Lynn Visible (review)

From the time she started preschool, Lynn has always had an eccentric and fearless sense of personal style that she adjusts to suit her state of mind. Now she's in high school, almost but not quite inured to the stares and mean comments of her classmates as she wears her typically exuberant moods on her sleeve, as it were, as well as in her skirts and tops made of repurposed found materials, her hand-knit socks, and her funky accessories. A series of comic mishaps leads to one of her creations being discovered by a famous designer, and soon she is next big thing in high-school fashion, much to the chagrin of the popular girls who have ridiculed and ostracized her over the years. Fortunately, though, Lynn knows who her real friends are, and she manages to stay grounded when things threaten to veer off in a direction that compromises her vision. The prose here practically sparkles with upbeat energy and solid good humor. Lynn's sense of style is contagious and her methods inspiring; she finds possibility in the most mundane objects, collecting samples and pictures and collaging them into pieces that are clearly described and DIYable for interested readers. Her clumsiness is particularly endearing, both to readers and to the cute boy with a locker next to hers, which adds a tiny bit of romance to this designer rags-to-riches-and-back-again tale. Fans of Project Runway as well as kids who are just tired of off-the-rack sameness may well be emboldened by Lynn's example to take the scissors, glue, and thread to their own wardrobes in the search for a sassy signature style.