Like Vanessa by Tami Charles
Middle graders will laugh and cry with thirteen-year-old Vanessa Martin as she tries to be like Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America. In this semi-autobiographical debut novel set in 1983, Vanessa Martin's real-life reality of living with family in public housing in Newark, New Jersey is a far cry from the glamorous Miss America stage. She struggles with a mother she barely remembers, a grandfather dealing with addiction and her own battle with self-confidence. But when a new teacher at school coordinates a beauty pageant and convinces Vanessa to enter, Vanessa's view of her own world begins to change. Vanessa discovers that her own self-worth is more than the scores of her talent performance and her interview answers, and that she doesn't need a crown to be comfortable in her own skin and see her own true beauty. It's such an honor to be the focal point of this wonderful book Without a doubt, it will be inspiring to a new generation of young, talented girls well on their way to promising careers. --Vanessa Williams, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist, New York Times Best-Selling Author, Fashion Designer and star of Television, Film and the Broadway Stage Like Vanessa has it all and then some Gritty, poetic, emotionally true, Tami Charles wrings out every hope, every stumble and every triumph of a girl on an uneasy road to possessing her self, her strength and her own beauty. An unforgettable debut. --Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven ♦ This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances.-- Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW ♦ Charles evades the clich s and imbues Vanessa with an inner life that's so real and personal it's hard to deny the charm, heartbreak, and triumph of her story. . . . Superb.-- Booklist STARRED REVIEW ♦ Like Vanessa is an emotionally potent, engaging young adult story with a heroine whom it is impossible not to root for. The life lessons that Nessy learns are relevant and worthwhile for everyone.-- Foreword Reviews STARRED REVIEWTami Charles is a full-time author of picture books, nonfiction, middle grade, and young adult novels, as well as a former teacher. She made it her duty as a teacher to expose her students to a wide range of literature, particularly minority novels. Tami's passion for writing and childhood aspiration of becoming an novelist were resurrected as a result of this. Her family and she live in New Jersey.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781580898997 |
| ISBN 10 | 1580898998 |
| Title | Like Vanessa |
| Author | Tami Charles |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Charlesbridge Publishing,U.S. |
| Year published | 2019-03-05 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |