Gossip Times Three - Softcover

Amy Goldman Koss is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The Girls, The Trouble with Zinny Weston, and How I Saved Hannukah. Ms. Koss both wrote and illustrated Curious Creatures in Peculiar Places, a selection of the 1989 John Burroughs List of Outstanding Nature Books for Children, and Where Fish Go in Winter, a Book of the Month Club Selection. She lives in Glendale, California, with her husband, two children, and many pets.

Grade 5-8-In an authentic voice, an unnamed narrator (whose identity is revealed at the end) tells the story of three seventh-grade girls as they weather the storm created by Bess dating her friend Abby's longtime crush. The narrative is presented as an English assignment and openly addresses questions of theme, plot, and foreshadowing and offers readers alternative scenarios and explanations of the characters' motivations. The most distinctive traits are the light, humorous, conversational style (which reluctant readers should like) and the emphasis on the triangular nature of the friendship. Every occurrence of any word related to three is capitalized (TRIO, TRIATHLON, THIRTEEN, you get the idea). While some youngsters may find this device clever, most will agree with the narrator, who admits near the end of the book, "this whole business with the THREES has really gotten on my nerves." An interesting subplot explores each girl's home life (all live with divorced mothers).
Laurie von Mehren, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH
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