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librariann's review
4.0
Ages 8+
Charming old fashioned romance. Yes, teenage girls 50 years ago swooned, called, and did "drive bys" of boys they liked. They just did it wearing longer skirts.
Charming old fashioned romance. Yes, teenage girls 50 years ago swooned, called, and did "drive bys" of boys they liked. They just did it wearing longer skirts.
jedbird's review
4.0
My least favorite of Mrs. Cleary's teen books. Johnny is a hottie, Jean is a regular person. Jean makes a fool of herself over Johnny, eventually grows a spine, and then goes out with a guy she isn't attracted to because at least he's nice. The story is an encouragement for teen girls to be realistic and aim to date people who aren't wildly better-looking than themselves, which isn't wrong, but it isn't a very romantic story either.
However, the rebound guy actually seems like fun, so...
However, the rebound guy actually seems like fun, so...
finesilkflower's review
5.0
One of my favorite all-time young adult books, a sweet and sensitive portrayal of a young teen's crush on an older boy, that specific stage of development when you move from crushes on celebrities to crushes on unattainable people you know who may as well be celebrities.
Beverly Clearly is acutely empathetic and understanding of young people's feelings and evokes them perfectly in her writing. You wouldn't think that a book about dating in the 1950s would have much to teens say decades later, but the book ages shockingly well. Not only did I relate to it as teen in the early 2000s, but I've seen different things in it depending on my stage of life. When I first read this book at approximately the same age/maturity level as Jean, I really rooted for her to get together with Johnny, who struck me as glamorous and sexy. I resented what felt like a retrograde and sexist implication that it was wrong for a girl to "run after a boy," and was disappointed with the ending where she ends up going to prom with an attentive, but less attractive boy. Rereading the book in my early 20s, I'd gained enough perspective to realize that Johnny was just not that into Jean, and I cringed as I read, still acutely feeling the sting of my own over-the-top attempts to woo boys who tossed me scraps of attention but not enough to justify my grand gestures. I just wanted to shake some sense into Jean. Reading it again in my late 20s/30s, I'd gained enough distance from those debacles to now feel a pure sense of affection and sympathy with Jean and her plight, and to feel kindly toward both her and myself.
Beverly Clearly is acutely empathetic and understanding of young people's feelings and evokes them perfectly in her writing. You wouldn't think that a book about dating in the 1950s would have much to teens say decades later, but the book ages shockingly well. Not only did I relate to it as teen in the early 2000s, but I've seen different things in it depending on my stage of life. When I first read this book at approximately the same age/maturity level as Jean, I really rooted for her to get together with Johnny, who struck me as glamorous and sexy. I resented what felt like a retrograde and sexist implication that it was wrong for a girl to "run after a boy," and was disappointed with the ending where she ends up going to prom with an attentive, but less attractive boy. Rereading the book in my early 20s, I'd gained enough perspective to realize that Johnny was just not that into Jean, and I cringed as I read, still acutely feeling the sting of my own over-the-top attempts to woo boys who tossed me scraps of attention but not enough to justify my grand gestures. I just wanted to shake some sense into Jean. Reading it again in my late 20s/30s, I'd gained enough distance from those debacles to now feel a pure sense of affection and sympathy with Jean and her plight, and to feel kindly toward both her and myself.
mayab1226's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
ailicoyote's review against another edition
4.0
Good for girls thinking about boys and dating. I love when she won't kiss him because it's their first date! Talks about what dating is for: getting to know people better. Also a good discussion of "being noticed" by a boy and how that's not always so fun.
jessicaseptember's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
santa_rosa_de_mitla's review against another edition
4.0
did NOT expect to be called out like that! Great book though, fun and extremely relatable. Beverly Cleary can write superbly about any age, from babies to teenagers and parents.
burningupasun's review
3.0
Another quick read. Of the three from this "First Love series" I've read, this is my least favorite. Really more of a 3.5 than a 3, it wasn't BAD it all, I just didn't LOVE it. It's about a girl falling for a guy who isn't really good enough for her, sort of chasing after him and realizing eventually that he's not worth it. It was nice, and it did remind me a lot of being a teenager, I just wasn't madly in love with it like the others.
howifeelaboutbooks's review
4.0
This is another Beverly Cleary young adult book, but it's a bit more real than the previous two. Jean is hoping to meet her celebrity crush when an older boy from school approaches her and seems to take an interest in her. Jean is infatuated with Johnny and starts shifting her life and routine ever-so-slightly to "keep" him.
This reminded me a little too much of my first middle school crush, though Jean is 15 in the book. It's just that real, though it still seems pretty innocent compared to present-day relationships. I appreciate Cleary exploring something not as sunny as the YA books she's written before, where hurt feelings were just misunderstandings and the boy and girl were equally invested in each other.
This reminded me a little too much of my first middle school crush, though Jean is 15 in the book. It's just that real, though it still seems pretty innocent compared to present-day relationships. I appreciate Cleary exploring something not as sunny as the YA books she's written before, where hurt feelings were just misunderstandings and the boy and girl were equally invested in each other.