Okay, usually I voice my "quibbles" at the end, but I'm going to start with them.

1. On page 17, she ate an apple to the core but then later takes a bite.
2. Mention of a chicken pox scar near the beginning and end—not common anymore.
3. On page 32 and 33, it mentions I and 2 (should be I and II or 1 and 2).
4. Page 35: the font changes.
5. Most chapters are far too long; it's difficult to find a place to break.
6. The reference to a "ginger"? That's an insulting term for redheads.

And now, what I love. The voices are eighth-grade voices. No one is perfect. There is poetry infused throughout. (Please read Maddie's poem on pages 179–180!) Living in CT, I love recognizing the CT references. The empathy! We all must learn to put ourselves in the place of others. Finally . . .

"Dream: a black metal bridge and underneath, roaring water.
Dad's on the other side, holding out his arms.
'Dad, I'm afraid to fall,' I say.
He says, 'Falling is the only way to get here.'" ( )

Who would expect for such a short book to pack such a big punch? Jasmine and Maddie both believe the other has it better. Maddie believes that Jasmine is the coolest girl in her school. She dresses right, is beautiful, and everyone flocks to her. Jasmine believes Maddie is a spoiled rich kid who has the money and family she wish she had. Both of the girls journeys were intertwined wonderfully. I grew to care about each of their lives and their hopes and their dreams.

Jasmine is dealing with her father's death and the anger that comes with it. She got into trouble the last place she lived which was where her father died. She's supposed to make a new start. Although it looks like on the outside she's at ease and she's making friends on the inside she's lonely and angry. Maddie, on the other hand, can be very awkward at times. She's shy and doesn't stick up for herself. She also feels like her family is so much more there than her. So much more interesting. She wishes she could make a new friend and Jasmine is the one she's trying so hard to win over.

Jasmine looks up at me with her steady, serious eyes. Quietly, so quietly, she speaks. I lean forward, press my rib into the edge of my desk, to hear her.
"What's the point of fighting against death?" she says.
"You're not going to win. Nobody does."

Jasmine's loss of her father really got to me especially with all the poetry interspersed throughout the story. Both Jasmine and Maddie have to write poetry for their English class. They have to pick one to read for a showcase in the end. Jasmine was hurting really bad. I would tear up when she mentioned her father. She acted very tough like nothing could touch her. She could also be very impulsive and would judge others easily especially Maddie. I though a lot of what came out of her story is the idea that we don't know everybody's situation in life and we shouldn't judge them if we don't know them.

"When dad was dying of cancer, his skin puckered like Death Valley. Pun intended. We hovered over him like honeybees until he made us go away. Was he mad? That we were moist with good health and dumb with it?
I don't think so. Dad couldn't blame us for living, just like we couldn't blame him for dying.
But sometimes I think we all did get mad at each other. I shouldn't fault Maddie for not knowing what loneliness feels like.
But I do."

Maddie reminded me of myself in that I always felt that my brothers were unique, more interesting, and just better. I think Maddie's lack of confidence in herself was the major factor for her thinking. She thinks everyone is more interesting than her, but she wrote poetry. I really wonder what she would think of me at that age. My quietness would probably be worse than hers. Her growth in the story was getting out of feeling so alone in who she was. Her poems also really got to me. She had a lot to say and her feelings resonate from the pages.

"...She is sixteen &
perfect & I am
thirteen & Mom says
wake up, Maddie!
Pay attention!
Maddie, why can't you
be (More) Like
Lexi?"

Jasmine and Maddie is about growth of character and being confident about who you are. It's a great story that girl's especially should read because it shows them to not judge right away and that no one is better than you - just different. Although you will have struggles in your life, know that you will get through it.
( )

Release Date: April 1, 2014
ARC received from Boyds Mill Press at ALA Midwinter
Visit my book reviews at http://clockwork-serenity.tumblr.com/tagged/book-review

Jasmine just moved to town and lives in a trailer park, which she finds super embarrassing. Maddie lives in a large house with a big family where she is not as perfect as her older sister who sets the ideal example in her home. When Jasmine starts the eighth grade at their small Connecticut school all the popular girls just flock to Jasmine. Maddie however, has one good friend who is usually too busy to hang out with her, which makes Maddie jealous of how easily Jasmine has blended into their school. Jasmine is sympathetic of Maddie’s awkwardness, but not sympathetic enough to not steal from her because she is more affluent than Jasmine. Jasmine liked to think of it as Robin Hood stealing from the rich, and all she wants to do is help her mom pay the bills.

This is a story about friendship and coming of age trials told in alternating perspectives between Jasmine and Maddie. This is a very realistic portrayal of the middle school ups and downs girls have and how everyone feels awkward about something, be it where they live, how they live, how they dress, who likes or doesn’t like whom, etc. Just because Maddie lives in a big house and her family has a decent amount of money, doesn’t mean she is automatically happy. Jasmine is going through some sad times after the loss of her father and we see the state of her family grieving and the problems of other families in her trailer park.

The two girl’s stories are united by poetry assignments in their English class. We get to read the poems they are studying and the poems they are writing and see some true emotional outpouring. The book climaxes with a Poetry Café at the end of the book where all their grieving and frustration can be read aloud. This is a quick, light read for middle-readers that young adults will also enjoy because of the timelessness of feeling so emotionally raw. A highly recommended realistic fiction read. ( )

Release Date: April 1, 2014
ARC received from Boyds Mill Press at ALA Midwinter
Visit my book reviews at http://clockwork-serenity.tumblr.com/tagged/book-review

Jasmine just moved to town and lives in a trailer park, which she finds super embarrassing. Maddie lives in a large house with a big family where she is not as perfect as her older sister who sets the ideal example in her home. When Jasmine starts the eighth grade at their small Connecticut school all the popular girls just flock to Jasmine. Maddie however, has one good friend who is usually too busy to hang out with her, which makes Maddie jealous of how easily Jasmine has blended into their school. Jasmine is sympathetic of Maddie’s awkwardness, but not sympathetic enough to not steal from her because she is more affluent than Jasmine. Jasmine liked to think of it as Robin Hood stealing from the rich, and all she wants to do is help her mom pay the bills.

This is a story about friendship and coming of age trials told in alternating perspectives between Jasmine and Maddie. This is a very realistic portrayal of the middle school ups and downs girls have and how everyone feels awkward about something, be it where they live, how they live, how they dress, who likes or doesn’t like whom, etc. Just because Maddie lives in a big house and her family has a decent amount of money, doesn’t mean she is automatically happy. Jasmine is going through some sad times after the loss of her father and we see the state of her family grieving and the problems of other families in her trailer park.

The two girl’s stories are united by poetry assignments in their English class. We get to read the poems they are studying and the poems they are writing and see some true emotional outpouring. The book climaxes with a Poetry Café at the end of the book where all their grieving and frustration can be read aloud. This is a quick, light read for middle-readers that young adults will also enjoy because of the timelessness of feeling so emotionally raw. A highly recommended realistic fiction read. ( )

Jasmine and Maddie by Christine Pakkala is a realistic portrayal of teenage girls in middle school.

Jasmine's father passed away and she and her mother move to a new town and live in a trailer park. Jasmine is an angry little girl who is also gorgeous. Of course, everyone wants to be her friend because she's pretty. In reality, she's an inconsistent friend and character. The story switches between Jasmine and Maddie. When Jasmine tells her story, you see her point of view and even start to feel sorry for her. Then, she'll do something mean that cannot be explained through her sad experiences. She has a lot of bitterness to get rid of before she can learn to be a friend. By the end of the novel, there's an indication that she's headed in the right direction.

Maddie lives in her own world and doesn't realize what goes on around her. She's oblivious to clothes and other symbols of being "in." She's really good at poetry and English class, but she totally does not understand math. She struggles with being a middle child and being responsible. Her older sister appears to be perfect and her younger twin brothers are just cute while her dad is funny and her mom is a workaholic and doesn't come across as very loving. Maddie just wants to stay friends with Kate, but Kate made the soccer team and hangs out with them. Kate is still her friend; this schism is used to show how friendships can evolve when different interests crop up between friends. Maddie wants to be friends with Jasmine because Maddie is a little desperate for friends and feels that she never measures up.

Maddie's character is fairly consistent, but Jasmine's character is a bit all over the place. I guess that's realistic for a middle school girl, but her shift to become Maddie's friend is sudden and has no natural evolution. If you like poetry--writing or reading it--you'll like this novel. The English teacher assigns them poetry; throughout the novel, there is analysis of poetry and original poetry by the characters that reveal their true feelings. There's a lot of potential to this book, but it doesn't live up to what it could be. it does, however, have a good message for middle school girls about forgiveness and friendship. ( )