Carmen Dives In

(Star Sisterz 2)
by
Linda Johns

Mirror Stone, April 2005, 135 pp.
ISBN: 0-7869-3714-9

Genre: Young Reader
Subgenre: Girl Empowerment
Reviewed: 3/23/2005

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Read Part of the Book

Middletown High -- Freshman Year

"Hey, Carm, how come you didn't try out for swim team?" Rachel asked. We were walking up to the third floor to our lockers.

I probably should have told her right then about my diving problem, but I don't know, I just couldn't. I was too embarrassed. So, I came up with something even better. "Remember, I don't like organized sports anymore . . .

". . . only disorganized sports," Rachel and Brooklyn finished for me.

"Something like that," I said. "Besides, I have my hair to think about." I did my best Mall-O-Rama Girl voice.

"Right."

"No, really," I said. "Chlorine wrecks havoc on curly hair. It's like my hair is a sponge, and it just absorbs all the chemicals and then turns into a frizz-muffin."

"But you swim almost every day," Brooklyn said. As my best friend, Brooklyn knew almost everything. For instance, she knows that I'm kind of vain about my hair. I have great hair. Shoulder length, kind of dark golden, super shiny, with this natural wave in it. Before I cut it in seventh grade, Brooklyn used to tell me I had goddess hair.

"And I'm a total slave to my hair because of swimming," I said. "I have to wet it and put this special conditioner on it before I put on my swim cap. And then I have to use a deep conditioner after I swim. It's a big deal. And I don't want to have to do it every morning before school. Especially not at 6 a.m."

"I don't want to do anything at 6 a.m.," Rachel said.

"Especially not get into an icy cold pool," Brooklyn added.

"Especially with the boys swim team at the same time," I added.

"It's not that cold," Brooklyn said. "Sometimes you just have to dive in."

The bell rang. Five minutes warning. We had 300 seconds to get to first period.

Review

Carmen Bernstein is a freshman at Middletown High School. He father has recently remarried and now she as a new step-sister, Riley, who is a cheerleader, and step-brother, Sam, who is into skateboarding and is her age. One day, while looking at her dad's P-Com, the following message appears: Make up a cheer using the words dive, goat, and processed cheese. Thinking someone is fooling with her, she has no clue what it means. Carmen spends time swimming every day after school with her mom and is a very strong swimmer, but does not know how to dive. She is also the "Mobile Blogger" and has a web log that discusses the life of an American teenage girl where she discussed things that bother her. No one knows who the Mobile Blogger is, and that is the way Carmen likes it. Riley becomes frustrated when some of the other cheerleaders want to make her try out, even thought she was already offered a place on the squad based upon what her old high school had said about her. Carmen wants to join the swim team, but is afraid to tell anyone that she does not know ho to dive, which is a required skill to be on the swim team. Carmen is also a reported for the school newspaper and gets stuck reporting on the new cheerleader squad. The last thing she wants to do is spend time with her new step-sister.

Carmen Dives In is the second book of the new Star Sisterz series and is written by Linda Johns. Star Sisterz books are a comical and fun line of novels just for girls. These books are written specifically for girls ages 8 to 12. These books fit between Chapter Books and Young Adult Books. The star of each book receives a mysterious message and wins a charm as they grow in confidence. The novels emphasize friendship, fun and empowerment as the main character experiences real-life problems and solves them with their friends' aid and advice. These books are tied to a new Star Sisterz collectible charm game.

Carmen Dives In by Linda Jones deals with a young teenage struggling with keeping a secret. Carmen is too embarrassed to ask for help in learning how to dive and is struggling with her new step-family. She finds that she doesn't really want to have anything to do with them, only because she really hasn't taken the time to get to know them. Carmen also feels strained by her changing world and wonders where it is heading. Linda Johns does terrific job in writing about a highly-likable young teenage American girl. I liked the fact that this story deals with a divorced family, as that seems to be the way things go these days. Kids become confused and angry when things like this happen. I like the way Linda Johns dealt with the situation and how Carmen grows to like her new family, once she spends a little time with them. Overall, Carmen Dives In is another great book in the Stat Sisterz series for young girls and I look forward to reading the next book, Bright Lights for Bella by Lana Perez.

I rated this book an 9 out of 10.