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2nd out of 75 books
—
123 voters
Finally (Willow Falls #2)
by
Wendy Mass
A humorous look at what it means to FINALLY turn twelve years old.
You can pierce your ears when you're twelve. You can go to the mall with your friends when you're twelve. You can babysit little Timmy next door when you're twelve. You can get a cell phone when you're twelve. Hey, you can even ride in the front passenger-side seat when you're twelve.
When you're twelve, whe...more
You can pierce your ears when you're twelve. You can go to the mall with your friends when you're twelve. You can babysit little Timmy next door when you're twelve. You can get a cell phone when you're twelve. Hey, you can even ride in the front passenger-side seat when you're twelve.
When you're twelve, whe...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
March 1st 2010
by Scholastic Press
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I didn't expect to enjoy this book so much! Better than 11 Birthdays. It had me laughing with tears in my eyes - growing up was just like this. And what a great thread running behind the story, not forced or preachy but so wise.
There are a few wincing moments - Rory is always managing to injure herself and you really feel her pain - so it's not for a squeamish young reader. And while Rory has a beautiful simplicity and is courageously independent (at least by the end of the book) the behaviour...more
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Do you remember when your parents used to tell you "wait until you're 12" or "wait until you're 16"? You were, no doubt, just like Rory Swenson and created a list of things you would "someday" be able to do or have. FINALLY, that day has arrived for Rory.
Being 12 means being on the edge of her teen years. Rory can hardly sleep the night before. She's thinking of her list - getting a cell phone, getting her ears pierced, getting a pe...more
Do you remember when your parents used to tell you "wait until you're 12" or "wait until you're 16"? You were, no doubt, just like Rory Swenson and created a list of things you would "someday" be able to do or have. FINALLY, that day has arrived for Rory.
Being 12 means being on the edge of her teen years. Rory can hardly sleep the night before. She's thinking of her list - getting a cell phone, getting her ears pierced, getting a pe...more
Rory has been waiting years to turn 12. Every time her mother tells her she’s not old enough it’s followed by “when you’re 12" and then Rory adds it to her "12" list. Several of the things on the list include get a cell phone, go to the mall with friends and without parents, wear makeup and attend a boy-girl party.
When Rory’s twelfth birthday finally arrives, she anticipates everything she’ll finally be able to do. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned for Rory.
Fans of Wendy Mass’s book...more
When Rory’s twelfth birthday finally arrives, she anticipates everything she’ll finally be able to do. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned for Rory.
Fans of Wendy Mass’s book...more
4 likes · like · see review
I'm a fan of Wendy Mass, but unfortunately, her talents seem to have gone to waste here. The whole book was an uncomfortably heavy-handed lesson about how selfish teenagers can be and how they need to learn to appreciate life's core values. The main character, Rory, got reward after reward for her twelfth birthday, and every single one was ruined in the most contrived way possible. Never once is it stated why wanting these things is so bad. Sure, her wishes are materialistic, but some normal, ad...more
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im am reading this very goodddbut i dont feel like finishing
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I enjoyed this one more than Eleven Birthdays. At the beginning of the story, it did feel a bit preachy on the topic of not being in such a rush to grow up, but that kind of died down by the time Rory actually turned twelve. I loved the characters in this story. Mass has a talent for bringing the characters to life through her dialogue and the descriptions of their actions, and I had fun getting to know the important people in Rory's life. I thought it was interesting that there wasn't as much o...more
Finally By: Wendy Mass
Realistic Fiction
296 Pages
Have you ever asked your parents for something, and every time they say they will get it for you someday? Well meet Rory Swenson. Rory is like any typical sixth grader, she just wants to fit in so badly that she could pretty much do anything. Whenever she asks her parents for something, they always say, "Wait until you turn twelve." Over the years, Rory has put together a LARGE list of all the things that her parents said they will get her when sh...more
Realistic Fiction
296 Pages
Have you ever asked your parents for something, and every time they say they will get it for you someday? Well meet Rory Swenson. Rory is like any typical sixth grader, she just wants to fit in so badly that she could pretty much do anything. Whenever she asks her parents for something, they always say, "Wait until you turn twelve." Over the years, Rory has put together a LARGE list of all the things that her parents said they will get her when sh...more
Rory Swenson is a spirited 11 year old girl who loves friends. Rory has been waiting her whole life to turn 12 and she has a list to prove it. "When your twelve, when your twelve, when your twelve." Rory's parents say. Well, in in exactly 18 hours, 36 minutes, and 52 seconds, it will finally happen. She will officially turn twelve. Rory's list has many things she wants to accomplish when she turns 12. Getting ears pierced, wearing makeup, having your very first phone. A typical list for an 11 ye...more
Okay, I was really disappointed with this one. I liked "11 Birthdays" and loved "Every Soul a Star" so I expected to like this one too. Not so much. First of all, I didn't really think that the items on Rory's list were especially ambitious. I am an overprotective parent. Her parents were whack-jobs. Okay, whatever. They set their parameters and they stuck to them. I can accept that. However. You don't go from helicopter parent to totally cutting your kid loose overnight just because she turns 1...more
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Rory’s parents make her crazy. They have a lot of rules, especially compared to the parents of other kids. Everytime Rory has asked for something over the last several years her parents have answered, “maybe when you’re twelve.” Everytime Rory’s parents have said this she has written down the request and put it in a box under her bed. Today is the day. Rory is turning twelve. She gets the box out from under her bed and begins oganizing a list of requests for her parants.
Rory has some big things:...more
Rory has some big things:...more
inally by Wendy Mass is a well written story about an average pre-teen girl named Rory Swenson who is about to turn twelve. Everything is supposed to be great from this point on. She can finally have a cell phone, she can finally get a pet, she can finally do her homework without her parents checking it, and many more other privileges that most twelve year olds have. At the same time a movie is going to be shot at their school with the most popular celebrity ever. With the filming going on and R...more
Rory wants to be 12 like yesterday because her utterly-overprotective parents will FINALLY let her shave her legs, drink coffee, wear make-up, get a pet, go to boy-girl parties, and best of all, get her a cell phone. When the big day finally arrives, Rory makes a chart filled with all her deepest desires and proudly displays it in the living room. Tired of being blah and boring, Rory is set on standing out a little more. When news that teen heart-throb Jake Harrison will be filming a movie at Ro...more
Mass returns to Willow Falls, the setting of 11 Birthdays. This time it is Rory’s turn to have a birthday and she is finally turning twelve. Her entire life her parents have told her that she could do things when she turned twelve. She can have a pet, shave her legs, go to a girl/boy party, have a cell phone, get her ears pierced, and much more. But hours before her birthday, she finds herself stuck in a drainpipe and rescued by a little old lady who has surprising strength. That women tells her...more
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This is a story about a girl who if she ever wanted something like a phone or a pet or to get her ears pierced that her parents would always say when your twleve well FINALLY then day comes its her twleve birthday and she make list over the years of ever thing she wanted when she turned twleve and now its time were that list comes true. This story reminds me of me cause there are so many things that I want and i am twleve i want a cell phone too but my mom says when i graduatat 8th grade i think...more
My husband smiles as he hears the ruckus coming from my daughter’s room. She and I are lying on her bed, howling with laughter, tears running down our faces. And so it was every night as I read Finally by Wendy Mass to my 8 year-old daughter. Needless to say, we have become instant fans of this new to us author.
The story is about Rory Swenson who upon turning twelve has a wish list of things she is now allowed to do and has wanted to do for so long, such as getting a cell phone, drinking coffee,...more
The story is about Rory Swenson who upon turning twelve has a wish list of things she is now allowed to do and has wanted to do for so long, such as getting a cell phone, drinking coffee,...more
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PCB Review
In the novel Finally by Wendy Mass the main character Rory wants to finally be able to do many things, but because of her overprotective parents she can’t do a lot, so she convinces them into letting her do the things she wants, and while doing those things she has many troubles. The book had a few strengths and many weaknesses. Some strengths that the book had was the characters. The characters fit right into the book and each of them were very interesting. Rory is a shy, quiet and de...more
In the novel Finally by Wendy Mass the main character Rory wants to finally be able to do many things, but because of her overprotective parents she can’t do a lot, so she convinces them into letting her do the things she wants, and while doing those things she has many troubles. The book had a few strengths and many weaknesses. Some strengths that the book had was the characters. The characters fit right into the book and each of them were very interesting. Rory is a shy, quiet and de...more
I thought the book Finally was really good. I like how all the same characters from 11 Birthdays is in the Finally too. Finally is almost like a sequel to the first book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes real life and fantasy’s mixed in. I also liked the characters too. The book also had lots of details. I also love how when you read it’s like you’re watching a movie. And you can visualize as the main character. I also thought it was a bit funny like the weird kind of funny the ve...more
For the last few years, whenever Rory would ask for something like a cell phone, to go to a girl-boy party, or to get a pet, her parents' response would always be the same. When you're 12. Now that she's a few days from her birthday, Rory has a list of things she can finally do. Will being 12 be all she expects it to be?
This book is one of the many reasons I point my 4th and 5th grade library students to Wendy Mass's books when they don't know what to read. The character is realistic, the parent...more
This book is one of the many reasons I point my 4th and 5th grade library students to Wendy Mass's books when they don't know what to read. The character is realistic, the parent...more
Finally really is one of the more enjoyable books that I have read in some time. Author Wendy Mass just continues to improve as a writer, becoming noticeably better with each new novel she produces at fashioning stories of some depth that are also very entertaining, a combination that cannot be claimed by every book in publication. Her greatest strength, though, is still the wonderful, personable characters that she creates. More consistently than almost any other author, Wendy Mass invents cha...more
It may come as no surprise to most people, but I was an awkward pre-teen. I always believed that once I became a teen that gawkiness would magically disappear and I would become the belle of the ball. Unlike Cinderella that didn't happen, but it was my faith in milestones that kept me going. Wendy Mass's novel Finally is about reaching milestones, making wishes and believing in who you are -- even if you don't recognize yourself at that moment in time!
Rory Swenson is hours away from turning 12....more
Rory Swenson is hours away from turning 12....more
Ages 10-12. Rory has been waiting for a long time to turn 12. She's even kept track of all the promises her parents made for when she turned 12--like getting her ears pierced and getting a cell phone. But it seems like every time she gets her wish, it somehow gets messed up--who knew when she got her ears pierced, she would have an allergic reaction to gold? And nobody told her that shaving your legs was so hard--and so bloody! But through all these mishaps, some good things happen. Like a movie...more
JF Mas ages 8-up Grade 4-7
Rory Swenson just can't catch a break. She's been waiting for what seems like forever for her 12th birthday. According to her parents' rules, that is the magical age when she'll finally be able to partake in many formerly forbidden activities such as wearing contact lenses, getting a pet, owning a cell phone, piercing her ears, and staying home alone. Now that the day has finally come, she finds that growing up isn't as satisfying as she imagined. She's completely unpr...more
Rory Swenson just can't catch a break. She's been waiting for what seems like forever for her 12th birthday. According to her parents' rules, that is the magical age when she'll finally be able to partake in many formerly forbidden activities such as wearing contact lenses, getting a pet, owning a cell phone, piercing her ears, and staying home alone. Now that the day has finally come, she finds that growing up isn't as satisfying as she imagined. She's completely unpr...more
1st update: page 69. chapter 5. jan 20.
This book's reading level is far too easy for me and I should have chosen a more challenging book. I want the storyline to be more complex and less steriotypical. This book is not fit for my age group. It's very confusing at the same time.
2nd update: page 168. chapter 10. feb 1.
I'm getting very bored from this book and find myself having to re-read parts just so that I remember what happened. It's not a memorable book in my opinion and there isn't many inte...more
This book's reading level is far too easy for me and I should have chosen a more challenging book. I want the storyline to be more complex and less steriotypical. This book is not fit for my age group. It's very confusing at the same time.
2nd update: page 168. chapter 10. feb 1.
I'm getting very bored from this book and find myself having to re-read parts just so that I remember what happened. It's not a memorable book in my opinion and there isn't many inte...more
Though in my 30s, I could relate to Rory, the main character, in not always fitting in with the cool kids. Especially her ability, good or bad, to fade into the background. It was also fun to read of her waiting to be 12 to be able to do certain things like, have a cell phone, and babysit. As a mother, I find myself telling my 4-year-old, "not till you're 12". This must be a pretty set age for certain freedoms, though I don't remember the age mattering so much when I was a child as the maturity...more
i thought this book was a very good book its about a girl that just cant wait to turn 12 so she can do things that she wasn't able to do when she was 11 years old...... so when she turned twelve she did a whole lot she got a cell phone even though it was a very bad phone and to know more find the book and read it...i would reccomend this book to only girls because its about a girl growin gup and turning 12 and its also a girl book.
This trimester I read a book called 12 Finally by: Wendy Mass. This book is about a girl who’s parents are a bit over-protective. The girls name is Rory. Rory had been asking her parents for things since she had learned to talk and they always said “when your twelve”. Now Rory is finally turning twelve and she pulls out her list of things her parents told her she could do when she was twelve. This book takes place in Willow Falls, its actually pretty close to Chicago. The characters int he boo...more
Rory Swenson has been waiting forever to turn twelve. It feels like that's the year she'll finally be able to do everything she's been waiting for. Buying a cell phone...getting her ears pierced...going to a boy-girl party. She's about to have everything she's ever wanted.
Except that everything she's ever wanted manages to go horribly, horribly wrong in the funniest ways possible. FINALLY had me laughing out loud over and over again. It's written in that fantastic, trademark Mass voice -- the on...more
Except that everything she's ever wanted manages to go horribly, horribly wrong in the funniest ways possible. FINALLY had me laughing out loud over and over again. It's written in that fantastic, trademark Mass voice -- the on...more
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Finally
By Wendy Mass
Realistic Fiction
304 Pages
Date Finished: 2/20/13
Rory Swenson has been waiting almost all her life to turn twelve and to do the things that everyone else in her grade can already do. Having over protective parents, all Rory ever heard when she asked for something like a cell phone or a pet was when she turned twelve. Making a list of all the things she can do and waiting patiently all her life, Rory Swenson eventually makes it to her twelfth birthday. However after meeting a s...more
By Wendy Mass
Realistic Fiction
304 Pages
Date Finished: 2/20/13
Rory Swenson has been waiting almost all her life to turn twelve and to do the things that everyone else in her grade can already do. Having over protective parents, all Rory ever heard when she asked for something like a cell phone or a pet was when she turned twelve. Making a list of all the things she can do and waiting patiently all her life, Rory Swenson eventually makes it to her twelfth birthday. However after meeting a s...more
Maybe it's sad to admit, but I couldn't get through this book. It bored me to tears. The pacing was too slow, I mean come on Wendy-- ten whole pages stuck in a drainage pipe?! Ten pages! Who has the patience for this?
And maybe it's because things were different when I turned 12, or because I'm not 12 now . . . I don't know. But I just couldn't feel sorry for this girl and how her life hadn't "begun" when she had a nice family who cared for her, a cute little brother, a couple of friends who were...more
And maybe it's because things were different when I turned 12, or because I'm not 12 now . . . I don't know. But I just couldn't feel sorry for this girl and how her life hadn't "begun" when she had a nice family who cared for her, a cute little brother, a couple of friends who were...more
2 likes · like · see review
Rory has been waiting forever to turn twelve. It feels like she'll be able to do everything she's been waiting for. Buying a cell phone, shaving her legs, wearing makeup. She's about to have everything she's ever wanted. She even has a chart of things she wants when she is twelve. Except her list happens to go horribly wrong and nothing goes as planned. I think the author gave this book good detail. It was good enough that I could create images in my mind of the story while I was reading it. I t...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did you like the book Finally by Wendy Mass? | 14 | 38 | May 21, 2013 05:25pm | |
| Finally V.S. 11 Birthdays | 79 | 79 | Mar 25, 2013 07:02am |
Wendy Mass is the author of six novels for young people, including A Mango-Shaped Space (which was awarded the Schneider Family Book Award by the American Library Association), Leap Day, the Twice Upon a Time fairy tale series, and Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, which earned a starred review in Publishers Weekly magazine. Her most recent book is Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall. Wendy wrote...more
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“I blend in the backgroud. when I arive for lunch my friends are surprised i'm not already there.”
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16 people liked it
“if they make me watch that movie one more time, I will fall down on my knees and beg for mercy”
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15 people liked it
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