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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.kerrywinfrey.com/
CITY: Columbus
STATE: OH
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Bellville, OH; married; children: one son.
EDUCATION:Holds college degree.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
AVOCATIONS:Baking, watching romantic comedies.
WRITINGS
Contributor to websites, including HelloGiggles and A Year of Romantic Comedies.
SIDELIGHTS
Kerry Winfrey is an Ohio native and author of novels for young adults with inspiration often coming from her favorite film genre, romantic comedies. As a child Winfrey was always fond of writing, getting her mother to record her earliest stories—the plots cribbed from Disney classics—but storytelling never struck her as a reasonable career path. After graduating from college and languishing in television-watching ennui, she realized that she wanted to take steps to forge a better life for herself. As she told an Author Stalker interviewer, “What really changed was that I started to believe my happiness was something worth obtaining, even if it took a lot of work. I’m always my biggest obstacle and getting out of my own way is hard.” After several years of writing, Winfrey was able to digitally publish her debut novel, Love and Other Alien Experiences, and within a couple of years it was picked up by a mainstream publisher and put into print.
The protagonist of Winfrey’s debut is Mallory, who, beset by extreme anxiety, has not left the house in the two months since her father abandoned the family. When she gets nominated for prom queen, upsetting the balance of her isolation, she decides to go through with a campaign for the crown, getting help from her brother, friends, and a star athlete, as the five-hundred-dollar prize could help her track down her father. Regarding her own experiences with anxiety, Winfrey told the Author Stalker interviewer: “A lot of Mal’s anxiety symptoms were based on my own. While my own personal anxiety has never been as severe as Mal’s, … it was very important to me that my depiction of anxiety be accurate, … so I spent a ton of time researching, but I also tried to look at Mal as a person, not a diagnosis. Her specific symptoms and issues are her own, and they aren’t meant to sum up an entire disorder.” In School Library Journal, Lisa Ehrle found in Love and Other Alien Experiences “authentic teen voices and a gentle love story” that “will engage romance seekers,” with Mallory discovering “true friendship, love, and acceptance.”
The heroine of Things Jolie Needs to Do before She Bites It has suffered all her life from the side effects of an underbite, including headaches, a lisp, trouble chewing, and, in her eyes, in comparison to her sister Abbi, a lack of attractiveness. When she gets slated for corrective surgery, her nervousness about the procedure leads her to make a bucket list, with friends Evelyn and Derek helping her through it. Sampling the appetizers at Applebee’s is a prelude to auditioning for the school play so that she can kiss handsome Noah, but soon Derek confesses to having his own feelings for her.
In School Library Journal, Kefira Phillipe remarked that Winfrey “has a light touch with heavy topics and has crafted a funny and relatable lead, well-developed secondary characters, and great story lines.” Jennifer Miskec, in Voice of Youth Advocates, observed, “While self-love and critiquing mainstream notions of beauty are at the center of this novel, it never devolves into being preachy.” A Publishers Weekly writer concluded of Things Jolie Needs to Do before She Bites It, “Numerous laugh-aloud moments don’t lessen the potency of the story’s messages about beauty’s subjectivity and overcoming fears. Readers will gleefully cheer Jolie on as she learns to appreciate herself for who she is.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, May 21, 2018, review of Things Jolie Needs to Do before She Bites It, p. 74.
School Library Journal, May, 2017, Lisa Ehrle, review of Love and Other Alien Experiences, p. 98; June, 2018, Kefira Phillipe, review of Things Jolie Needs to Do before She Bites It, p. 86.
Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2018, Jennifer Miskec, review of Things Jolie Needs to Do before She Bites It, p. 67.
ONLINE
Author Stalker, http://authorstalker.tumblr.com/ (November 19, 2015), author interview.
Brit + Co, https://www.brit.co/ (July 19, 2017), Angela Velez, “Kerry Winfrey’s YA Novel Will Keep You Cool for the Summer,” author interview.
Kerry Winfrey Home Page, https://www.kerrywinfrey.com (December 31, 2018).
Lauren Morrill Website, https://laurenmorrill.com/ (September 22, 2016), author interview.
About
Kerry Winfrey is the author of the YA novels LOVE AND OTHER ALIEN EXPERIENCES and THINGS JOLIE NEEDS TO DO BEFORE SHE BITES IT, both from Feiwel and Friends, and the forthcoming WAITING FOR TOM HANKS, a romantic comedy from Berkley. She’s written for many websites, including HelloGiggles. When she’s not writing, she’s most likely baking yet another batch of cookies or watching far, far too many romantic comedies. She lives with her husband, son, and dog in the middle of Ohio.
Kerry Winfrey’s YA Novel Will Keep You Cool for the Summer
Angela Velez · Jul 19, 2017
If this summer’s blazing temps have you building a shrine to your A/C unit and questioning why you’d ever want to venture into the sweaty real world, you are not alone. But in Love and Other Alien Experiences, Mallory takes the #hermitlife to a whole new level: She hasn’t left the house in 67 days, thanks to her anxiety and agoraphobia. But when Mallory is nominated for Homecoming Queen, she decides to ditch her stay-home-forever plans in the hopes of nabbing the prize money and finding her MIA dad. It’s a story that will have you rooting for Mal as she discovers secrets about friendship, boys, her family, and most importantly — herself. We caught up with debut author Kerry Winfrey to chat creativity, advice, and more. Scroll on to learn more from this brilliant writer.
Brit + Co: Describe your book in six words or less.
Kerry Winfrey: Anxiety, The X-Files, homecoming, and kissing.
B+C: Where/when do you do your best writing?
KW: Anywhere I can. I have a son, so my writing has to happen before he wakes up and after he goes to sleep. Ideally, I love to write outside, but a lot of the time I end up writing in bed while listening to the baby monitor.
B+C: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done for book research?
KW: Does “listening in on strangers’ conversations” count as strange, or is that just creepy? Either way, I do it and I don’t plan on stopping. It’s good for dialogue, I tell myself… and also I’m just really nosy.
B+C: What’s your go-to cure for when you’re stuck in a creativity rut?
KW: In the short term, I think going for a walk or going to sleep can solve most writing problems… and a lot of general life problems. In the longer term, I like to read or watch something that’s totally unrelated to what I write. Like, right now I’m watching Riverdale, which isn’t at ALL like the books I write. It’s nice to turn off your writing brain and just enjoy something for entertainment’s sake.
B+C: What two lady heroes do you turn to for inspiration, and why?
KW: Meg Cabot: She says she writes books for people in waiting rooms, and I love that philosophy. Life is really hard for most people, and books are capable of providing so much comfort. Nora Roberts: She’s so productive and she basically owns an entire town. (Photo via Getty/Mike Coppola)
B+C: What’s your latest Instagram obsession?
KW: Most of my favorite Instagram accounts are food-related, and my current obsession is Molly Yeh, @mollyyeh. Everything she makes is so beautiful, and I just made her Chicken Pot Tot Hotdish (it ruled).
B+C: Can you name a book that you think deserves a little more love + recognition?
KW: I LOVED Ernessa T. Carter’s 32 Candles. It’s basically Sixteen Candles meets The Bluest Eye, which sounds bananas, but she makes it work. I recommend it to anyone who loves romance and John Hughes movies.
B+C: What’s next on your to-read pile?
KW: About a million things! Up next I have The Lake Effect by Erin McCahan, Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, and of course the new Sarah Dessen.
B+C: What advice do you have for aspiring creative ladies?
KW: Remember that you don’t need any special qualifications to be creative. You don’t need a degree or a mentor or a ton of money or the ability to quit your job. Whatever creative thing you want to do, you can fit it into your life right now. Don’t wait for the “perfect” moment to start, because that moment’s probably never gonna show up.
Got an author you’d love to see interviewed? Tweet us @BritandCo and let us know!
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
(Featured photo via Alex Winfrey)
31 notes
November 19, 2015
The Author Stalker Interview with Kerry Winfrey
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No one loves young adult novels and romantic comedies more than Kerry Winfrey, so when I started reading her YA romance Love and Other Alien Experiences, I expected it to be good. To say it exceeded my expectations is the understatement of the year: this book is exciting, funny, romantic, a little weird, and most importantly, it’s unputdownable. Read it if you’ve ever had a crush on the wrong person, been too nervous to go to the party, had a best friend who seems prettier/smarter/better than you, or if despite your best efforts, you just don’t quite fit in.
Enjoy Kerry’s delightful answers below and then do yourself a favor and treat yo self to her book.
Love and Other Alien Experiences is your debut novel, and it is so good. Who was your favorite (or least favorite) character to write? As a first-time novelist, did anything surprise you about the publishing experience?
Lincoln and Jenni were my favorites to write! Jenni was fun because she has so much confidence in her abilities and her appearance. I was nothing like that in high school, so it was fun to inhabit that headspace for awhile. Also I got to use some of my makeup knowledge. And Lincoln was great because he’s always making fun of Mal, just as my own brothers are always making fun of me.
What’s surprised me most about the publishing experience is how supportive people have been! I’m so grateful for it.
Your novel’s main character, Mallory, struggles with an anxiety disorder so severe that she can’t leave her house. While the book is very fun and is about falling in love, friendship, and high school, it also gets into mental health, therapy, and a girl’s attempts to heal from personal trauma and rejoin the real world. Can you explain the research process for this book? How did you manage to write so realistically about anxiety?
A lot of Mal’s anxiety symptoms were based on my own. While my own personal anxiety has never been as severe as Mal’s, a lot of times I would just think, “Well, how do I feel when I’m anxious? What kinds of things do I say to myself, and what do I worry about?” Then I bugged some of my friends who have panic attacks for details (I’m a fun friend!), looked at online forums, and read a whole bunch of medical sites. It was very important to me that my depiction of anxiety be accurate, and I never wanted to send the message, “When you meet a great dude, all your problems are solved and you no longer need therapy!” So I spent a ton of time researching, but I also tried to look at Mal as a person, not a diagnosis. Her specific symptoms and issues are her own, and they aren’t meant to sum up an entire disorder.
Okay, now a fun question: Who would you cast in the movie version of your book? (I’m especially curious about the two hot brothers.)
This one is hard because while I’m constantly mistaken for a 17-year-old, I’m actually elderly (okay, maybe not elderly, but definitely not a teenager) and I don’t know a lot of young movie stars. I can say, however, what fictional character I sort of based Brad on, and that’s Andy Dwyer from Parks & Rec. Really nice, really sweet, kind of dim. I always pictured Lincoln as Miles Heizer from Parenthood because I love little baby Drew.
Once people read Love and Other Alien Experiences, they will be desperate for more of your writing. Luckily, they can get their Kerry Winfrey fix all over the internet – you’ve written about YA literature for HelloGiggles, your personal blog covers everything from books to recipes, and your most recent project is the delightful movie review tumblr, A Year of Romantic Comedies – if someone wants to get a sense of you both as a great writer and an all around great lady, which posts would you recommend?
First off, thank you for the compliments. My romcom tumblr is basically my heart and soul—I mean, all of my feelings and beliefs and thoughts about art are just vomited out there every week. The post that I think most sums up my general philosophy is the one on You’ve Got Mail, and I feel like I could be friends with anyone who identifies with what I wrote in that post.
Also, a couple of years ago I wrote a post about teenage girls and the way their interests are always mocked on Welcome to Ladyville. One of my biggest goals with blogging/nonfiction writing is to highlight and defend genres that are often derided for being oriented toward women and teenagers. And, ideally, I’d like to challenge people to rethink their knee-jerk assumptions about popular entertainment directed towards women. I’m proud that the post connected with so many people who agreed!
What was your path to becoming a writer? Did you always know it was what you wanted to be or did you consider other careers? (Full disclosure: Kerry and I became friends in a college writing workshop, so I’ve long known about her mad writing skillz. However, she stopped writing for a bit and was sorrrrt of incredibly miserable. I then had the pleasure of watching her HUSTLE after her dreams and now she has her name on a freaking book cover.) How did you manage to defeat your obstacles to accomplish your writing goals?
This sounds so cheesy, but I’ve wanted to be a writer since before I actually learned how to write. I used to make Mama Winfrey write down my stories for me (they were all just Disney knockoffs, i.e. my first attempt at fanfic). I wanted to be a writer all through school, but I didn’t really grow up in an environment that fostered creativity (aside from a few really great teachers and my family, of course), so I didn’t believe that I could actually write a book. Once I graduated from college, I went into what I call my ‘Watching American Idol on The Couch’ phase. I did no writing, ate a lot of pizza rolls, and got so invested in Adam Lambert’s career.
Eventually, I realized I was maybe depressed and I needed to take some non-Randy-Jackson-related steps to fix my life. It was seriously like a switch flipped, and I turned from couch potato to weirdly goal-oriented potato. I made myself four big writing goals and just started chipping away at the first one, then the second one, and it took me about four years to achieve the fourth one (writing a book!). I basically wrote for any outlet that would have me, learned a lot, and built clips along the way. This might sound very simplistic and vaguely self-help-y, but what really changed was that I started to believe my happiness was something worth obtaining, even if it took a lot of work. I’m always my biggest obstacle and getting out of my own way is hard.
Who are your favorite authors? Which writers have influenced you the most?
I have so, so many favorite authors, but my ultimate writing hero is Meg Cabot. For one, she’s incredibly productive and that’s a quality I really admire. And her books are so funny, smart, and sex positive without being preachy. I’m always amazed at how well she writes funny side characters, builds up tension in romantic relationships, and tosses in jokes that truly make me laugh out loud.
I also really love Miranda July, even though I write nothing like her. I like that she’s unabashedly herself and gets into such sticky emotional territory. I like writing that’s vulnerable, and hers always is. And I admire Lauren Oliver. She’s a wonderful writer, she works in so many different genres, and she’s just such a boss. Whenever I’m making excuses not to write, I always think about how she wrote Before I Fall on her Blackberry while she was working full-time and going to grad school.
I can’t help it, I love learning about how writers write. Do you write wherever or in a specific place? Do you do a detailed outline or go with the flow? Music while you write: yes or no? Tell me everything.
Mostly I try to write in my home office, because I feel lucky to have a room dedicated to writing! But sometimes I just write on my couch with my dog lying on my feet. LAOAE was the first thing I wrote with an outline and, surprise surprise, it’s the only book I’ve ever completely finished! So now it’s outlines for life. I don’t know how people get anything done without them.
Sometimes I need complete silence, but other times I want to listen to very specific music (usually either Taylor Swift, One Direction, Father John Misty, or Natalie Prass). Also I listen to this super weird YouTube concentration music mix called STUDY MUSIC BRAIN POWER. I feel like a major dork whenever I put it on, but it helps.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Okay, my first piece of advice is more sanity-related than writing-related: remember that no one owes you anything. My whole life has been a quest to make people pay attention to my writing, whether it meant begging my parents to watch the play I put on in the basement or cornering my neighbors until they listened to the couplets I wrote. While that’s a cute look for a small child, it’s not so much for an adult. So I always try to keep in mind that no one owes me or my writing anything. No one owes you a book deal, an offer of representation, a look at your draft, a critique, or an encouraging word. Your friends aren’t required to buy your book or read it or ask about it. The only person who owes you something is a person you signed a contact with. It sounds harsh, but repeating this really helps me squash the grosser parts of my personality and see attention as a bonus, not a right. Entitlement doesn’t look good on anyone.
Other than that? It sounds dumb coming after the advice I just gave, but…don’t listen to writing advice. The internet is full of people with no qualifications who want to tell you what to do. I mean, whatever. If you get all that noise in your head, you’ll never get any writing done. Get an MFA or don’t. Join a writing group or don’t. Read writing books or don’t. Use all the adverbs you want. Start a book with a character waking up. Write for an hour at the same time every day or write in sporadic chunks. Do what you have to do to finish your book and block out the chatter.
Oh, and read On Writing. Stephen King’s allowed to give advice because he’s Stephen King.
The holiday season is almost upon us. In addition to your book (obviously), what books should people give their family and friends this year?
What a great question! I love to give books as gifts, so I broke this one down into a few categories:
For anyone: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. People always talk about how smart this book is, but it’s also super funny and surprisingly romantic. I loved it. And The Royal We was one of the most engrossing books I’ve read in awhile. It was an intense, realistic look at what it would be like to have a relationship with a prince.
For your BFF: Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling. For the essay on weddings alone.
For kids (or kids at heart): The Truth About Twinkie Pie by Kat Yet. Holy moly, I loved this sweet book and I only wish I could’ve read it when I was 10.
For romcom lovers: 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter. I’ve recommended this book to just about everyone I know. Somewhere it was described as a “fluffy The Bluest Eye,” and that sounds crazy but that’s exactly what it is. It’s got romance, John Hughes references galore, and some serious drama.
Last question! What are you working on now?
Mostly I’m focused on promo stuff for LAOAE, which is fun! Of course, I’m working on a Top Secret Project with you, the Author Stalker herself. And I’m trying to figure out if I should get an agent and brainstorming ways to turn my A Year of Romantic Comedies tumblr into a book.
You can find Kerry Winfrey online at her website, her romcom blog, and on Twitter @KerryAnn.
Photo credit: Alex Winfrey (Yep, that’s Kerry’s brother. I’m looking forward to the future when I can watch a documentary series called The Talented Winfrey Family.)
#30DAYSOFROMCOMS INTERVIEW: KERRY WINFREY
September 22, 2016
kerryToday for #30DaysofRomComs, we have an interview with the awesome Kerry Winfrey, whose novel Love and Other Alien Experiences was recently bought by Feiwel & Friends. Kerry, who did the Year of Rom Coms blog (highly recommend it if you’re looking for something to watch, or just need to pass the time while you’re waiting in line!), came by to talk about her new book, her love of blogging, and how she made the transition from YA reviewer to YA writer!
You started out as a book reviewer for Hello Giggles. Had you always wanted to write your own YA novel? Or did reading all those fantastic books inspire you to give it a try?
I always knew I wanted to write a book, but I didn’t really take writing seriously until I started writing for HelloGiggles. At the time, I read at least one YA book a week for years. This meant I was learning a LOT about what I liked and didn’t like, and what I thought worked and didn’t work. If you want to write a book of your own, I think that reading literally hundreds of books in your chosen genre is incredibly helpful!
Congrats on your new book deal! Love and Other Alien Experiences has had a unique road to bookshelves. Can you talk a little bit about that?
LAOAE was initially published through Paper Lantern Lit’s The Studio as a digital-only book in November of 2015. After it was published, an editor at Feiwel & Friends read it and expressed interest in publishing it in print. I loved my experience working with Paper Lantern Lit (I can’t imagine a better first book experience!), but I’m so excited that the book will now have a chance to reach a larger audience. The best part of it is that now I no longer have to deal with people saying things like, “Oh, an ebook? I thought you wrote a REAL book.” (Eye roll…ebooks are still real books, people!!).
You spent 2015 doing a project called A Year of Romantic Comedies. What inspired it?
While I was working on LAOAE, I missed the immediate feedback I got from blogging, because writing a book can be sort of a lonely experience. Also I’m a goal-obsessed weirdo who loves a project, so I decided to turn my love of romcoms into a blog that would give me a chance to engage with people and learn a lot about the genre while I was writing my own sort-of-romcom. I’ve loved romantic comedies ever since I was a love-obsessed teenager who watched Pretty in Pink on repeat and swooned over Pride and Prejudice. I’ve always had thoughts about what I liked and what makes a good romcom, but it was great to really dive into it over the course of 52 movies. I’m a firm believer that love stories are not just important, but essential. The desire for love is one of the few things that most human beings share, and I hate that a genre celebrating that is so often denigrated. Hopefully the project inspired some people to check out new romcoms or to give the genre a chance.
What was your favorite and least favorite rom coms that you watched?
My favorite, hands down, is You’ve Got Mail. It has a pretty farfetched concept but real emotions. Just like all of Nora Ephron’s movies, it has a lot of sadness mixed in with the happiness. My least favorite was probably The Ugly Truth. The worst romcoms, in general, are the ones where the leads don’t have chemistry or they’re just unlikeable. Unlikeable characters have their place, but it isn’t easy to root for Gerard Butler as a gross, misogynistic tool.
Did A Year of Romantic Comedies have any impact on your writing?
I hope it did! The best love stories feel effortless, but they’re not easy to write (at least for me). I learned a lot about plot, pacing, and tension from watching so many romcoms…those concepts don’t exactly sound sexy, but they’re important in any romcom! Bad romcoms taught me more than good ones. Like, you can’t just show a terrible main character being nice to a small child and assume the audience will then see that he’s a sensitive soul. Okay, so I’m still talking about The Ugly Truth, but ugh did I ever hate that movie.
I’ve seen on Instagram that you’ve gotten to do some good e-book reading while up with your new kiddo. Can you rec anything you’ve read lately and loved?
I’ve been exclusively reading romance novels, and it’s been so fun (and a great escape when I’m especially sleep-deprived and cranky). I recently read and LOVED The Perfect Find by Tia Williams. It’s about a 40 year old woman in the fashion industry who falls for a 22 year old. I also loved Courtney Milan’s The Duchess War. A million people recommended her books to me and they were all right. Right now I’m in the middle of You Had Me at Hello by Mhairi McFarlane, and it’s perfect for anyone who loves Bridget Jones’s Diary or Rainbow Rowell’s Attachments.
Thanks Kerry! Be sure to check out Kerry’s new book, Love and Other Alien Experiences, which releases in April 2017. And while we’re here, take a gander at her AMAZING new cover!
love-and-other-alien-experiences_final-are
Kerry Winfrey grew up in Bellville, Ohio, where she spent most of her time reading inappropriate books at the library. Not much has changed. Kerry writes for HelloGiggles and blogs at welcometoladyville.com. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, their son, and their dog, Merlin. You can find her on Twitter @KerryAnn.
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WINFREY, Kerry. Tilings Jolie Needs To Do Before She Bites It
Kefira Phillipe
School Library Journal. 64.6 (June 2018): p86.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
WINFREY, Kerry. Tilings Jolie Needs To Do Before She Bites It. 288p. Feiwel & Friends. Jul. 2018. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781250119544.
Gr 7 Up--In a few months, Jolie is going to have surgery to correct her underbite. She's looking forward to finally being as pretty as her older sister, Abbi--not to mention being able to chew her food more easily,-not speak with a lisp, and no longer have headaches. When she starts to worry that she'll die or her lips will get numb as a result of the surgery, Jolie makes a list of things to do before she "bites it." Her best friends Evelyn and Derek are on board, helping her try every appetizer on the Applebee's menu and suggesting drat she audition for the school musical so that she can kiss Noah Reed. Then Derek admits that he has feelings for her, creating consequences not just for Jolie and Derek, but for her friendship with Evelyn as well. The author has a light touch with heavy topics and has crafted a funny and relatable lead, well-developed secondary characters, and great story lines. This is a brisk read with real insight into friendships and young romance. Readers will want to spend their time with Jolie, her family, and her friends. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase.--Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Phillipe, Kefira. "WINFREY, Kerry. Tilings Jolie Needs To Do Before She Bites It." School Library Journal, June 2018, p. 86. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A540902940/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=19d89fc0. Accessed 1 Dec. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A540902940
Winfrey, Kerry. Love and Other Alien Experiences
Lisa Ehrle
School Library Journal. 63.5 (May 2017): p98.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
WINFREY, Kerry. Love and Other Alien Experiences. 272p. Feiwel & Friends. Jul. 2017. pap. $10.99. ISBN 9781250119520.
Gr 7 Up--Authentic teen voices and a gentle love story are paired with a familiar and questionable plot. Mallory copes with extreme anxiety since her father abandoned the family; she hasn't left her house in more than two months. She spends her time attending webcam classes, hanging out with her best friend Jenni and her brother Lincoln, and posting on a website devoted to alien research. The seemingly cruel nomination of Mallory for prom queen upsets her safe world. Instead of declining the nomination, however, she decides to pursue the crown, if only for the $500 prize; this is just enough money to fund her search for her father. Her friends, the star jock, and his brother pull Mallory out of her sheltered life; on the way, she finds true friendship, love, and acceptance. While the voice rings true and the romance is predictable yet sweet, the downfall of this book is that the protagonist's ability to overcome her anxiety strains credulity; considering the amount of plot buildup, the conflicts are resolved too quickly. Also, character traits don't always match character actions. How can Mallory so easily venture out of doors after becoming physically ill during her prior excursion? VERDICT Those who want an accurate portrayal of anxiety disorders should consider John Corey Whaley's Highly Illogical Behavior. If realism isn't an issue, the voice here will engage romance seekers.--Lisa Ehrle, Falcon Creek Middle School, CO
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Ehrle, Lisa. "Winfrey, Kerry. Love and Other Alien Experiences." School Library Journal, May 2017, p. 98. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491032146/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=efe5eb89. Accessed 1 Dec. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491032146
12/1/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Print Marked Items
Winfrey, Kerry. Things Jolie Needs to Do
Before She Bites It
Jennifer Miskec
Voice of Youth Advocates.
41.2 (June 2018): p67.
COPYRIGHT 2018 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
Winfrey, Kerry. Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It. Feiwel & Friends/ Macmillan, July 2018.
288p. $17.99. 978-1250-11954-4.
4Q * 4P * S
Jolie has a severe underbite, technically referred to as a mandibular prognathism. She also has two great
friends, Evelyn and Derek, a college-aged sister who is pregnant, and a crush on a heartthrob named Noah.
Jolie is too preoccupied with her impending jaw surgery to focus on how great her life is or on the needs of
the community around her. Jolie is obsessed with her future self, who she imagines she will be post-surgery.
More than just chewing food without pain or suffering from fewer headaches, Jolie believes that she will
finally be pretty. Before she can begin the post-surgery life she has imagined for herself, she must make it
through the surgery itself. Just in case she "bites it" on the operating table (pun intended), Jolie's friends
help her create a bucket list, which includes kissing the perfectly coiffed Noah--and the plan to kiss Noah
includes Jolie trying out for the school play.
Just in time for her surgery, Jolie embraces being seen. In the process, she learns that she is a good actor, a
decent singer, and already beautiful, underbite and all. By the time she has her surgery, she has learned to
love herself. While self-love and critiquing mainstream notions of beauty are at the center of this novel, it
never devolves into being preachy. Instead, Jolie's tale is funny and lighthearted, with likable characters and
humorous situations. This is a great choice for readers who like funny books with quirky protagonists, like
Holly Goldberg Sloan's novel, Short (Penguin Random House, 2017/ VOYA December 2016).--Jennifer
Miskec.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Miskec, Jennifer. "Winfrey, Kerry. Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It." Voice of Youth Advocates,
June 2018, p. 67. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A545022935/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=ef379b1d. Accessed 1 Dec. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A545022935
12/1/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites
It
Publishers Weekly.
265.21 (May 21, 2018): p74.
COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It
Kerry Winfrey. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-250-11954-4
A book about a girl's facial deformity could easily become maudlin, but Winfrey (Love and Other A lien
Experiences) employs sharp wit to offer ample levity as she traces 16-year-old Jolies trials in the weeks
before her corrective surgery. Jolie dreams of having a "normal silhouette" post-procedure, with her "teeth
lined up exactly where they're supposed to be." She is also fixated on the slight chance that she could die on
the table and decides to create a bucket list of things to do before her operation. Her top priority is to kiss a
boy, specifically handsome Noah Reed. Knowing that he will likely get the lead of the school's spring
musical (a play involving a pig farmer's colonization of the moon), she auditions for a role among the
chorus of pigs, despite her dread of being seen on stage. Jolie gets more than she bargains for when she
wins the female lead opposite Noah--but her interest in him quickly dwindles as she realizes her heart really
belongs to her best friend, Derek. Numerous laugh-aloud moments don't lessen the potency of the story's
messages about beauty's subjectivity and overcoming fears. Readers will gleefully cheer Jolie on as she
learns to appreciate herself for who she is. Ages 13-18. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Things Jolie Needs to Do Before She Bites It." Publishers Weekly, 21 May 2018, p. 74. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A541012690/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b9c05c7b.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A541012690