Review of Finally Thirteen!

[Nenye Charles]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Finally Thirteen!" by Richard Read.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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“Finally Thirteen!” by Richard Read is an interesting book about coming of age. The story revolves around Cali, Sky, Tabitha, and Talia, among others. It discusses the struggles teenagers go through to achieve social acceptance amongst their peers. Before getting to junior high, Cali, Sky, and Tabitha escape a kidnapping by Flash and Joint, who work for William Sturgis. Will they encounter a second kidnapping in a different vein? Get a copy to find out.

This book discusses the themes of social acceptance among peers. Here, people naturally gravitate towards people with whom they share similar characteristics. I learned the importance of being confident in one’s skin to avoid low self-esteem. Again, in terms of social acceptance, Talia didn’t have friends and had a crush on Otis. She wishes to get close to him, and in order to achieve this, she volunteers to help Mohini distribute drugs. When Talia joined the cross-country and got to know Calista Snipe and others, she no longer felt motivated to help Mohini with drug sales pitching, as she had now made new friends. I believe she would have made enough friends without having to go through the drug route.

I like the idea of the venture capital project, an initiative of Mr. Taylos. It helped the pupils become money-conscious, especially when it comes to choosing the right investment that will yield good profits. The discussion about boys and the self-pleasure Rod and Amaya had with their daughter, Melanie, warmed my heart. It showcases the importance of parents giving their children proper sex education at a young age, so they won’t go about it the wrong way.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style, as it made my reading smooth. Also, despite the numerous characters in the book, the author was able to throw in details about them. This makes comprehension easy for the readers.

I didn’t find anything to dislike about this book. I only found a few errors, which makes me rate it 4 out of 5 stars. This book is recommended to teenagers, as it will enable them to stay true to themselves and desist trying so hard to fit into a social group. Again, it will help them discover their passion and get serious about doing it.

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Finally Thirteen!
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[MoeBrown]

This is a wonderful review for a coming of age story that seems very relevant given todays climate.