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130th out of 204 books
—
590 voters
The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door
by
Karen Finneyfrock (Goodreads Author)
That’s the day the trouble started.
The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.
Celia Door enters her freshman year of high school with giant boots, dark eyeliner, and a thirst for revenge against Sandy Firestone, the girl who did something unspeakable to Celia last year.
But then Celia meets Drake, the cool...more
The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.
Celia Door enters her freshman year of high school with giant boots, dark eyeliner, and a thirst for revenge against Sandy Firestone, the girl who did something unspeakable to Celia last year.
But then Celia meets Drake, the cool...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
February 21st 2013
by Viking Children's
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From my interview with Karen this February:
Kristianne: Writing, in the case of this book, actually saves Celia’s life. From your experience working with youth writers and writing this book and maybe your own experience as a youth writer, how important do you think writing is for youth?
Karen: There is no question in my mind that writing, or other types of creative outlets, save people’s lives and specifically with youth. I don’t want to hijack any of the stories belonging to the youth that I know...more
Kristianne: Writing, in the case of this book, actually saves Celia’s life. From your experience working with youth writers and writing this book and maybe your own experience as a youth writer, how important do you think writing is for youth?
Karen: There is no question in my mind that writing, or other types of creative outlets, save people’s lives and specifically with youth. I don’t want to hijack any of the stories belonging to the youth that I know...more
I soooo loved this book. Maybe it's because I was a young poetry geek like Celia, or that I, too, tried to read my way through sections of the library (the young readers' biography section of my county library when I was about 9 or 10). I thankfully didn't have her painful unpopularity issues, but by the age she is at the beginning of this book, 14, I was also the proud possessor of an "I could care less whether you like me or not" attitude. It sometimes takes people a little longer to grow that...more
I loved this. Why are my friends not talking about this book?? GET ON THIS TRAIN, PEOPLE. Look at that kickass cover! The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door is a YA version of Wonder, in that it's a humane and funny and thoughtful but not didactic look at the culture of bullying (and bonus: a coming-out story!). The portrayal of Mean Girls is just quease-inducingly dead on, and Celia is a likeable, funny heroine who will remind a lot of former girls like me of the girls like us we used to be. At first...more
High school freshman Celia Door is Dark. She’s been Dark since middle school, when an incident instigated by mean girls Sandy and Mandy occurred. Celia guards herself with dark clothes, poetry, and a standoffish demeanor. But the thing is, she does care about how she’s treated. Sandy and Mandy continue to abuse her, and she wants revenge.
She plots and plots, but her plans for revenge don’t take off the way she wants them to. There’s a new boy at school, Drake, who’s absolutely cool and intereste...more
She plots and plots, but her plans for revenge don’t take off the way she wants them to. There’s a new boy at school, Drake, who’s absolutely cool and intereste...more
Not sure what I expected before reading this but got so much more than that. I loved reading this, I felt like it gave me a little more insight on my own daughters life as she is about to head into high school. I loved the whole lets all go against bully approach Karen brought to the table, even if it took a moment to get there. I loved characters and how they all connected well. The only complaint I would have would be Derek and Celia seemed to be a bit immature but at the same time trying to s...more
I don't know what to say about this book except: AWESOME!!! Celia is so my girl! She's Dark because she's trying to protect herself from pain. Her parents have recently undergone a "trial separation", her former best friend was pulled out of school and off the map, and there was an incident in middle school which made her question everything. Because of all these things she's learned to write poetry and really it's been the thing to save her... until Drake. Drake coming to Hershey, PA was the be...more
Wow, my favorite ARC so far from ALA midwinter. I loved this book and finished it in like a day? A must-read! It's a YA, a lower YA--I would love my almost 13 yo girl to read it. Celia's voice is perfect!
There are spoilers, so don't read anymore if you don't want to know.
To me this is a story of pure friendship and the up and down of it as you try to 'help' your friends with their schemes and plans.
Celia is a wannabe famous-poet. (the poems show so much of her character throughout the story--wha...more
There are spoilers, so don't read anymore if you don't want to know.
To me this is a story of pure friendship and the up and down of it as you try to 'help' your friends with their schemes and plans.
Celia is a wannabe famous-poet. (the poems show so much of her character throughout the story--wha...more
I really enjoyed this book for the most part but can't rate it higher due to two problems I had with it.
1: There are substantial inconsistent sections and they're detrimental to the novel as a whole. At times I felt Celia's voice was irritating and immature, although most of the time she was very likable. It is not good when your protagonist is usually a great character but sometimes is a stereotype.
2: I am just going to beg all authors who write about teens reading literature to either stop doi...more
1: There are substantial inconsistent sections and they're detrimental to the novel as a whole. At times I felt Celia's voice was irritating and immature, although most of the time she was very likable. It is not good when your protagonist is usually a great character but sometimes is a stereotype.
2: I am just going to beg all authors who write about teens reading literature to either stop doi...more
Lets start with the title and the cover. As soon as I saw this book I was intrigued, so when I was asked to review it for a tour I jumped at the chance. And then to read the tease in Celia's own words....
That’s the day the trouble started.
The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.
Celia Door marches into school on the first day of her freshman year in her knee high combat boots and black hoodie and promptly places her handmade...more
That’s the day the trouble started.
The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.
Celia Door marches into school on the first day of her freshman year in her knee high combat boots and black hoodie and promptly places her handmade...more
I want to thank the author, Karen Finneyfrock, and publisher, Penguin, for sending me a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in now way influenced my opinion or review.
Blurb from Goodreads:
That’s the day the trouble started.
The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.
Celia Door enters her freshman year of high school with giant boots, dark eyeliner, and a thirst for revenge against...more
Blurb from Goodreads:
That’s the day the trouble started.
The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.
Celia Door enters her freshman year of high school with giant boots, dark eyeliner, and a thirst for revenge against...more
This book is about a girl named Celia the Dark. She has been dark since her fourteenth birthday. She is an outcast at school who is being bully. She seeks revenge against the main girl who makes her life miserable. While seeking revenge she befriends a cute guy named Drake. Together they work on realizing their dream. Celia goes through a lot of changes in a few short months. She will learns to trust herself, her friend and her parents.
This was not the best written book I've ever read. There wa...more
This was not the best written book I've ever read. There wa...more
Sweet revenge
Would mean
Everything to Celia. An opportunity to
Even the score and show
The world (or at least the mean girls).
Reinvention (new look and new moniker).
Enter Celia the Dark, a new
Version, hiding behind a hoodie and chunky boots.
Emptying her feelings into a poetry
Notebook. 9th
Grade should be a new start.
Evidently not. Until
Cool Drake, from New York,
Enters Celia’s world, a
Light in her darkness.
Instantly, he entrusts her with a secret. When the mean girls strike
Again, Celia must mak...more
Would mean
Everything to Celia. An opportunity to
Even the score and show
The world (or at least the mean girls).
Reinvention (new look and new moniker).
Enter Celia the Dark, a new
Version, hiding behind a hoodie and chunky boots.
Emptying her feelings into a poetry
Notebook. 9th
Grade should be a new start.
Evidently not. Until
Cool Drake, from New York,
Enters Celia’s world, a
Light in her darkness.
Instantly, he entrusts her with a secret. When the mean girls strike
Again, Celia must mak...more
The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door by Karen Finneyfrock, was about a young teenage girl who was a freshmen at Hershey High, she had no friends and was often bullied by her classmates and other students,they called her a freak and they called her weird because of the way she dressed. Celia was very smart and she really enjoyed and loved writing poetry,that was her best talent that she had. Celia had been bullied too much by two girls named Sandy and Amanda. Celia met a guy named Drake which turned o...more
I can understand why Celia Door has received so many positive ratings, and praises from the likes of Sherman Alexie and Ruth Sepetys. The narrative bravely faces the cringe-inducing awkward and the seemingly insurmountable troubles of being 14. And it's done very well. For me, it was too well: I fully acknowledge Finneyfrock's skill in crafting such a spot-on fourteen year-old, full of flawed, overly emotional logic, angsty poetry, and everything else that is awful about being an early teen. But...more
I really liked this one. Yes the story has been done; loner, outsider girl starting highschool convinced that nobody will like her. The difference here is that Finneyfrock (what a name, btw) really delivers what's described. Celia the Dark really doesn't have any friends and she is truly on her own in dealing with the mean girls. I believed the bullying and her reaction to it. And I also loved the fact that the cute boy who befriends her doesn't become her boyfriend. Since Celia is only 14 it wo...more
Feb 24, 2013
Angela
marked it as abandoned-dnf
When I received this ARC, I was extremely excited to begin reading it because I was familiar with and impressed by the author's spoken word/slam poetry work. That, coupled with a ringing endorsement from Sherman Alexie on the cover, made this seem like it would be a real treat for me.
Unfortunately, this novel didn't grab me like I had hoped, and I stopped reading a little before the half-way mark. Though I liked the opening and found some humor in the writing, it felt forced at times and the na...more
The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door is a delightful, bittersweet read. Although I'm not in intended age-range of YA books, I was engrossed in the story of Celia and her friend Drake. I'm eager to hear from young readers how they experienced the book, but for me it was a great story. I enjoyed that the character writes poetry, and that the book covers some very heavy topics delicately and with grace. The characters grouped around the main antagonist Sandy called up many icky memories of junior high,...more
Simple and Sweet. This is what the book is. Nothing more and nothing less. A story that captures you with its simplicity and doesn't loosen its grip till the very end.
Celia is a aspiring poet who has not only poetry on her mind but revenge. I felt the revenge that Celia wanted to enact on the popular girls. I would probably want to do the same. Celia is a character that I think teens can relate too. How hard it must be for you when your parents divorce and you are continuously bullied. Although...more
Celia is a aspiring poet who has not only poetry on her mind but revenge. I felt the revenge that Celia wanted to enact on the popular girls. I would probably want to do the same. Celia is a character that I think teens can relate too. How hard it must be for you when your parents divorce and you are continuously bullied. Although...more
A great read for anyone who likes to root for the underdog. Celia has had everything bad that can happen to a freshman happen to her. Her best friend was ripped away from her in 8th grade. Her parents separated two weeks later, then the "book incident" happened soon after that.
Over the summer, Celia decided to be Dark. This meant showing the world that she didn't care about anything. And then she met Drake.
This is one of the best books about mean girls and the devastation they cause that I've...more
Over the summer, Celia decided to be Dark. This meant showing the world that she didn't care about anything. And then she met Drake.
This is one of the best books about mean girls and the devastation they cause that I've...more
This book is amazing. It highlights many problems and situations that many tide to go through and it helps put a positive spin on how to handle those situations.
Celia is spunky and fun! When all she wants is revenge, she finds friendship and an outlet through poetry. Everything about this book is great. Celia is fun, and it takes us through her freshman year and her planning of revenge. But what if revenge isn't all it's cracked up to be, add in Drake from NYC and she has a new friend she doesn'...more
Celia is spunky and fun! When all she wants is revenge, she finds friendship and an outlet through poetry. Everything about this book is great. Celia is fun, and it takes us through her freshman year and her planning of revenge. But what if revenge isn't all it's cracked up to be, add in Drake from NYC and she has a new friend she doesn'...more
It has been a long time since I've read a YA novel where the character was just starting high school, and I have to admit. I've forgotten how fantastic stories like that can be when they're done well. "The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door" was most definitely done well.
Much like "Speak," the protagonist makes reference to a traumatic event the year before, and I was really impressed with the way the reader was given just enough information to stay interested until the big reveal. Part of this was du...more
Much like "Speak," the protagonist makes reference to a traumatic event the year before, and I was really impressed with the way the reader was given just enough information to stay interested until the big reveal. Part of this was du...more
3.5 Stars
Anyone who reads YA on a regular basis has come across a myriad of books that confront the issue of bullying. When I first picked up this galley, I didn't know that Celia Door's story fell into that category. While it does confront that issue, it ended up being about much more. Celia was immediately endeared to me with her determination to form a protective outer shell that consisted of a bad attitude and lots of goth make-up. Her obsession with revenge on the girl who made her school l...more
Anyone who reads YA on a regular basis has come across a myriad of books that confront the issue of bullying. When I first picked up this galley, I didn't know that Celia Door's story fell into that category. While it does confront that issue, it ended up being about much more. Celia was immediately endeared to me with her determination to form a protective outer shell that consisted of a bad attitude and lots of goth make-up. Her obsession with revenge on the girl who made her school l...more
You can also find this review on my blog, Into the Mystic.
Initial Reaction
Oh wow…..I did not see any of that coming! I thought this would be a cute, fluffy read, not a book full of substance and issues.
Cover story
I like the title and cover of this book. Although, I think that the title gives the impression that this book is not as substantial as it really is. I like the cover because it actually goes with the story.
What’s the Story?
Celia is starting her freshman year in high school and she hangs...more
Initial Reaction
Oh wow…..I did not see any of that coming! I thought this would be a cute, fluffy read, not a book full of substance and issues.
Cover story
I like the title and cover of this book. Although, I think that the title gives the impression that this book is not as substantial as it really is. I like the cover because it actually goes with the story.
What’s the Story?
Celia is starting her freshman year in high school and she hangs...more
Recommended by one of the teachers at my school
Celia is an outcast at school. A horrible event happened during her 8th grade year that she would like to put in the past. She takes the beginning of high school as an opportunity to re-invent herself as Celia the Dark. She wears lots of black clothing and combat boots. She writes poetry. She sits alone and eats alone. When a handsome new boy (Drake) shows interest in her, however, the popular girls get even meaner. When Drake comes out to Celia, th...more
Celia is an outcast at school. A horrible event happened during her 8th grade year that she would like to put in the past. She takes the beginning of high school as an opportunity to re-invent herself as Celia the Dark. She wears lots of black clothing and combat boots. She writes poetry. She sits alone and eats alone. When a handsome new boy (Drake) shows interest in her, however, the popular girls get even meaner. When Drake comes out to Celia, th...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Celia Door is your average high school loner. After a bad series of events during her last year in middle school, she vows revenge on the persons responsible. At home life is even more complicated, caught between a nearly absent mother and father who are undergoing a "trial" separation, things suddenly look up for her with the arrival of Drake. Drake, a recent transfer from NYC and fellow artsy geek, is trying to figure out how to get his best friend to agree to be his boyfriend. A wild few week...more
I picked this up at ALA as an ARC. I am not usually a fan of the mean girls genre (and thanks, yes, I am over my high school trauma. A lot. Mostly.) but there was enough other stuff going on in this one that I liked it despite the mean girls. Celia struck me as very familiar, reading everything she could get her hands on, writing abysmal poetry, getting things wrong and then making them worse while trying to make them better. Very believable, in other words.
The story arc was satisfying and I li...more
The story arc was satisfying and I li...more
loved the fact that celia came off at times like a spunky teen and at other times very vulnerable. so often all of these different things exist together.
i also liked that her mom was thinking celia was reacting to things at home, when in reality there were many other things going on with celia (both at school and within herself). i think this is often the case. meanwhile, the teachers seemed not to know what was going on with celia either at home or at school. i think this rings true especially...more
i also liked that her mom was thinking celia was reacting to things at home, when in reality there were many other things going on with celia (both at school and within herself). i think this is often the case. meanwhile, the teachers seemed not to know what was going on with celia either at home or at school. i think this rings true especially...more
Nicely done, Aren Finneyfrock. I LOVE the naturalness of this book: dialogue, events, ordinariness, LGBTQ issues, bullying, text messages, poetry, libraries--all well crafted.
The thinking of writers, characters, books, poetry, English, etc. made this book very special. Guys having their own genre was wonderful!
The mall scene on pages 152-153 made me stand up and cheer! Thank you for including it. I enjoyed that a spunky 14 year-old girl delivered this lesson.
I will be buying this one for my clas...more
The thinking of writers, characters, books, poetry, English, etc. made this book very special. Guys having their own genre was wonderful!
The mall scene on pages 152-153 made me stand up and cheer! Thank you for including it. I enjoyed that a spunky 14 year-old girl delivered this lesson.
I will be buying this one for my clas...more
I read this so quickly, I didn't have time to update GoodReads. It's a tragic, sometimes hokey, reminder of the trials of youth. The hokiness was due to the cliche that every goth believes herself deep and wears a hoodie and her fav subject is english and writes poetry. However, that aside, this was a good/great book and I enjoyed the read. The characters are well developed and interesting. The storyline is pretty original. However, the shoes on the front are hi-top converse and not boots. *wink...more
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Mar 14, 2013 07:42pm