Vegan, Virgin, Valentine - Carolyn Mackler

==Vegan girl trouble==


Today I am reviewing the teen novel "Vegan Virgin Valentine" by Carolyn Mackler.
I bought it in a charity shop because the cover and title looked interesting. In general
I enjoy reading teen fiction now and then as they are easy, entertaining reads for when
you don't feel like reading serious novels - but of course they are great for teenagers as
some of these books are ...
.../> parents and friends. They are also a good way to get teens and children reading.


_The plot_
The book "Vegan Virgin Valentine" by Carolyn Mackler is published by Walker Books.
It concerns itself with the life of straight-A student and strict vegan Mara Valentine. She
puts a lot of effort into school, works at a coffee shop almost every day and pleases her
parents whenever she can.
When ... more

==Vegan girl trouble==

Today I am reviewing the teen novel "Vegan Virgin Valentine" by Carolyn Mackler.
I bought it in a charity shop because the cover and title looked interesting. In general
I enjoy reading teen fiction now and then as they are easy, entertaining reads for when
you don't feel like reading serious novels - but of course they are great for teenagers as
some of these books are about topics you'll have a hard time speaking about with
parents and friends. They are also a good way to get teens and children reading.

The plot
The book "Vegan Virgin Valentine" by Carolyn Mackler is published by Walker Books.
It concerns itself with the life of straight-A student and strict vegan Mara Valentine. She
puts a lot of effort into school, works at a coffee shop almost every day and pleases her
parents whenever she can.
When her sixteen-year-old niece "V" moves in with the family and goes to Mara's school,
Mara is upset and worried about her reputation. She is quickly annoyed with V
intruding her family as she is always the centre of attention, smokes weed and comes
across as slutty.
Mara has trouble coping with the new situation as she has always been in control
of everything happening around her. V destroys this order and even teases Mara
for being a bit of a control freak. But as time goes by, Mara actually profits from
having a her niece with her.

The book
The book is a very light blue, almost soft turquoise, all over. On the cover there is
a picture of the upper body of a girl wearing a pink vest top and jeans. The words
"vegan virgin valetine" are written on the top in pink, dotted, glittery letters. Below
that it says "Can a girl be too perfect?" in normal white letters. We also get the
name of the author.
The back of the book is dark blue with the silhouette of the girl from the cover in
light blue. There we get a little summary of the novel that points out how Mara's
life is infiltrated by V and how everything starts to spin "wildly out of control".
There is a quote from The Bookseller claiming that the author "is adept at
tackling difficult issues with humanity and sensitivity".
On the lower right you can see small pictures of the covers of two other teen novels
by Carolyn Mackler. There is also a barcode, the email adress of the publisher as
well as the retail price for the UK.
The book has 218 pages in medium sized print.

What I liked about the book
I really enjoyed this book and finished it within three days. I could relate to Mara's
problems although I am far from being a control freak or straight-A student. I just
really understood how it must feel to have someone intruding your family and taking
up all the attention. The book is well-written and thoughtful. I am very sure it will
help young adults as the totally different characters Mara and V live together and
learn to accept and respect each other.
A lot of topics are touched that concern young people - nutrition and veganism,
trouble with parents, self esteem issues, first sexual experiences, drugs, school
pressure - the book feels real, unlike some teen fiction where you feel like a person
who has never been young wrote it.

Price
The regular price that is also given on the book is £5.99.
Right now Amazon.co.uk is selling it for £4.49.
I bought it at the charity shop for £1.99, which was quite a bargain since it is in a
very good condition, nearly new.

Conclusion
This is a really good right and a great gift for a teen! I would also recommend it to
adults who love a simple read now and then.
Five stars as I couldn't find anything bad about it! 

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