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jellogirl2010's review
4.0
This book was way more charming than I remembered it to be and I loved it as a child to the point I reread it multiple times growing up. There were some eyebrow-raising moments like Henry and Anastasia talking about older men looking at them and commenting about Bambie with an 'e's' weight. But it's still a capsule of the time it was written in. Anyway, I liked it a lot and the way they handled other aspects of the story. Also, I enjoy how Anastasia wasn't the most beautiful in the book and she didn't excel at everything she set out to do in the book. She wasn't a supermodel, she was just there to have a good time and learn poise.
10/10 glad I reread it.
10/10 glad I reread it.
erinmp's review
4.0
Anastasia, thirteen still, has to choose a career for a school assignment. She has decided to become a model, but her father thinks she wants to be a bookstore owner. Anastasia comprimises and goes to modeling school and interviews a bookstore owner. She meets a new best friend and is confronted by someone from her past. The only question is, what will she decide to do?
This Anastasia was as amusing as the early books. I laughed and laughed and enjoyed Anastasia's entertaining adventures. Great book and a great heroine.
This Anastasia was as amusing as the early books. I laughed and laughed and enjoyed Anastasia's entertaining adventures. Great book and a great heroine.
lilacs_book_bower's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The always delightful Anastasia is back and this time she is taking a modeling class to learn poise, while also having to write a paper about her future career. Anastasia makes a new friend in class, encounters an old nemesis, and learns about bookselling, among other life lessons. I didn't expect to cry with this one, but Lois Lowry got me. Anastasia has such an entertaining voice and is an endearing character. The book is a little dated, as her new friend is Black, and maybe seen as exotic, AND there are some kids who get talks about dieting in the modeling class for being a little overweight. The book feels a bit after school special too, but is still a fast and entertaining read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
not my favorite in the series...but still extremely lovable.
jessieyzli's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
jessalynn_librarian's review
4.0
Some dated moments, but the heart of the Anastasia books is just as relevant as when I first read them and they were only slightly dated. I'm also realizing that so few newer books are this short - these manage to be fun, insightful, and wrap up a plot without any padding.
erine's review
Anastasia has an incredibly honest voice. She tells it like it is, and therefore occasionally comes across as naive or as a jerk. But she (mostly) learns and grows and I can appreciate that.
Best part of this book: when Robert Giannini points out that a lot of times people avoid talking about others’ problems not because they don’t care, but because it’s awkward. And he just comes out and says we should talk about these things — people need to, awkward or not.
Second best parts of the book: the book seller storyline, and Henry. Anastasia meets the worst book seller in the world, who is simply too generous to make a living that way, but her husband is super wealthy so they make it work. Henry becomes Anastasia’s best friend in her weeklong modeling class, and despite the aura of exoticism surrounding her Blackness, I appreciated her inclusion in the storyline.
Worst bits: the gently persistent fat shaming that is in some ways simply dated ‘80s attitudes, but is in reality a persistent kind of discrimination that I wish we as a society could grow out of.
Best part of this book: when Robert Giannini points out that a lot of times people avoid talking about others’ problems not because they don’t care, but because it’s awkward. And he just comes out and says we should talk about these things — people need to, awkward or not.
Second best parts of the book: the book seller storyline, and Henry. Anastasia meets the worst book seller in the world, who is simply too generous to make a living that way, but her husband is super wealthy so they make it work. Henry becomes Anastasia’s best friend in her weeklong modeling class, and despite the aura of exoticism surrounding her Blackness, I appreciated her inclusion in the storyline.
Worst bits: the gently persistent fat shaming that is in some ways simply dated ‘80s attitudes, but is in reality a persistent kind of discrimination that I wish we as a society could grow out of.
msjenne's review
4.0
This was my favorite of the series when I was a kid, but now I think I like the first one best. Still, it's a MAKEOVER STORY! <3 <3 <3
mrskatiefitz's review
4.0
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
In school, Anastasia has been given an assignment to interview someone who works in her chosen career field, and to write an essay. Anastasia has decided to become a bookstore owner, so in addition to getting her father to set up an appointment for her with one of his bookseller friends, she also enrolls in a modeling class to learn poise and self-confidence. From these two experiences, Anastasia gains several things: a new (female) friend named Henry, a chance to see her old friend Robert Giannini, an appreciation for much of the thanklessness of running an independent bookstore, and an understanding that she will never be a real model (and that this is perfectly okay with her.)
Lois Lowry has created such a wonderfully three-dimensional character in Anastasia that at this point, I truly believe I would enjoy seeing her go through any experience. Anastasia’s thought processes about things like choosing a career are funny and honest, and they manage to be easily relatable and completely original at the same time. I also like that Anastasia’s parents are involved in her life but give her the freedom to travel by bus to Boston on her own.
Anastasia’s Chosen Career strikes me as one of the easier books in the series to promote to today’s readers. This is mainly because of its connections to TV shows about modeling and makeovers. Though Anastasia’s modeling experience is mostly for fun, there is another girl in her class who is very serious about it and whose experience reminds me a lot of what happens to girls on America’s Next Top Model, especially when it comes to some of their dramatic haircuts.
Another issue in the book that is even more significant today than it was when it was first published is the struggles of independent book stores. Lowry does a nice job of raising some of the problems faced by small book stores, and through Anastasia’s comments and questions, she provides a great opportunity for kids to reflect on the ways bookstores are being replaced by larger companies.
In school, Anastasia has been given an assignment to interview someone who works in her chosen career field, and to write an essay. Anastasia has decided to become a bookstore owner, so in addition to getting her father to set up an appointment for her with one of his bookseller friends, she also enrolls in a modeling class to learn poise and self-confidence. From these two experiences, Anastasia gains several things: a new (female) friend named Henry, a chance to see her old friend Robert Giannini, an appreciation for much of the thanklessness of running an independent bookstore, and an understanding that she will never be a real model (and that this is perfectly okay with her.)
Lois Lowry has created such a wonderfully three-dimensional character in Anastasia that at this point, I truly believe I would enjoy seeing her go through any experience. Anastasia’s thought processes about things like choosing a career are funny and honest, and they manage to be easily relatable and completely original at the same time. I also like that Anastasia’s parents are involved in her life but give her the freedom to travel by bus to Boston on her own.
Anastasia’s Chosen Career strikes me as one of the easier books in the series to promote to today’s readers. This is mainly because of its connections to TV shows about modeling and makeovers. Though Anastasia’s modeling experience is mostly for fun, there is another girl in her class who is very serious about it and whose experience reminds me a lot of what happens to girls on America’s Next Top Model, especially when it comes to some of their dramatic haircuts.
Another issue in the book that is even more significant today than it was when it was first published is the struggles of independent book stores. Lowry does a nice job of raising some of the problems faced by small book stores, and through Anastasia’s comments and questions, she provides a great opportunity for kids to reflect on the ways bookstores are being replaced by larger companies.