I just finished reading Dear George Clooney, please marry my mom by Susin Nielsen this weekend. I’ll admit it: the catchy title grabbed me. But despite the silly hook, the story actually held my attention. Violet is a spunky, not-always-likeable young teen with divorced parents, a younger sister Rosie, a new step-mom and 2 new half-sisters. She lives in Vancouver with her mom and Rosie while her father is in L.A. working as a television director with his new wife Jennica Valentine. Violet is having a hard time dealing with her new life and with her mother ‘s behavior as a single woman on a quest for “Mr. Right”. Hoping to protect her family, Violet often acts impulsively, but with good intentions. These actions lead to comedic hijinx for us readers, often at Violet’s expense. Surrounded by good friends and positive adult influences (a rarity in YA literature), Violet loses some of her cynicism about love and learns that George Clooney might be awesome, but he’s not the answer to all of her problems. (Mr. Clooney does make a brief cameo, if you were curious.) It was a light, fun read that made many current references to pop culture, the perils of Facebook and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
Sharon Long
Teen Services Librarian