FLASHCARDS OF MY LIFE
by Charise Mericle Harper
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316756210
Ages 8-12
224 pages

Emily is a typical junior high student with typical problems. Her parents are really weird. Half the time they are at each other's throats ("Sometimes I just wish they'd get divorced like normal parents") and sometimes they are so lovey-dovey that it makes Emily feel ill. Her school days are spent negotiating among her various friends: Sandra is Emily's best friend, but she'll hang out with Becca only if Emily is there, too. Then there are the two Sarahs, who are friends with each other and with Emily, but not with Sandra or Becca --- you get the picture.

To top it all off, Emily has a crush on Andrew, who may or may not have a crush on her, and Sandra has been acting really weird lately, too. What's a girl to do? And how is she supposed to finish her schoolwork or start a new weekend job when she has so many more important things to worry about?

Emily has a tendency to obsess over the small things in her life --- and she's aware of it since she includes "obsessing" first on her list of hobbies. Good thing for Emily, she has a journal in which she can go on and on about her worries, her hopes, and her many emotional highs and lows. ("I'm an emotional super bouncy all --- bounding all over the place at top speed and never quite knowing where I'm going to end up.")

When Emily receives a set of blank cards called "Flashcards of My Life," with headings like "Kiss," "Friends," "Regrets" and "Denial," she's reluctant to bare her soul on paper. Soon enough, though, Emily fills her cards with funny, smart and surprisingly thoughtful reflections on her life's crazy ups and downs.

Emily does have a tendency to be long-winded about some of her problems, and at times she seems hopelessly self-absorbed. She's a likeable narrator, though, and her problems likely will ring true with other middle school girls. Readers will also enjoy Emily's cartoon drawings, charts and diagrams, many of which are insightful and humorous at the same time.

   --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

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