She had built up some pretty big expectations. BIG SPOILER HERE: I can accept if some of the things on her wish list went wrong. Which brings me to the running joke of the book. They set her up for failure at every turn. (Even though we are more than likely being charged for every incoming wrong number call, which you as a child have no idea about.) Learn to shave your legs (even if you cut yourself with dangerous sharp object so badly you scar yourself for life) on your own. You don't go from helicopter parent to totally cutting your kid loose overnight just because she turns 12. They set their parameters and they stuck to them. First of all, I didn't really think that the items on Rory's list were especially ambitious.
I liked "11 Birthdays" and loved "Every Soul a Star" so I expected to like this one too. Okay, I was really disappointed with this one. I think I will just go out and get her another Wendy Mass book, and give it to her as a gift. We both didn’t want this book to end, relishing the bedtime reading we knew would bring pleasure and laughter. This is an excellent mother/daughter book to read together or for a book club. I won’t say more, only that it’s a great book that uses humour to deal with the issues that all young tweens and parents struggle with-autonomy, growing up, and embracing those developmental milestones.
Rory is told by a mysterious older woman at the beginning of the story that, “You won’t get what you want, until you see what you need.” The meaning of this becomes clear at the end of the story. And the book’s message is a good one: Maturity doesn’t necessarily come when one hits a certain age, twelve, in this case. We easily related to Rory and her family. I also liked the “strict” parents who were understanding, loving, and had a sense a humour. Rory is a sweet, down-to-earth girl, and my daughter and I liked her immediately. Even as I write this, I cannot help giggling as I remember each incident that happens as she asserts and tests her newly acquired independence. The story is about Rory Swenson who upon turning twelve has a wish list of things she is now allowed to do and has wanted to do for so long, such as getting a cell phone, drinking coffee, staying home alone, getting her ears pierced, and shaving her legs. Needless to say, we have become instant fans of this new to us author. And so it was every night as I read Finally by Wendy Mass to my 8 year-old daughter. She and I are lying on her bed, howling with laughter, tears running down our faces. My husband smiles as he hears the ruckus coming from my daughter’s room.
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