Your teen may not like hearing the word “no,” but she needs to know that sometimes you don’t get where you want to in life if you don’t yield to the negative response every once in a while.
If this sounds like your daughter, she might learn something by reading Kelli London’s “Charly’s Epic Fiascos,” about a young woman who has never met a “no” she likes.
Charly has a crush on Mason, but she’s been lying to him about everything. She’s from the South Side of Chicago, not New York, and she isn’t just going to visit her father in Brooklyn — she hasn’t seen him since she was 5. And despite her new phone, she’s not wealthy — Charly bought it with money she made at her part-time job at Smax’s BBQ. And it was money she had to hide from her recently laid-off mother, Brigette who claims every cent Charly makes!
Bridgette is nasty — she stole her daughter’s bankroll and lost it at a casino. So Charly is packing her belongings and leaving town on the first bus out.
Charly’s aunt lives in the Big Apple too, and she’s sure that her auntie will help her get an audition for a reality show that will hopefully start filming soon. In Charly’s head, it’s practically a done deall. They’ll be no more frontin’ for Charly — there’d be fame and fortune in her near future, fo’ sure.
That is, as long as she can keep away from dealers, juvie, scammers, creeps, thieves, and other haters.
When I first picked up “Charly’s Epic Fiascos,” I was surprised at what I was reading. It seemed to be about a lying, young hustler who manipulated everyone around her to get what she wanted. It didn’t seem like an appropriate book for young women.
But “yes,” it is. London gives her main character plenty of reasons for doing what she does, as well as a bit of regret. Because of the situations in which London places her charmingly cheeky character, readers will fall in love with her. I know I did.
Parents should be aware that “Charly’s Epic Fiascos” does romanticize the idea of running away. And is that good? I think that depends on who is reading this book. For 13-to-17-year-olds who can see the story as a story, I think it’s a really fun read. But for teens that struggle to recognize fiction, “Charly’s Epic Fiascos” is a big NO go.
“Charly’s Epic Fiascos” by Kelli London [288 pages, 2012, $9.95].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
