Lynn Visible

DeVilliers, Julia. Lynn Visible.
Lynn has always had a quirky fashion sense, heavy on tutus. She's been sewing since third grade and "reinventing" clothing. Now that she is going into high school, she thinks that the teasing that she has experienced will go away, but it only gets worse. Supported by her friend Taylor (who is loyal but whom Lynn doesn't much like), Lynn tries to audition for a teen fashion board, but ends up flinging her custom designed shoe into the salad of the woman putting together the online fashion magazine. Because the shoe is so fabulous, the magazine tracks down the maker and interviews Lynn, rocketing her to sudden popularity and making people admire her designs instead of laughing at them. How will this new-found fame affect her relationships with Taylor, and with the evil Chasey, who used to torment her but now thinks she's cool? This is a fun romp, and the cute cover alone with have fans of DeVillers picking this one up.

While I had fun reading this, and will buy it because it will be widely read, it made me cringe on a lot of personal levels. Lynn has been laughed at for years and doesn't like it, yet she keeps dressing in bizarre ways. As someone who occasionally wears vintage prom gowns to work, it seems to me that if you want to dress strangely, you do it without remorse. If you don't want people to make fun of you, you stop whatever behavior it is they make fun of. I also found it a little hard to believe that Lynn spends this much time and effort on clothing. That's not healthy. And she checks her e mail and the online fashion magazine at school? Hmmm. DeVillers is an author who went from one book on my library shelves to a whole section, and she lives in the Columbus area. I loved the cover and the premise of this one, but something made me want to slap Lynn. Realize fully it might just be my age speaking.

Library Report: Everything is now sitting in the cafeteria, and the last thing I did yesterday was to help take down the library shelves. Well, right before I sobbed gently over the circulation desk. I don't do change well.