Deenie

by Judy Blume

13 year-old girls usually worry about what make up to wear, what boys like them, and how to make the cheerleading squad. In the book Deenie, Judy Blume once again reaches out to young girls and helps them look at the brighter side of their troubles. Deenie is a normal 13 year-old girl. Her mother wants her to be a model because she believes God didn’t get Deenie a face like that for nothing. However, Deenie doesn’t care about becoming a model. Oddly, as pretty as she is, modeling agencies won’t hire her due to her posture. It wasn’t until Deenie’s gym teacher advised her to see a doctor before they found out the real problem. Deenie has scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, which means wearing a back brace for the next four years! Could there be anything worse? Deenie believes there isn’t until she cuts off all her hair in a frantic, a boy she likes may not like her in her brace, and she has to buy clothes that are 5 times bigger just so they can fit over her brace. This is a teenager’s worse nightmare. But in Judy Blume fashion, she writes Deenie to inspire young girls that they can overcome any obstacle and that every teenage girl goes through something awful. Although Deenie can be found on the list of challenged books to be banned, I still recommend this book to teenage girls because it is inspiring to follow Deenie through her turmoil and see how well she does handle her situation. Judy Blume once again, gives young girls hope that being a teenage can actually be alright.
Reviewed by Emma

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