Like Vanessa by Tami Charles - ADVISABLE

Like Vanessa by Tami Charles, 274 pages.  Charlesbridge, 2018.  $17.

Language: PG (10 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (girls as skanks); Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY:  MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Vanessa, 13, dreams of being in the Miss America pageant some day, especially after watching her namesake Vanessa Williams win the crown that year.  But her very dark skin, her nappy hair, and her pudgy body aren’t really making things easy for her.  The people who have confidence in her, her Pop Pop, her cousin TJ, and surprisingly, her school choir teacher Mrs. Walton, support her and guide her when her middle school announces they are having their first ever beauty pageant.  Arrayed against her, however, are her father, her longing for her years absent mother, the school queen bee, and Vanessa’s own lack of confidence.

Its been 20 years since The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake was published and I felt, in a great way, that I was reading its companion.  Even though this book has a historic setting (1983), the time period means very little; the book feels fresh and now.  I even liked how Charles showed that a few small changes in daily habits can make big changes in a growing girl’s body. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS