Unfortunately I didn't finish this book, as I couldn't get into it - nothing against the author or book, just not to my personal taste. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

First, I have to say I enjoyed the author's writing style, and how she builds her characters. But this book didn't feel young adult, it's felt middle grade. With that said, if it was pitched as a middle grade I would have liked it that much more because I went in thinking it was a YA and expecting things more YA feel.

With that said, I did enjoy this book. I like how it's a book written by the main character herself when she was old. I like how the arts play a huge part in this story. There are a few characters who get bullying, as someone who has been in those shoes, I felt that the scenes were written well. Like I said before, this isn't a bad story. I enjoyed it, there's a mix of different kinds of girls, with all different kind of problems. Filled with many lessons for young girls. Kallie is by far my favorite character in this book, her free ways, standing up for what she believes in and her friends; are amazing. While the main character, Hilary, who at times I wanted to yell at, is a girl who learns many lessons, who finds your writing about in the book.

One of the parts I enjoyed most about this story was there is a scene where Hilary's class was to do a project showing their family roots. I have been looking into my own family roots, so I enjoy and books that have anything to do with that, even if it's just a few pages.


It's a fast read, filled with lessons, that the younger readers would enjoy.

The History is Hilary Hambrushina is a coming of age story about figuring out who you are and embracing it. It is a story that has been told many times before an unfortunately for me the story wasn’t told very well.

Actually, that is probably a bit harsh. The writing is good. Marnie Lamb’s writing is not the issue. I think for me the issue is that this same story has been told better. It is told in a too twee fashion. I also think that because I work with young adults that the presentation of friendship groups falling out that The History of Hilary Hambrushina doesn’t deliver on the emotional turmoil that comes with loving your friends.

I felt like the overall message was too flowery – Just be yourself and everything will be fine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about finding your tribe but Marnie Lamb’s novel just seemed far too neat, tidy and times unrealistic.

The History of Hilary Hambrushina by Marnie Lamb is available now.

For more information regarding Iguana Books (@Iguana_Books) please visit www.iguanabooks.ca.

Last night, I stopped reading this with 10% of the novel left to go. I had planned to rate "The History of Hilary Hambrushina" a weak three stars, and even had the outline of a review sketched out in my mind. And then I read the remainder of the book, and had to change my rating to two stars instead.

Let's discuss what this middle grade novel is about first. It's about Hilary, who's determined to be part of the cool crowd once she's in middle school. She and her best friend, Lucy, are convinced that their lives will be perfect when they're friends with Chanel, the coolest girl in their grade.

But during the summer before seventh grade, Lucy goes on a long vacation with her family, and Hilary's stuck with the new girl next door, Kallie. Kallie's all the things Hilary's not - she's not afraid to stick out, to speak her mind, and to do things her way. At first Hilary thinks Kallie is weird, weird, weird. But as they spend more time with each other, Hilary and Kallie become good friends. She even learns that Kallie was bullied in her old school.

Seventh grade starts, and Lucy has the opportunity to be part of the cool crowd. She invites Hilary along, and everything is just what they thought it would be! Everyone loves them! They're chic, and somehow more beautiful than they were before! There's only one thing - Chanel hates Kallie, and when she finds out that Hilary and Kallie are friends, she banishes Hilary from her group.

And then the bullying happens. It's brutal and upsetting, and Hilary must find her own way through it, to become to person she really is.

I think that this is a valuable lesson. I've read a lot of middle grade and YA novels, and while bullying is a big theme in YA, I don't see a lot of it in middle grade. So that's very important.

However -- this is framed as an autobiography. Hilary is looking back at these events as a senior in high school, and the bitterness she has toward Chanel and the other mean girls is still very much alive. She reassures us that she's gotten past them, but I don't think she really has. And that makes me feel sad, not only for Hilary, but as a potential message to other seventh graders who are being bullied.

And then there's the subplot with Tiffany and Chu Hua. Tiffany's one of the mean girls, and she's ethnically Chinese. Chu Hua is also Chinese, and a recent immigrant. There is much to do with the fact that Tiffany pretends not to be so Chinese, but it's a lie - Tiffany attended Chinese school with Chu Hua, and her first name is actually Chinese. It's Ushi - which means oxen/cow. Hilary is blown away with this information and wants to crucify Tiffany. And all of this makes me deeply, deeply uncomfortable.

I understand that Tiffany's a bully. But Hilary (a white Canadian) is quick to make presumptions about Tiffany based on this so-called otherness. She wants to shame Tiffany because she's Chinese. It's ironic, because Hilary's own mother is ethnically French, and was encouraged to change her first name so she wouldn't be teased. Hilary responds sympathetically to this, but she doesn't understand the parallels between her mom and Tiffany. I'm not sure the author even understands the parallels there.

Chu Hua making a big deal of the name Ushi was also strange. The name is used so commonly that my own great-grandmother's name was Ushi (in the Japanese context, but apparently the name means the same thing in both Japanese and Chinese), and believe me, it was no big deal to anyone that her name also meant 'cow.'

And then there's Chu Hua herself. She's on the side of the good guys - she sticks by both Kallie and Hilary when they're teased, and is unceasingly loyal. As far as I'm concerned, she's the ONLY loyal character. But Hilary herself discounts Chu Hua because her English is hard to understand, and only by the end of the novel grudgingly admits that if she listens very carefully, she can understand what Chu Hua is saying. Wow.

So I would have given this three stars if this deeply uncomfortable subplot hadn't been in the novel, but here's two stars because it is, plopped there without discussion or (seemingly) much thought.

THIS WERE THE BOOK THAT I"VE GIVEN SECOND CHANCE AFTER DNF it for real! Because it was worth it. :'D

Well, it has a moral value (checked),

it was real as intimate in real life (checked)

and IT MADE ME CRY AND WANT TO SWALLOW IT (super checked!)

I was actually DNF the book after like reading first 10 chapters of it because it was too childish and so naive, it does not meet my expectation of curiousity or thrilling along the way. But then, this one night I was like so bored and decide to give this particular book a second chance by reckon on how Mernie writes this book, it was supposed to be only a light reading.

WRONG AND I'M SO TOTALLY WRONG!

The process was just so beautifully twisted and now I love every bit of it!



Hilary Hambrushina early life described.

I was thinking the idea that Mernie putting Hilary as the narrator herself giving us the freedom to play with our imagination, that make me (especially me of course) feels like its Hilary herself writing this autobiography. I admit that the first phase of this book was kind of numb and boring.

Its just a story about primary school girl who gonna be in her junior high school girl who just so childish, totally reckless and obsess with popular and cool kid and try everything to be like just like them (this thought actually killing me and I must warn you it sticks to the end of the book, but worry not it will be sink as the chapter goes, its like reading Flawed all over again)

After Hilary meet Kallie

This is where I began to love Kallie character, despite her nerdy and weird behaviour I began to relate there is so much mutuality between good characters that I actually admired within a person. But still she is human beings, who have flaws and also is Hilary.

After Lynn comes home, entering Junior High and Hilary moment

I know it was a bit fast pace describing every critical and silent moment (I used to describe the moment like doing nothing and enjoy the moment as silent - as I like to imagine it, but of course it does not happen in books or did it? *winking*). Argh I reckon how my heart thumbing so hard till I felt im gonna blow my brain because pumping so much blood to digest the content.

How the chapter end

It was a process of healing from a nightmare. A struggle to know who you truly are, and embrace the worst and accept what cant be change. Only to born again as a new person who are free and nothing ever again can stop you back, because the only matter is not what other things about you, its about you who thinks about yourself.

Positivity do come from influence of other but if the influence have a bad signal (like tv) then the only positivity that can be made is from within - our own mentality and mind.

I can relate so much about Hilary character as I feel she is like myself who used to be so not sure in life, so naive, like to follow others so she can be notice. She does not even understand that she does not need to be somebody else rather then herself (cause girl, everyone already been taken).

Notes for the author;

Thumbs up for Marnie Lamb for this beautifully written book. I notice how much people actually DNF it at the first chapter (cause trust me it was just so lame, all the childish stuff, I think at that time, only children may enjoy by reading this). Thank God i've given your book a second chance if not I'll not realize how wonderful this story was - It Made Me Cry! :')

Do you have any character that you can relate with you so much?

This YA novel is definitely geared toward the younger end of the spectrum. Though sometimes narrated by Hilary as an older teenager, it most often comes from the perspective of her twelve year old self. Was I this awful as an almost teenager? I don't think so, but maybe it's just been so long I don't remember! I'd say story is suited for pre-teens, but it does have some semi-strong language at the end so keep that in mind if purchasing for a child. I've grown to appreciate YA when I need a lighter read, but this was just a little too young for me. It does feature some good life lessons on friendship and bullying, though. It's an easy and quick read that touches on a lot of issues that young girls might experience.

Hilary is used to some teasing from her classmates, but she's always had her best friend Lynn to turn to. She's determined to change her social status this year when they enter junior high school. Hilary is desperate to impress the most popular girl in her grade and make a fresh start, but how is she supposed to earn popularity when her mother keeps her from buying the coolest clothes and she lacks self esteem? She's preparing herself (which mostly means whining to her parents) for a lonesome and boring summer, because best friend Lynn is off on vacation with her family. She's quite bitter and jealous over that, resigning herself to a summer alone. When a new family moves in next door to her, she immediately judges the new girl, who happens to be her age. She doesn't dress trendy. She's weird and quirky. She's definitely not a way for Hilary to climb the social ladder of junior high. The popular girls certainly wouldn't be impressed. But who else is she supposed to talk to? Initially thinking of Kallie as a temporary friend while Lynn isn't around, she starts to develop a real friendship with this interesting girl. But what will happen when summer vacation ends?

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Iguana Books, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

While I liked the story I didn't like,the structure. The use of the frame of. 17 y/o writing her autobiography felt very contrived, and for me was unnecessary. Further at times her voice is of an adult, while at others it very immature. And while I realize the preteen is that contradiction (I have a 13y/o), at times I felt as though I was hearing an adult, and,it felt inauthentic.

I loved this book! It was so cute and wholehearted! I felt like I was back in Jr. High myself going through all the things you go through

This is a book that every girl should be made to read once they leave primary school. Hilary is a girl who starting grade 7 after the school holidays and is facing a lot of problems that I believe young girls face in their early years of high school - weight, friends and boys. Her best friend has gone away for the summer and she is forced to make form new friendships. Hilary believes that this is the worst luck in the world however, it might just be the best.

Lamb leads us though the "autobiography" that Hilary has written, as a friend had suggested she should. This friend becomes a very important and loveable part of the book, teaching the reader that it is okay to be different, sometimes life doesn't work out how it is planned and to take it on the chin and face your problems head on.

Throughout the book there is a problematic friendship. I feel this is a very valuable part of the book to teach children that it is not okay to be treated badly, just because they want someone to like them. Body image is also a strong topic in this book that I find would be valuable for readers to understand and apply to their own lives. The largest problem faced throughout this book however, is bullying. Lamb takes an interesting approach in making the main character a bully, as well as someone who is being bullied, that is what pushed this book to five stars for me.

Maybe its due to the fact that it relates a lot with what I went through during school but I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this book. It was an easy read that I would persuade anyone still in high school, or even with children in high school to read this. Although in saying that I am neither someone still in high school and I don't have any children. Scratch that, I think anyone could read this and connect with it in one shape or form.

This is labelled as young adult on Netgalley but it's more middle grade - preteens especially will enjoy it. The same old story of wanting to fit in and bullies picking on someone simply because they're different. I thought the writing was strong. It was funny in places but was also serious when need be. Kallie was such a strong character. But poor Hilary is torn between doing the right thing by sticking up for her new friend and not being able to say anything because it wouldn't be cool. It's always funny thinking back to being twelve and realizing that the things that seemed important really weren't - needing the same shirt as so-and-so or liking a band because all the cool kids are listening to them. I'm glad those days are over!

This is a great book for any younger kid to read, especially girls. It deals with the typical, horrible ways girls treat each other, especially when in middle school.

**Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a complementary copy of THE HISTORY OF HILARY HAMBRUSHINA in exchange for my honest review.**

Hilary and her best friend Lynn dream of being popular. While Lynn is away on summer vacation, creative, kind and terminally geeky Kallie moves next door to Hilary. The neighbors become reluctant friends, despite Hilary's social standing concerns. When Lynn returns junior high begins, Hilary realizes her friendship with Kallie is an obstacle to her popularity.

Though billed as YA, HISTORY OF HILARY HAMBRUSHINA is a younger middle grade book. The writing, though clever at times, will appeal to pre-tweens at best. This predictable story has been told countless times before, a girl must choose between being popular and doing the right thing. She chooses wrong, realizes the error of her ways and the right friends accept her back into their group, lesson learned. The end. There's nothing remotely unique about the story.

I have an eleven-year-old cousin she's too mature for this story.

I appreciate that Marnie Lamb tried to tell a cautionary tale about choosing friends wisely. Kallie was an interesting character, though the others were stereotypical: the wannabe, the mean girl with secret pain, the confused MC who eventually does the right thing etc.