkansas, reminds her of “one of those nearsighted Japanese men with cameras who moved in clusters throughout Chicago tourist attractions.” But when one of the fathers appears to be mistreating a sister and Shelby tries to plan a way for all four to reunite, she begins to appreciate her father's kindness and generosity, and to find beauty in unexpected places. Her growing insight into the difference between beauty and perfection accompanies steady revelations about families and love. Ages 12–up.

July 1, 2008
Gr 7 Up-Shelby, 13, and her three sisters, ages 16, 8, and 6, have different fathers. They live in early-1980s Chicago with their free-spirited mother, Helen, a striking and beauty-obsessed Japanese bombshell. Helen is a cult of personality unto herself, and the older girls happily care for the younger ones while Mom collects boyfriends. When she is in a disfiguring car accident, the girls separate to live with their fathers. Shelby's dad is a kind, level-headed Japanese greenhorn, while six-year-old Maddie's, an Anglo, is a patronizing, abusive bully. The four girls plot their escapeback to Helen, but really back to one another. The novel is oddly missing pop-culture references, so the '80s setting is perplexing and extraneous. The first chapters of the book are packed with contrived, purposefully madcap shenanigans and creaky, expository dialogue. Once the scene is set, though, Shelby settles into a more natural, thoughtful voice, and the surprisingly gripping plot gains pace and substance. The cloyingly devil-may-care mood of the opening turns mercifully more sober and suspenseful as the girls' troubles deepen. The sisters have distinct, authentic voices, and their conversations are smooth, snappy, and believable. The male characters are well drawn too, especially Shelby's sweet, hilarious father, who gets the best lines in the book. Shelby's running commentary on beauty is smart and poignant, as is her portrayal of a mother she both loves and reviles."Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2008
Shelby, Maddie, Lakey, and Marilyn have the same mother but four different fathers. Their Japanese mother is obsessed with her beauty, which she uses to charm the men she meets and seduces in order to keep her family solvent. The four Chicago sisters have primarily raised themselves and are incredibly close. Late one night, their world shifts after they learn that their mother has been injured in an auto accident and will require extensive plastic surgery. The girls cant stay alone, so they are separated and farmed out to their fathers. Only Shelby and her father, Jiro, reach each others hearts, and its Jiro who eventually understands that the sisters need to be together. His realization only comes, though, after the girls enact a junior-high version of a Thelma & Louiseauto escape. Kadohata, author of the Newbery Medal-winner Kira Kira (2004), never fully develops the theme of beauty thats implied by the title, but Shelbys venture to Arkansas, where she has some first experiences with outdoor living, is endearing, as are the relationships among the closely connected sisters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)