{"product_id":"like-vanessa-book-tami-charles-9781580898997","title":"Like Vanessa","description":"\u003cb\u003eMiddle graders will laugh and cry with thirteen-year-old Vanessa Martin as she tries to be like Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eIt'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. \u003cb\u003e--Vanessa Williams, Multi-Platinum Recording Artist, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eBest-Selling Author, Fashion Designer and star of Television, Film and the Broadway Stage\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eLike Vanessa\u003c\/i\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eOne Crazy Summer\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eP.S. Be Eleven\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e♦ This debut is a treasure: a gift to every middle school girl who ever felt unpretty, unloved, and trapped by her circumstances.-- \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003eSTARRED REVIEW \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e♦ 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.-- \u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003eSTARRED REVIEW \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e♦ \u003ci\u003eLike Vanessa\u003c\/i\u003e 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.-- \u003ci\u003eForeword Reviews \u003c\/i\u003eSTARRED REVIEW\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49735828668689,"sku":"NGR9781580898997","price":13.09,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50329388056849,"sku":"CIN1580898998VG","price":3.78,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50392683053329,"sku":"CIN1580898998G","price":3.28,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":51334655607057,"sku":"CIN1580898998A","price":3.08,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1580898998.jpg?v=1751181792","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/like-vanessa-book-tami-charles-9781580898997","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}