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beastreader's review against another edition
1.0
I picked up a copy of this book because I thought it would be really funny. I was in the mood for laughs. Yet all I found was my eyelids. I was so bored with this book. By chapter 6 I was done but I decided to pursue reading a little more of this book in hopes that the laughter would be found but none was found. I finally stopped after reading two more chapters. The girls and the teacher at the etiquette school were annoying and not girls that I wanted to get to know. This just was not the book for me. A stinker.
cupcakegirly's review against another edition
3.0
The title is a mouthful for sure. And I don't read a lot of MG, but this book and it's characters were cute, endearing and whimsical.
silea's review against another edition
2.0
Cassidy is far too grating a character to lift this book above 'standard tween growing-up story'.
gabs_myfullbookshelf's review against another edition
1.0
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If you like your characters to be actually likeable, I'd not suggest reading Cassidy's Guide to Everyday Etiquette (and Obfuscation, which I will hereto refer to as Cassidy's Guide, because, well, ain't nobody got time for that full name.
The main problem with the book is that it was sooo hard for me to identify with this MC. She's rude, (I mean, that's to be expected when the girl has to go to etiquette school in a middle grade book, but this was not the 'cute' kind of rude, she was just rude) she makes extremely poor decisions, and she's selfish. I kept waiting for character growth. It didn't come until the last few chapters. By that time I'd given up on her.
She has two etiquette buddies. One is a boy named Delton. I ended up spending the whole time feeling bad for him. He's usually Cassidy's scapegoat for all her pranks that go horribly wrong and she treats him really poorly; why? I'm not completely sure because the poor kid never really did anything bad. Then there's a weird officer who...I don't know how he became a cop?! He's not all that bright and it seems like he'd have a hard time writing out a ticket. I really didn't like any of the characters in this book.
The second thing that really annoyed me is that none of these jokes are funny in the slightest. I'm not saying this because I'm too 'mature' for them; give me a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book and I'll giggle like a third grader. They just aren't funny. In fact, a lot of them made me really mad, because a lot of them were all, "Cassidy did this, oh my, isn't she just the darnedest thing?" but no. She was not. She was a brat.
The plot could have been really interesting; etiquette class for a girl who doesn't have the slightest interest? Things like it have been done before, but it still could have been quite enjoyable. But everything was so wrapped up in the 'humorous' scenes and Cassidy that I didn't like it.
Cassidy's Guide should have been a light and fun read, but I'm pretty sure my blood pressure hates me now due to this book. Not a fan.
If you like your characters to be actually likeable, I'd not suggest reading Cassidy's Guide to Everyday Etiquette (and Obfuscation, which I will hereto refer to as Cassidy's Guide, because, well, ain't nobody got time for that full name.
The main problem with the book is that it was sooo hard for me to identify with this MC. She's rude, (I mean, that's to be expected when the girl has to go to etiquette school in a middle grade book, but this was not the 'cute' kind of rude, she was just rude) she makes extremely poor decisions, and she's selfish. I kept waiting for character growth. It didn't come until the last few chapters. By that time I'd given up on her.
She has two etiquette buddies. One is a boy named Delton. I ended up spending the whole time feeling bad for him. He's usually Cassidy's scapegoat for all her pranks that go horribly wrong and she treats him really poorly; why? I'm not completely sure because the poor kid never really did anything bad. Then there's a weird officer who...I don't know how he became a cop?! He's not all that bright and it seems like he'd have a hard time writing out a ticket. I really didn't like any of the characters in this book.
The second thing that really annoyed me is that none of these jokes are funny in the slightest. I'm not saying this because I'm too 'mature' for them; give me a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book and I'll giggle like a third grader. They just aren't funny. In fact, a lot of them made me really mad, because a lot of them were all, "Cassidy did this, oh my, isn't she just the darnedest thing?" but no. She was not. She was a brat.
The plot could have been really interesting; etiquette class for a girl who doesn't have the slightest interest? Things like it have been done before, but it still could have been quite enjoyable. But everything was so wrapped up in the 'humorous' scenes and Cassidy that I didn't like it.
Cassidy's Guide should have been a light and fun read, but I'm pretty sure my blood pressure hates me now due to this book. Not a fan.
jj24's review against another edition
4.0
Delightful middle-grade book for young, the young at heart, and those who just enjoy an entertaining story.
Cassidy is a whip-smart 11 year old, full of energy and spunk. Her life's ambition is to become a hobo, and she can't wait for the end of the school year. She envisions a summer of bike rides, fishing, pranks, and hi-jinks with her neighbor and best friend, Jack. Picture a character who is a cross between Scout, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Calpurnia Tate. Cassidy's great-grandmother passes away, and to her horror, Cassidy learns that her great grandmother has put a provision in her will that stipulates that Cassidy should attend etiquette classes. Goodbye bike rides and fishing hole, and hello Miss Star Melton-Mowry's School of Poise and Purpose.
"Cassidy's Guide to Everyday Etiquette and Obfuscation" continues with laugh-out-loud moments, surprises, and interesting characters. If you're paying attention, you'll even learn the proper way to set a formal table ;-)
I enjoyed this book, as did my 11-year old daughter. 4 enthusiastic stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Cassidy is a whip-smart 11 year old, full of energy and spunk. Her life's ambition is to become a hobo, and she can't wait for the end of the school year. She envisions a summer of bike rides, fishing, pranks, and hi-jinks with her neighbor and best friend, Jack. Picture a character who is a cross between Scout, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Calpurnia Tate. Cassidy's great-grandmother passes away, and to her horror, Cassidy learns that her great grandmother has put a provision in her will that stipulates that Cassidy should attend etiquette classes. Goodbye bike rides and fishing hole, and hello Miss Star Melton-Mowry's School of Poise and Purpose.
"Cassidy's Guide to Everyday Etiquette and Obfuscation" continues with laugh-out-loud moments, surprises, and interesting characters. If you're paying attention, you'll even learn the proper way to set a formal table ;-)
I enjoyed this book, as did my 11-year old daughter. 4 enthusiastic stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
mrskatiefitz's review
4.0
When her great-grandmother dies, Cassidy receives an unexpected gift in the will: an etiquette class at Miss Melton-Mowry's School of Poise and Purpose, to be held during summer vacation. Cassidy, who would much rather be planning and executing pranks with her best friend, Jack, and preparing for her future career as a hobo, is horrified by all the rules she would have to follow in order to have even passable manners, and she goes into the class with a poor attitude. When a prank on the instructor goes wrong, however, and Jack suddenly seems really interested in a pretty new girl in the neighborhood, Cassidy realizes it might be time for her to start growing up, too, despite how uncomfortable the idea makes her.
The setting of this book is obviously not familiar to most kids, but they will see little pieces of themselves in Cassidy. At eleven, she feels the pressure to grow up and begin thinking about how to behave properly in public and how to impress romantic interests, but she is also eager to hold onto the habits of childhood a bit longer, as she is starting to glimpse a future where many of her current games and interests will no longer be appropriate. Because of her immaturity, and her mischievous personality, she is sometimes a bit annoying, especially for the adult reader, but kids who feel as she does will relate strongly to her desire to find the fun in everything and postpone maturity as long as possible. There are few female characters like Cassidy in recent children's books, so it is nice to see a different personality and worldview represented.
This book ends on an odd note, which seems out of sync with the rest of the story. The great-grandmother's strange inheritance was difficult enough to swallow, and her follow-up gift after Cassidy finishes the etiquette class comes completely out of left field and almost seems to be setting the reader up for a sequel in an entirely different genre. (No sequel has been announced so far, but the potential is certainly there.) Another problem with this book is the cover. The images selected appearing on it seem to be geared specifically toward girls, even though there is nothing about this book that would preclude boys from reading it. The title also makes this sound like a very girly story, when, in fact, the entire point of Cassidy as a character is that she is not overly girly.
Read-alikes for Cassidy's Guide to Everyday Etiquette (and Obfuscation) include the Hunter Moran books by Patricia Reilly Giff, Revenge of the Bridesmaids by Jennifer Ziegler, and the Marty McGuire series by Kate Messner. Though middle school readers might enjoy it, it skews a bit younger, and would probably appeal more to 4th and 5th graders, especially those who already know the author's Donuthead books.
The setting of this book is obviously not familiar to most kids, but they will see little pieces of themselves in Cassidy. At eleven, she feels the pressure to grow up and begin thinking about how to behave properly in public and how to impress romantic interests, but she is also eager to hold onto the habits of childhood a bit longer, as she is starting to glimpse a future where many of her current games and interests will no longer be appropriate. Because of her immaturity, and her mischievous personality, she is sometimes a bit annoying, especially for the adult reader, but kids who feel as she does will relate strongly to her desire to find the fun in everything and postpone maturity as long as possible. There are few female characters like Cassidy in recent children's books, so it is nice to see a different personality and worldview represented.
This book ends on an odd note, which seems out of sync with the rest of the story. The great-grandmother's strange inheritance was difficult enough to swallow, and her follow-up gift after Cassidy finishes the etiquette class comes completely out of left field and almost seems to be setting the reader up for a sequel in an entirely different genre. (No sequel has been announced so far, but the potential is certainly there.) Another problem with this book is the cover. The images selected appearing on it seem to be geared specifically toward girls, even though there is nothing about this book that would preclude boys from reading it. The title also makes this sound like a very girly story, when, in fact, the entire point of Cassidy as a character is that she is not overly girly.
Read-alikes for Cassidy's Guide to Everyday Etiquette (and Obfuscation) include the Hunter Moran books by Patricia Reilly Giff, Revenge of the Bridesmaids by Jennifer Ziegler, and the Marty McGuire series by Kate Messner. Though middle school readers might enjoy it, it skews a bit younger, and would probably appeal more to 4th and 5th graders, especially those who already know the author's Donuthead books.
krikketgirl's review
2.0
Parts of the book were clever, but there was simultaneously too much happening (so many subplots) and too little interest. I wished the author had chosen two or three subplots and really polished them.
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