![]() The highlight of this book is Anastasia’s struggle to contain her gerbils, which begin as a pair and quickly grow to a family of eleven. It’s so refreshing to see a fictional character whose relationship with her mother is that honest, and whose conversations with her parents are so frank. ![]() ![]() I laughed out loud when she confessed to her mother that she hated her and then asked for a cure. ![]() I particularly love that Anastasia is so articulate and self-aware. Though Anastasia ages from book to book, she always remains uniquely herself, and I am impressed by how well Lowry must know her character in order to write so effectively about the changes she undergoes from year to year. It focuses on Anastasia’s day-to-day interactions with her academic parents, precocious little brother and various classmates, putting a humorous spin on everything from homework to early teen angst. This book, like the others in the series so far, is essentially a literary family sit-com. ![]() She buys a bust of Sigmund Freud in whom she confides all of her problems big and small, and whose assistance seems helpful despite his silence. Her parents recognize her dramatics as part and parcel of puberty, and they refuse to pay for any counseling, so Anastasia takes matters into her own hands. Anastasia is now thirteen years old, and between her annoying family and the unpredictability of the gerbils she brought home for her science project, she really feels like she could benefit from some time in therapy. ![]()
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