Pretty, Justin Sayre
Pretty, Justin Sayre
1 Rating(s)
List: $18.00 | Sale: $12.60
Club: $9.00

Pretty

Author: Justin Sayre

Narrator: Adenrele Ojo

Unabridged: 6 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/04/2017

Synopsis

"Coming-of-age never looked so beautiful." - Kirkus (Starred Review)
"[A] powerful story of growth and change, brimming with honesty and hope." - Publishers Weekly
"Students who might not yet be ready for Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give will find an equally compelling narrator and story in Pretty." - VOYA Reviews

Sophie's perspective on what being pretty really means changes drastically in the second adjective-busting novel by the author of Husky, Justin Sayre.

Sayre details the private and public life of a thirteen-year-old burdened with far more than the middle-school adjective of Pretty. Though she appears confident, stylish, and easygoing at school, Sophie lives a nightmare at home. When her mother's alcohol addiction spirals out of control, Sophie's Auntie Amara steps in to help. She teaches Sophie new lessons about her family and heritage, while also challenging her to rethink how she feels about friends, boys, and even her sense of place in the Brooklyn neighborhood where she lives. Sayre, a master storyteller in the coming-of-age genre, asks readers to confront superficial assumptions about gender and beauty, and breathes new life into the canon of middle-grade realistic fiction.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dove

AHHHH I loved this book! This is a contemporary, young-adult, coming-of-age book in the finest! This is the type of book I have to add to my list of books I'm going to force my future daughter to read one day. This is the type of book that you just NEED to read, because it teaches you so many things......more

Goodreads review by Jamie

This is extraordinary. While I liked HUSKY a great deal, PRETTY is a step beyond. I read this in one sitting, and I definitely cried. All of the characters here are so richly drawn and believable, even down to the mean girl. Sophie is someone you want to root for, like Davis before her. I just need......more

Goodreads review by Chrispey

I read the first, Husky, in 2 days via audiobook. I read the second in about 7 hours while doing yoga, cleaning the kitchen, and crying at seemingly random intervals to the outside observer. the book is 6h8min long in this format, but, shavasana. I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of a gi......more

Quotes

"Sayre once again proves that he understands the complexity of growing up. His confident story tackles race, sexuality, wealth, beauty, and faith as he revisits the characters and Brooklyn location of his first novel. This will encourage readers to press in to the difficult questions and look for the truth beneath. Coming-of-age never looked so beautiful." - Kirkus Reviews, *Starred Review

"Sophie’s voice is an important one; she revels in her uniqueness but is still learning to be comfortable in her own skin. Her gradual realization that being 'beautiful' is so much more important than being 'pretty' is a sentiment that all teens need to hear. Students who might not yet be ready for Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give will find an equally compelling narrator and story in Pretty." - VOYA Reviews

"Sayre’s engrossing second novel takes place in the same Brooklyn neighborhood as his debut, with Davis, Husky’s protagonist, playing a supporting role, along with their eclectic friends . . .  It’s a powerful story of growth and change, brimming with honesty and hope."
(Publishers Weekly)

“Even though Sophie immediately resents her Auntie’s intervention in her life, she eventually learns to trust her, and discovers that learning about one’s heritage through a loving family member can make you feel 'beautiful' inside. The characters are well-developed, and although the emotions relate to sensitive subjects, many students will be able to relate. This is a well-written story and readers will not be disappointed.” (School and Library Connection)

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