Jean and Johnny (Avon Camelot Books)
by Beverly Cleary
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Book Summary Information
Author: Beverly ClearyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1996-10-01
ISBN: 0380728052
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: HarperCollins
Book Reviews of Jean and Johnny (Avon Camelot Books)
Book Review: A throwback to a simpler time that bridges the gap between generations
Summary: 5 Stars
It's the first night of Christmas vacation when fifteen-year-old Jean Jarrett feels something wonderful brewing in the air. Sadly, she can't place her finger on it, all she can say is that she can feel that something nice will happen. And it does. Jean is simply accompanying her best friend, Elaine Mundy, and her mother to the local country club to drop off holiday decorations, when Jean is picked out of the crowd by a tall, handsome boy and asked to dance. And so kicks off a whirlwind adventure. While Jean does not get the boy's name, Elaine is determined to find him again, and seeks him out at school where he begins speaking to Jean on a regular basis, and making her feel special. Jean absolutely adores the attention that she's receiving, but she can't help but question it at times. After all, Johnny is a seventeen-year-old senior who is tall and handsome, and could easily have his pick of any girl at Northgate High, yet he seems genuinely interested in Jean. Short, ungraceful, glasses-wearing Jean, who can't sew a skirt together evenly, and spends her Friday and Saturday nights fantasizing about the slightly musically inept TV star, Kip Laddish, and writing to her pen pals across the world. However, as the school year progresses, Johnny seems to pay even more attention to Jean. He goes out of his way to meat her in the school hallways, calls on her to go to the drive-in for a Coke, invites her to hang out with him and his friends during lunch, and even attempts to come around to her house on the weekends to hang out with her and her folks. Jean can't help but believe that Johnny really does like her, but Jean's older sister, Sue, seems slightly skeptical. Jean is sure that Sue is simply jealous because no boys ever come calling for her. But, as Jean continues to learn more about Johnny, she begins to wonder if Sue isn't correct. Maybe Johnny doesn't feel as strongly towards her as she thought. But as long as he's spending time pursuing her, Jean feels inclined to savor each and every moment with Johnny.
With the amount of racy books on the market nowadays, it's a wonderful feeling to have the opportunity to go back to basics, and relive the nostalgia and innocence of a simpler time, when girls spent their afternoons sewing and baking, and going out to eat at a restaurant was a big deal that happened on very rare occasions. And that is what readers are treated to with Beverly Cleary's JEAN AND JOHNNY. Jean is such an adorable character, whose awkwardness is charming, and really brings her tale to life. The tight-knit relationship she experiences with her parents, and her older sister, Sue, is adorable, and is such a pleasure to read about in a sea of novels filled with teenagers who do nothing but bicker with their parents, and share rivalries with their siblings. The hard-time's that seem to plague Jean's family, while bittersweet, are also quite enjoyable to read about, as they illustrate the meaning of a penny, and the hardships that people fell upon during this particular era, when scrimping and saving was a way of life. Johnny is perfect as the cad-like big man on campus, whose ego is large, and love of himself is slightly laughable. Even as the hunk-esque character, however, Johnny is likable, in a slightly obnoxious way, who will appeal to readers of all ages. A throwback to a simpler time that bridges the gap between generations.
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer
Summary of Jean and Johnny (Avon Camelot Books)
Fifteen-year-old Jean is astonished when a handsome Johnny whirls her ?round the dance floor. She's never given much thought to boys before; now Johnny is all that's on her mind. Finally she finds the courage to invite him to a dance. But the excitement of a new dress and a scheme to take Johnny's photograph cannot stop jean's growing uneasiness that she likes Johnny a lot more than he likes her . . .
This high-school story, which is both funny and touching, is about a girl who lacks self-confidence, and a boy who has too much.School Books
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