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Thwonk
by
Joan Bauer
Imaging having your own personal cupid to make your dreams come true. But he can help you in only one way.
Paperback, 215 pages
Published
June 2nd 2005
by Speak
(first published January 1st 1995)
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Actually a 3.5. This is a funny book and I liked the message. A.J.(main character) really annoyed me at how much she obsessed over Peter. She reminded me more of those middle school girls who are sure their crush are their soul-mate. Even though I seriously doubt there are many people who have meet their soul mate by age 12 (sorry if I sound cynical). Oddly enough, the reason I actually kinda liked this book was because A.J. was so wrong about everything. A lot of times you see movies and read b...more
I actually wasn't expecting much from this book because I had seen so many bad reviews on it. One of the things I did see as irritating was that A.J. (the main character) can seem a bit too dramactic, but I loved the way the author depicted cupid.
The author also did an excellent job of desribing the the photos that A.J. would take (she's a photographer). If they really existed I suspect I would like them very much.
Now for a quick summary: A.J. is infatuated with Peter Terris (aka v...more
The author also did an excellent job of desribing the the photos that A.J. would take (she's a photographer). If they really existed I suspect I would like them very much.
Now for a quick summary: A.J. is infatuated with Peter Terris (aka v...more
In this cautionary tale, Allison Jean "AJ" McCreary learns to the importance of being careful what you wish for. When her parents go out of town, aspiring photographer AJ gets a surprise visit from her own personal cupid. Soon Allison learns that her cupid (Jonathan) can give her the one thing she has been wanting forever, her dream date to the King of Hearts dance. When Johnathan makes the most popular guy in school fall in love (or scary obsession) with AJ, she soon begins seeing thi...more
If you look on the back of this edition, Kirkus gives this book a nice blurb by saying that it "never grows predictable." After having finished this story, I come to the conclusion that they must have read a different book than me. Because the book that I read was extremely predictable from the get-go. Usually, I'm not that picky about predictable plotlines. As long as I feel some sort of emotional connection to the characters or story, I can stomach just about anything. Unfortunately,...more
In this cautionary tale, Allison Jean "AJ" McCreary learns to the importance of being careful what you wish for. When her parents go out of town, aspiring photographer AJ gets a surprise visit from her own personal cupid. Soon Allison learns that her cupid (Jonathan) can give her the one thing she has been wanting forever, her dream date to the King of Hearts dance. When Johnathan makes the most popular guy in school fall in love (or scary obsession) with AJ, she soon begins seeing thi...more
So, I liked it, it's definitely worth reading. I also love love it when a teenage heroine (or any heroine) doesn't need a man at the ending to make her something. Although I really like the overall premise, my problems are these:
-too much shrieking, shouting, and shrillness
-yet another one child family with self-involved parents (is it that hard to write a story about someone with a sibling?)
-jumpy narrative, I had to keep flipping pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything ...more
-too much shrieking, shouting, and shrillness
-yet another one child family with self-involved parents (is it that hard to write a story about someone with a sibling?)
-jumpy narrative, I had to keep flipping pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything ...more
This book is awesome! I read some time ago and read it again. It’s still so awesome! I loved how Joan Bauer described everything and how it felt like you could actually see the pictures that A.J. (Allison Jean McCreary) took. When I was reading the book, and it got to the part about what Jonathan (the cupid) could help her with, I just knew what it was going to be. Artistic? Maybe. Academic? Probably. Romantic? Of course!
No matter how studious a girl is, she would jump at the chance for ...more
No matter how studious a girl is, she would jump at the chance for ...more
Sweet. I'm liking Bauer more than the Cabot books, so I might have to modify my rating of those...or maybe not, but still, Bauer is pretty good. I learned all kinds of things. For example, I didn't know Cupids gave you a choice of three kinds of success, and we were just usually stupid enough to pick romance. See? teen love lit can change your world view.
Carrie
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Teen girls who want a light read, funny and romantic
Shelves:
young-adult-literature,
audio-book
Listening to this book on audio did not detract at all from the enjoyment of reading it. It was a fun story with a plot that was easy to follow, perfectly developed and perfectly resolved (which makes for a satisfying read). The romance was light and comedic, centered around the delightful absurdity of having your very own cupid to make cute boys fall in love with you. A.J. is an average high school girl, pretty but not very popular, the best photographer in the school, with allergies and an inc...more
A.J. McCreary, aspiring photographer, who has named her dog Steiglitz, has not been lucky in love. Now she has a huge crush on Peter Terris, handsome and popular, but unfortunately going out with Julia Hart. Then Jonathan - a tiny cupid, complete with bow and arrows falls into her life and offers her a choice of services. He can help her with her professional life as an artist, help her academically to improve her grades, or help her romantically. With the King of Hearts dance coming up in a few...more
This book was cute and the more I think about it the more I actually liked it. However, I am getting really bored of the shallow female protagonists that seem to flood YA literature. My friends and I liked cute boys in high school, but were never that dumb about it. The love story was by far my least favorite part, and I thought the story would have been funnier with an array of odd boys rather than one guy that wasn't that special to begin with.
That being said, I did enjoy her passion...more
That being said, I did enjoy her passion...more
This is probably my least favorite Joan Bauer book out of the four I've read. It was an ok book, and I would totally recommend it to any twitter-pated high school girl, but I had trouble getting into it. Also, I didn't feel it was amazingly well-written...it just wasn't my favorite. I did get into it towards the end of the book though, and it does have a good message for those who are caught up in superficial, romantic ideals/crushes who need to touch back down to earth.
Language: 0
...more
Language: 0
...more
THIS IS THE 2ND WORST BOOOK I HAVE EVER READ. NEVER READ IT! NEVER, NEVER EVER EVER!
Most of the standard pieces are here (strong female lead, problematic parent, supportive friend), but this is not your typical Joan Bauer story. A.J. is pining for the boy of her dreams, but she is invisible to him. In flies Jonathan, a living Cupid who can fulfill her wishes - but (of course) he cautions her to think first. Does she? No way!! And our story takes off. A cute take on an old story. Bauer does a nice job. I think Peeled might be better.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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A light, comic romance with a wise theme, if the girls this novel will appeal to will take the time to think about theme. Allison, a senior with talent in photography, but not in choosing guys, suddenly acquires the aid of a real, live cupid, who offers her the fulfillment of her fondest dream--the adoration of Peter Teris, popular hunk going with beautiful popular girl Julia. Moral of the story: be careful of what you want. You might get it. Alternate moral: adoration from a popular hunk ...more
I actually like this book which is silly on the surface and has a silly cover (we have two diff covers). Our library happens to have 4 copies and they circulate well. One thing I did like about this book is that stylistically Bauer didn’t use the staccato lists of points. I’m not explaining this well. I’d have to show it. I think this is a book that girls can really relate to. Wanting the hunk and then finding out that he’s not what you thought he was. It’s very funny and easy to relate t...more
Heidi
rated it
This is a light, humorous read that I very much enjoyed. With all the YA high school books out there, I'm wary of how "accurate" the authors choose to portray that life there that I had to endure once and would never repeat again no matter how much I grew from the experience. Bauer nailed certain aspects without being too uncomfortably detailed and still making you laugh about how pathetic teenagers and high school can be.
My second book to read by Bauer, and I loved it. Pe...more
My second book to read by Bauer, and I loved it. Pe...more
This was an enjoyable read but definitely not one of my favorites of Bauer's books. I loved A.J.'s passion for her photography and her relationship with her father, but I felt some of the other characters were a little too one-dimensional and not as fully developed as they could have been--especially Peter. It was a good storyline, but again, I don't think it was as fully developed as it might have been. It was a fun read, but this is probably my least favorite of Bauer's books that I've read so...more
This can be a just-for-fun book, but clever, and I'm excited for my seventeen year old daughter to read it so we can talk about it and laugh together at all the funny stuff. I must admit, I've already read a couple of parts aloud to her -- stuff that is stand-alone funny. I can also see us having great conversations, too, about what teen romantic relationships are like, and what would make up the true "dream guy." I agree with Bauer that we need to be careful what we ask for. ...more
he little cupid in this book was my favorite. this book was a really cute one, about a girl who didn't really fit in, and had a love for photography. one day while driving, and box flew in front of her car and she stopped to see what was inside it. it turned out to be a cupid doll that she kept to take a picture of. but at night time, the cupid doll came to life and told her that he will help her with photography, school, or her love life. i dont want to spoil it for you, but its a reallycute bo...more
While I thought the overall concept of this novel was cute, it didn't deliver overall. The characters felt one-dimensional, and not too long after finishing the book, I had forgotten them pretty much everything about them. Well, except for the things that annoyed me about them (like how shallow they were). The story line was fairly predictable, and I couldn't help but wait for something more exciting to happen. The most enjoyable thing about the novel for me was hearing about A.J.'s photography....more
Another Joan Bauer - and I liked it... High School "romance issues". This one deals with the importance of looking beneath the surface of human beings... So often we are attracted based on physical form... Joan has a beautiful way of presenting the "reality" of teenage angst. Loved the thought on page 54 "Confusion, when addressed, can bring forth clarity."
A.J. is a photographer - she shows her emotions through her art. Right now, her art mostly consists of picture of Peter Terris.
Pg. 4 "I have spent. . . A massive pain."
Well, yes, it can be. But A.J. figures that's all taken care of when she meet
Pg. 4 "I have spent. . . A massive pain."
Well, yes, it can be. But A.J. figures that's all taken care of when she meet
Good novel for young females, grades 7th-8th. Full of comedic relief. Story is about a young lady who finds herself obsessed with a guy and when given a chance to have him, takes it. However, she finds that not everything is as great as it seems on the surface.
Typical story about a girl who gets a wish and wishes for a popular guy to like her and then ends up regretting it. Oops, I gave away the ending. Oh, no I didn't, because it was obvious from the very beginning. I do like Bauer's writing style though.
3.5 This is the third book that I have read by Joan Bauer in the last couple of months and I just keep loving them. They are young adult books and this was probably my least favorite of the three I have read, but still enjoyable. Great for teenagers who need to learn what real love is. Fun and easy read.
books for 2009? 58.
I am writing a paper on YA love stories for a class which is why you will see some strange books popping up here. "Thwonk" was predictable and dramatic. It's only saving grace was that it had absolutely hilarious moments.
I am writing a paper on YA love stories for a class which is why you will see some strange books popping up here. "Thwonk" was predictable and dramatic. It's only saving grace was that it had absolutely hilarious moments.
I did like this book in the end... not in the beginning. I think there was a bit too much teenage drama for an old lady like me. However, I do suspect that as a teenager it wouldn't have seemed outrageous to me, and that many teenage girls can connect to it.
I totally forgot about this book until it popped up on Goodreads' book swap. I don't remember much about it except that I read it over and over. I wonder where that dog-eared copy ended up?
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| is this book good | 1 | 8 | Feb 07, 2010 07:49am |
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From: http://www.joanbauer.com/jbbio.html
July 12, 1951 - I was born at eleven A.M., a most reasonable time, my mother often said, and when the nurse put me in my mother's arms for the first time I had both a nasty case of the hiccups and no discernible forehead (it's since grown in). I've always believed in comic entrances.
As I grew up in River Forest, Illinois, in the 19...more
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July 12, 1951 - I was born at eleven A.M., a most reasonable time, my mother often said, and when the nurse put me in my mother's arms for the first time I had both a nasty case of the hiccups and no discernible forehead (it's since grown in). I've always believed in comic entrances.
As I grew up in River Forest, Illinois, in the 19...more
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“Guys don't understand great art. They don't care that sometimes the camera has power beyond the photographer to record emotion that only the heart can see. They're threatened when the camera jumps ahead of me. Todd Kovich was pissed when I brought my Nikon to the prom, but I'd missed too many transcendent shots over the years to ever take a chance of missing one again. A prom, I told him, had a boundless supply of photogenic bozos who could be counted on to do something base.”
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