"Antonia Dillon is a good student in middle school, but to make her college application look better, and to help some of her peers, she decides to participate in a peer counseling program. Dr. Dileo, the guidance counselor chooses the partners, and for some strange reason, he puts her with Jasmine Luther, otherwise know as Jazz. Jazz wears black eyeliner, lip gloss, nail polish, and clothes. When Antonia sees Jazz, she is ready to quit, but since she can't they go ahead and have their first session. It doesn't go very well. Then she has to go home and do homework, but she can't because she has to take care of her little brothers, Chukie and Michael, because her mom is going through one of her bad stages again. Antonia's mom is bipolar, so most of the time Antonia has to take care of her siblings, the house, and do her homework. This is a lot.
The next session with Jazz goes just about the same, but after a little while, Jazz and Antonia start to make progress. They both start to learn about each other and they become friends. Antonia finds out that Jazz lives in a very rich family and that her parents are always on her to act normal. That's why she tries to be so different. Jazz, in turn, learns about Antonia's home life and about her mother and brothers. She is sympathetic, but also tries to get Antonia to relax and realize that she can't be perfect all the time. But when Antonia comes home to an empty house and finds out that her mom has run away with the boys, she has to ask Jazz for help. Jazz and her mom help and take care of her and her brothers while their doctor friend looks at her mom, but what will happen to Jazz and her brothers if her mom doesn't get better?"
cloud city, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of Define Normal
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- present (2000-2010)
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Age 11-14
Parents/lack of parents problem?
- rebelling against parent's expectations
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 2 (a little)
United States
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
