An Urgent Message of Wowness. Karen McCombie. Toronto, ON: Scholastic, 2008. 230 pp., pbk., $8.99. ISBN 978-0-545-99328-9. Subject Headings: Children of divorced parents - Juvenile fiction. Family - Juvenile fiction. Grades 5-8 / Ages 10-13. Review by Jane Bridle. *** /4

excerpt:

From:              wombat

Subject:           Big-time confusion

Date:               Friday, April 26

To:                  rsmith@smiledentalgroup

Dad -

I'm very confused. When you dropped your bombshell, you said there was no one else involved. Oops, that seems to have been a lie!

And when I saw you at the café and told you Jo-Jo suspected that wasn't true, you started to get all cross with me. Not fair, at all.

So anyway, I guess your new girlfriend is...

a) the person you went running off to see when we were at the café

b) the person you're living with now

c) the reason why you obviously thought me moving in with you would be a terrible idea. So terrible, you didn't even bother to get back to me

Explanations, excuses, apologies would be nice.

Heather

PS I put that dried heather you gave me in the bin.

PPS That new aftershave that I think your new girlfriend gave you - it smells of cat wee.

When Heather's dad drops the bombshell that he is leaving their "perfect" family, 14-year-old Heather feels like her world is falling apart. Her mother takes to hibernating in her bedroom,

     Jo-Jo, her big brother, feeds the family endless meals of beans on toast, and Tallie, her little sister, begins dressing in eccentric ways.When Heather's dad drops the bombshell that he is leaving their "perfect" family, 14-year-old Heather feels like her world is falling apart. Her mother takes to hibernating in her bedroom, Jo-Jo, her big brother, feeds the family endless meals of beans on toast, and Tallie, her little sister, begins dressing in eccentric ways.

     Heather struggles with the issues of her parents' separation with humour and honesty and is able to turn the confusion of her situation into comedy. Her self-deprecating wit has a lot in common with Louise Rennison's character Georgia Nicolson of the "Angus Thongs" series.

     The British terms and references may stymie some readers, but, like "Angus Thongs," there is a helpful glossary of "British terms, slang and random wordage" at the end of the book. The clever chapter titles, like. "My Fairy Goth-mother," and the groovy cover art by Spike Gerrell are sure to appeal to young teens.

Recommended.

Jane Bridle is a librarian at Winnipeg Public Library.

NEXT REVIEW |TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - October 10, 2008.