Like Vanessa (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781580897778)

Middle graders will laugh and cry with thirteen-year-old Vanessa Martin as she tries to be like Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America.

In this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin's real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with a mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa's view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own self-worth is more than the scores of her talent performance and her interview answers, and that she doesn't need a crown to be comfortable in her own skin and see her own true beauty.

"It's such an honor to be the focal point of this wonderful book! Without a doubt, it will be inspiring to a new generation of young, talented girls well on their way to promising careers." --Vanessa Williams, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist, New York Times Best-Selling Author, Fashion Designer and star of Television, Film and the Broadway Stage

"Like Vanessa has it all and then some! Gritty, poetic, emotionally true, Tami Charles wrings out every hope, every stumble and every triumph of a girl on an uneasy road to possessing her self, her strength and her own beauty. An unforgettable debut." --Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven

♦ "This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances."-- Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW

♦ "Charles evades the clich駸 and imbues Vanessa with an inner life that's so real and personal it's hard to deny the charm, heartbreak, and triumph of her story. . . . Superb."-- Booklist STARRED REVIEW

♦ "Like Vanessa is an emotionally potent, engaging young adult story with a heroine whom it is impossible not to root for. The life lessons that Nessy learns are relevant and worthwhile for everyone."-- Foreword Reviews STARRED REVIEW

Author: Tami Charles
ISBN-10: 1580897770
ISBN-13: 9781580897778
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Language: English
Published: 03/13/2018
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.80w x 1.10d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.9
Point Value: 10
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 193702 / Like Vanessa


Review Citation(s):
Foreword 12/26/2017
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2018 pg. 75
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2018 pg. 81
Booklist 03/01/2018 pg. 63
Publishers Weekly 03/12/2018
Shelf Awareness 03/20/2018
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2018
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2018 - Superior,Well Above Average