Just Breeze by Beverly Stowe McClure

About the Book

Eighth grade starts out the same as every other year for Breeze Brannigan. She’s still the tallest student, boy or girl, in her class, wears shoes that would fit an elephant, and her smile reveals dazzling braces that blind everyone within ten feet. Then she meets Cam , the new boy in school who speaks with an accent and must be from another planet, for none of the earthling boys she knows are so polite. He also has a secret, a secret that could mean life or death for Cam and his mother and that Breeze must help him keep.

My Opinion

I remember being 13 and in Junior High.  It wasn’t a fun time, full of strange new feelings, not quite fitting in, not knowing how to act and never figuring out boys or friends.  This book brings up all those old feelings and delivers a wonderful story as well.  I identified with Breeze, the lead character, and how she felt.  Although I wasn’t tall, I felt just as out of place and clumzy as she did.  I also had an older sister that seemed to be able to do anything she wanted with ease.

This is a great book for a tween or early teen ager.  I think every girl should have a book that she identifies with like this, and Just Breeze is one of those kinds of books.  Good kids dealing with every day struggles of growing up.  If I had a teenaged daughter, this is a book I would get for her.  Even as an adult I enjoyed the book and the characters.  Very well written, and it doesn’t talk down to teens.  Breeze even has her own blog!

Although there aren’t a lot of pictures in the book itself, the portrait of Breeze on the cover is exactly as I pictured her.  Aidana WillowRaven always has such beautiful artwork and hits the nail on the head when it comes to painting what I see in my head.  This is no exception.

My rating: 4.5 stars