Rissa Bartholomew's Declaration Of Independence (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
It definitely was a "declaration of independence." I liked the gnome on the cover and the idea of the main character trying to be her own person. The story was well written and was able to realistically depict what would happen in these situations. I am proud of Rissa for making a decision and sticking with it even though at times it can/could be hard. When making decisions you never know how they will turn out and effect things down the line. It is also hard to trust people sometimes. The invitation to my 20th high school reunion found me at my new address. A few old friends tracked me down and friendships were momentarily rekindled. “Let’s go.” They said, “It’ll be fun!” I reluctantly donned a new outfit and made my way into Boston’s Marriott Hotel. As I scanned the crowd thinking, “Who are these people?” I was plunged back into my old role as insecure adolescent. Somehow, it didn’t matter that I was a grown woman, a married woman, who gave birth to two children. The bachelor’s degree didn’t matter, nor the masters. I was suddenly back in middle school. Back inside my desperate need to fit in somewhere, anywhere. Comerford’s main character is Rissa, a new middle schooler who is doing her best to declare her own independence. In the summer before middle school the friends she’s grown up with change dramatically. They are suddenly more interested in shoes and boys than they are in watching reruns of Creature Feature with her on Saturday afternoons. The adults in Rissa’s life have always told her to be independent. What they haven’t told her is that “Being your own person doesn’t always make you a hero.” And that people in general are uncomfortable with change. Rissa becomes an outcast to her old ‘herd” and a disappointment to her mother. She learns that finding the balance between fitting in and being herself is a bit like negotiating your way across a crowded dance floor of reunion-crazed flailing arms and spinning bodies. Comerford, a former English teacher, convincingly portrays the mixed bag of emotions preteens experience as they search for their own independence. The language would be appealing to the book’s primary audience - girls in grades 5-7. The tone is one of lighthearted angst and is appropriate to the material. But it is the voice of the main character, Rissa that brings the struggle of growing up to life: “All that summer,” said Rissa, “I went back and forth between being mad at Beth and feeling guilty because I was mad at her.” For sure, this book would appeal to all of those who are searching or have ever searched for their own independence
What do You think about Rissa Bartholomew's Declaration Of Independence (2009)?
Another story about a girl entering middle school who suddenly doesn't know where she fits in.
—Misyelskie
This book is very good it tells girls about how to servive 7th grade without friends
—Dancer4life131
