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Please Ignore Vera Deitz
A tough, funny, sometimes painful look at complacency, compassion, and friendship begins with the funeral of Vera Deitz’s best friend, Charlie. Vera is the only one who knows that Charlie was innocent of the crime most believe he committed on the night he died. Telling the truth should be simple, but that would mean addressing her increasingly complicated relationship with Charlie. It would also mean addressing her parents’ refusal to acknowledge the abuse in Charlie’s home—they never reported his mother’s cries of pain to the police—and the recent departure of Vera’s mom, something about which she and her dad never talk. Vera’s voice is remarkable, both scathing and full of compassion for the people around her. Occasional interjections from others—Vera’s dad, a likable, buttoned-up accountant who’s trying too hard to improve himself and Vera; Charlie himself from the afterlife; and even the “pagoda,” an architectural symbol of their town—add humor, pathos, and hard-hitting honesty to a book that alternates between past and present as Vera recounts her friendship with Charlie and seeks courage to face many truths. This book full of memorable characters seamlessly incorporates real-life issues, from the struggle to balance work and school to the complications of being underage and falling in love with an older guy. ©2010 Cooperative Children's Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 14 and older
Age Range:
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Abuse
Empathy and Compassion
Fathers
Friendship
Grief and Loss
Humor
Love and Romance
Perspective/Point of View
Secrets
Truth and Lies
Work and Labor
Publisher:
Alfred A. Knopf
Publish Year: 2010
Pages: 326
ISBN: 9780375865862
CCBC Location: Fiction, King