The Fold by An Na. (Grades 7+)
Joyce Park has always been overshadowed by her beautiful, smart older sister Helen, but this is the summer that's going to change. Joyce has a plan. First, she's going to get her crush John Ford Kang to sign her yearbook. She'll be effortlessly gorgeous and witty and sign something intriguing in his. Then she'll spend the whole summer improving herself. She'll wash her face every day and figure out some way to slim down her fat knees. When they come back for their senior year, John will remember her and fall instantly in love.
But things don't go the way Joyce plans. In fact, her plan fails miserably. And then something extraordinary happens. Joyce's aunt wins the lottery and buys gifts for all her family members. Joyce's gift is that her aunt will pay for her to get plastic surgery on her eyes to create the double folded eyelids, the "good eyes". Joyce had never considered the surgery before, but she finds herself drawn to it. Could it make her beautiful? Could it help her get John Ford Kang's attention? Could she finally feel confident about herself?
I liked this story, although I think I liked some of the secondary characters more than the main character Joyce. Joyce really seemed to only care about how she looked and whether she could get John to notice her. She didn't really seem to have much else going on. I found Joyce's sister Helen, so distant and depressed since her best friend moved away, and Joyce's friend Gina, determined to get into an ivy league school even though her family has no way to pay for it, much more intriguing. That said, it was still an interesting book and kept me turning the pages. And it made me keep looking in the mirror at my own eyelids.
Time Reading/Blogging: 23 hours
Books: 7.5
Pages: 2162
And I think I have time for one more book before my 48 hours is up at 7pm, so I'm back to reading...! See you in a couple of hours!