Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl by Carolita Blythe (review)

Faye is becoming a bitter fourteen-year-old; she is not that pretty, she's not that popular, she's not that well off, and she's not that great in school. Her mother, on the other hand, is pretty, but she is also moody and mean, whipping Faye with an extension cord for breaking her mother's capricious rules. Her friend Caroline convinces Faye to join her in stealing, targeting Evelyn Rider, an elderly former movie star; when Faye accidentally knocks the old woman out, she worries that she might have killed Evelyn and later returns to the scene of the crime. Finding the woman alive but unable to move from where they left her the day before, Faye helps her, and the two eventually form a friendship that makes Faye feel worthy of being loved for the first time in her life. Faye's story is deeply embedded in the African-American popular culture of Brooklyn in 1984, but she will resonate strongly with contemporary readers in any setting as she actively tries to sort out her moral values in accordance with her desires, largely without the guidance of a caring adult before Evelyn enters her life. As Faye gets to know Evelyn, she learns that some mistakes can be corrected while others have the potential to haunt you for the rest of your life. Evelyn has her own secrets and self-created heartaches, and her experience of misplaced priorities enables her to impart wisdom without preaching as well as to introduce a tiny bit of black film history into the mix. Faye develops credibly from angry, unlikable teen, who wants to take as much as she can get, to someone who wishes to give more forgiveness and understanding than she's received, making this a well-told story of an empowering friendship.