I wasn't expecting to cry as much as I did over this book.

Vikki VanSickle has perfectly captured what it means to be a preteen girl. From the agony of puberty (surpassed only by the agony of having to DISCUSS puberty with adults), to the prevalence of bullying, to parental illness, to teacher trouble... Words That Start with B is a funny and often heartbreaking book, with a pitch-perfect depiction of grade seven.

I so much appreciate Benji's character and the discussions surrounding homophobic bullying. This is something that I've found gets skipped over a lot in kidlit. Some kids are gay -- and they're gay in middle school. And some of them face horrific treatment from their peers -- and that happens in middle school, too. I think that Vikki VanSickle has done an excellent job in her portrayal of Benji, and I hope that these books can be like a message of solidarity to LGBT readers.

And finally, my favourite part of the book was Clarissa's narration itself. She's opinionated, and her narration is blunt and honest. She views everything as a huge deal (which I absolutely did when I was that age. Heck, I probably still do). She has funny little interjections and descriptions that I adore. And I cannot wait to get my hands on book two in the series! ( )

Of all three Clarissa Louise Delaney novels, Words that Start with B is the one that cements Clarissa as one of the best narrators on my MG shelves. She is thoughtful and thought provoking, a typical seventh-grader, though with a clear foot in the door of adulthood. Clarissa has to tackle some monumental problems in this novel—from having a long-awaited dream dashed on the first day of school, to defending her best friend from bullies, to that B word that looms over Clarissa’s head for most of the year. But she overcomes her obstacles … not with the grace and aplomb that some other characters do, but with bumps, bruises, setbacks, and tears—all of which make her so real and admirable a character. You can’t help but feel every bit of emotion that Clarissa feels, which means you’ll have no trouble rooting for her as the climax of the novel approaches. She handles Terry, the school bully, with a finesse that’s all her own, and the fact that she doesn’t think to do anything less to avenge Terry’s victims makes me just a little jealous of Clarissa. I don’t know if I would have the courage to do what she does, though I’d like to think that I’d defend my friends with the same ferocity.

There is one scene, in particular, that I really enjoyed, which doesn’t have anything to do with Clarissa and the bully at all. It’s a moment when Clarissa’s teacher, Mr. Campbell, talks to her after school because of some less-than-admirable behaviour. Rather than telling her mom about what she did, Mr. Campbell does two things: He tries to understand the real reason for Clarissa’s actions, possibly even enlightening Clarissa in the process, and he judges her behaviour in context of her entire character, doling out his punishment accordingly. Too often, teachers punish students without giving much thought to the circumstances around their dishonourable behaviour, but it was great that VanSickle highlights an alternative to that ubiquitous and ominous phone call home through Mr. Campbell’s reaction. Sometimes, the self-induced embarrassment of knowing that your teacher has forgiven you for that really senseless thing you did out of anger is more than enough to prevent future delinquencies. This scene really stuck with me, and I’m so thankful to VanSickle for having written it.

For those of you who haven’t read Words that Start with B, I highly recommend it. You’ll fall in love with Clarissa as much as our class did, and you’ll wish you had a friend just like her.

The original version of this review can be found at http://squinklebooks.wordpress.com. ( )

An excellent choice for young and old a like. Well thought of characters. Plot is developed well. Pace of books is excellent. ( )