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Rebel McKenzie
Rebel McKenzie wants to spend her summer attending the Ice Age Kids' Dig and Safari, a camp where kids discover prehistoric bones, right alongside real paleontologists.
But digs cost money, and Rebel is broker than four o'clock. When she finds out her annoying neighbor Bambi Lovering won five hundred dollars by playing a ukulele behind her head in a beauty contest, Rebel decides to win the Frog Level Volunteer Fire Department's beauty pageant. Rebel may not be a typical pageant contestant, but how hard can it be? Rebel's dramatic reading about life is the Pleistocene era is sure to blow away the competition.
It turns out that winning a beauty pageant is harder than it looks. By the end of the summer, Rebel has learned a thing or two about her true calling that will surprise everyone--most of all, herself.
But digs cost money, and Rebel is broker than four o'clock. When she finds out her annoying neighbor Bambi Lovering won five hundred dollars by playing a ukulele behind her head in a beauty contest, Rebel decides to win the Frog Level Volunteer Fire Department's beauty pageant. Rebel may not be a typical pageant contestant, but how hard can it be? Rebel's dramatic reading about life is the Pleistocene era is sure to blow away the competition.
It turns out that winning a beauty pageant is harder than it looks. By the end of the summer, Rebel has learned a thing or two about her true calling that will surprise everyone--most of all, herself.
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
June 26, 2012
3.5 Stars
Originally reviewed here.
Rebel McKenzie is (practically) a paleontologist (the Ice Age kind, not the dinosaur kind). Her biggest dream is to attend a dig camp this summer where she will have the opportunity to hone her skills, but alas, the family fridge broke down and funds were unavailable. No problem, she decides she’ll just runaway from home to attend. Unfortunately for Rebel, she doesn’t make it very far…just far enough to destroy her feet, lose a bet to a convict, be grounded till she’s 50, and land herself a no-pay live-in babysitting gig for her seven year old nephew in her sister’s new (used) trailer. A definite kink in the works, but Rebel knows she’ll be able to go to the later session of the dig if she can come up with the money to pay for it herself, and she has the perfect plan–she just has to win the local beauty pageant.
Give any character a love of blueberry Slurpees and Necco wafers, and you’ve more or less guaranteed them a place in my heart. Throw in a perchance for non-fiction, a love of digging up dead things, and the most ridiculous cat to ever grace the pages of contemporary fiction, and you have yourself one sealed deal.
Rebel McKenzie is one of the most real 12 year olds I’ve read about in some time. She’s oblivious to her faults, more than willing to point out other’s, selfish, and a bit short sighted. That said, she’s also good at noticing stuff, has super hearing, is confident, ambitious, and determined to get what she wants from life. She’s stuck living with her big sister for the summer, taking care of Rudy while her sister attends beauty school. There, Rebel recruits the bullying neighbor Lacey Jane to compete in the pageant with her, more than happy to use her as a fake and convenient friend to get her through.
The relationships in Rebel McKenzie were so reflective of many kids’ realities that I couldn’t help but enjoy them. Rebel and her sister fight like sisters and have real issues, but still obviously love one another very much. To me, Rebel’s family life was so ‘normal’, it’s actually kind of odd to encounter in a book. Normal other than Doublewide, that is. The Wonder Cat who rings the doorbell, pees in the toilet, has a favorite T.V. program, and eats pudding. Rebel uses and abuses those around her, but strangely enough, I still liked her. I loved that she was a girl so into non-fiction she determined the best ‘talent’ she possessed was a dramatic recounting of the affect of tar pits on animal populations. I loved that she was so steadfast on a bargain, that she’s determined to make good on a $20 bet to Skeeter, an inmate who turned her in to the authorities as she tried to run away to attend paleontology camp. Most of all I think I loved that she was far from perfect, but she wasn’t a wreck either–just your regular 12 year old kid.
While Rebel McKenzie does slap you a bit with the ‘big message’ at the end of the story, it’s not too overly saturated, and I feel it’d be easy for a lot of young readers to consume Rebel’s story without ever noticing her youthful hypocrisies, such would they relate to her. She thinks of Lacey Jane as a bully towards her nephew, but when Lacey Jane’s snark is aimed at someone Rebel doesn’t like she finds her hilarious. She uses Lacey Jane as a friend knowing what it’s like to be used, without ever realizing that maybe she in fact has something real with this other girl. She finds others who talk about themselves incredibly boring, but she herself is the height of entertainment because her interests are astoundingly cool, such as mammoths and burp talking. Even her sister portrays this same self-denial when she constantly complains about how spoiled Rebel is, while simultaneously spoiling Rudy beyond reason.
I was pleasantly surprised that the plot, while driven by the beauty pageant, isn’t completely engrossed in it. This isn’t one of those ‘snarky girl enters pageant and then learns there’s really something to it’ stories, instead, Rebel McKenzie is a story of family, friendship, and the ridiculous. I enjoyed it very much while reading, though I’ll admit I’m uncertain that this is one that will stick with me.
Rebel McKenzie is a heartfelt, hilarious, and at times downright informative read. It’s the perfect book for those non-traditional girls who prefer nothing fancy and the cold hard facts. Definitely recommended.
Originally reviewed here.
Rebel McKenzie is (practically) a paleontologist (the Ice Age kind, not the dinosaur kind). Her biggest dream is to attend a dig camp this summer where she will have the opportunity to hone her skills, but alas, the family fridge broke down and funds were unavailable. No problem, she decides she’ll just runaway from home to attend. Unfortunately for Rebel, she doesn’t make it very far…just far enough to destroy her feet, lose a bet to a convict, be grounded till she’s 50, and land herself a no-pay live-in babysitting gig for her seven year old nephew in her sister’s new (used) trailer. A definite kink in the works, but Rebel knows she’ll be able to go to the later session of the dig if she can come up with the money to pay for it herself, and she has the perfect plan–she just has to win the local beauty pageant.
Give any character a love of blueberry Slurpees and Necco wafers, and you’ve more or less guaranteed them a place in my heart. Throw in a perchance for non-fiction, a love of digging up dead things, and the most ridiculous cat to ever grace the pages of contemporary fiction, and you have yourself one sealed deal.
Rebel McKenzie is one of the most real 12 year olds I’ve read about in some time. She’s oblivious to her faults, more than willing to point out other’s, selfish, and a bit short sighted. That said, she’s also good at noticing stuff, has super hearing, is confident, ambitious, and determined to get what she wants from life. She’s stuck living with her big sister for the summer, taking care of Rudy while her sister attends beauty school. There, Rebel recruits the bullying neighbor Lacey Jane to compete in the pageant with her, more than happy to use her as a fake and convenient friend to get her through.
The relationships in Rebel McKenzie were so reflective of many kids’ realities that I couldn’t help but enjoy them. Rebel and her sister fight like sisters and have real issues, but still obviously love one another very much. To me, Rebel’s family life was so ‘normal’, it’s actually kind of odd to encounter in a book. Normal other than Doublewide, that is. The Wonder Cat who rings the doorbell, pees in the toilet, has a favorite T.V. program, and eats pudding. Rebel uses and abuses those around her, but strangely enough, I still liked her. I loved that she was a girl so into non-fiction she determined the best ‘talent’ she possessed was a dramatic recounting of the affect of tar pits on animal populations. I loved that she was so steadfast on a bargain, that she’s determined to make good on a $20 bet to Skeeter, an inmate who turned her in to the authorities as she tried to run away to attend paleontology camp. Most of all I think I loved that she was far from perfect, but she wasn’t a wreck either–just your regular 12 year old kid.
While Rebel McKenzie does slap you a bit with the ‘big message’ at the end of the story, it’s not too overly saturated, and I feel it’d be easy for a lot of young readers to consume Rebel’s story without ever noticing her youthful hypocrisies, such would they relate to her. She thinks of Lacey Jane as a bully towards her nephew, but when Lacey Jane’s snark is aimed at someone Rebel doesn’t like she finds her hilarious. She uses Lacey Jane as a friend knowing what it’s like to be used, without ever realizing that maybe she in fact has something real with this other girl. She finds others who talk about themselves incredibly boring, but she herself is the height of entertainment because her interests are astoundingly cool, such as mammoths and burp talking. Even her sister portrays this same self-denial when she constantly complains about how spoiled Rebel is, while simultaneously spoiling Rudy beyond reason.
I was pleasantly surprised that the plot, while driven by the beauty pageant, isn’t completely engrossed in it. This isn’t one of those ‘snarky girl enters pageant and then learns there’s really something to it’ stories, instead, Rebel McKenzie is a story of family, friendship, and the ridiculous. I enjoyed it very much while reading, though I’ll admit I’m uncertain that this is one that will stick with me.
Rebel McKenzie is a heartfelt, hilarious, and at times downright informative read. It’s the perfect book for those non-traditional girls who prefer nothing fancy and the cold hard facts. Definitely recommended.
January 1, 2014
Rebel McKenzie feels like a book for kids and as a middle-grade book, that's probably a good thing. One of my friends (Cough Megan at Book Brats Cough) keeps talking how a lot of middle grade books feel like they're being written for adults who are sentimental about the innocence of youth rather than for actual children who are in the midsts of it.
There is no real sentimentality in Rebel McKenzie. It's a book very much in the present, with a main character who is flawed and funny. Whereas adults might clutch their pearls at Rebel's tactics and her tendency to be mean-spirited, I think kids will relate to the smart girl who wants to be taken seriously, humiliate the neighborhood bully and be a good aunt to her little nephew all at the same time.
The story starts with Rebel attempting to run away to join a kid's paleontologist dig. When that attempt fails, her much-older sister shows up and asks Rebel to come stay with them for the summer to babysit her nephew Rudy. This is where the adult in me started to say "Wait that doesn't seem believable" but then I remember that was pretty much how all my games as a kid went. (Seriously when I played Barbies the parents went away for the summer leaving a house full of teens and kids, shenanigans ensued and they had to flee to the cave in the woods aka my bunk-bed). That's not something that's going to faze a kid, reading-wise, they'll just be glad to have parents out of the picture.
Rebel is not a perfect main character, but she's a realistic one. In order to raise money for the paleontologist dig, Rebel decides to win the Frog Level Volunteer Fire Department's beauty pageant. And Rebel uses any means necessary, even tricking her new-found friend. With a unique talent (burping...), and a non-beauty queen personally, can Rebel beat the neighborhood bully/beauty queen, her new homely friend, and become the serious paleontologist she dreams of?
As you can imagine, Rebel's antics do not go unchecked and there's a nice little moral to the story by the end. After all this is middle-grade and we don't want our little girls taking out their best friends in beauty pageants, but it's a fun ride of a book.
I loved the newsletters, cartoons by Rudy and other children-friendly insertions of this book. Middle Grade can be so fun!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
For this review and more check out my blog Galavanting Girl Books
There is no real sentimentality in Rebel McKenzie. It's a book very much in the present, with a main character who is flawed and funny. Whereas adults might clutch their pearls at Rebel's tactics and her tendency to be mean-spirited, I think kids will relate to the smart girl who wants to be taken seriously, humiliate the neighborhood bully and be a good aunt to her little nephew all at the same time.
The story starts with Rebel attempting to run away to join a kid's paleontologist dig. When that attempt fails, her much-older sister shows up and asks Rebel to come stay with them for the summer to babysit her nephew Rudy. This is where the adult in me started to say "Wait that doesn't seem believable" but then I remember that was pretty much how all my games as a kid went. (Seriously when I played Barbies the parents went away for the summer leaving a house full of teens and kids, shenanigans ensued and they had to flee to the cave in the woods aka my bunk-bed). That's not something that's going to faze a kid, reading-wise, they'll just be glad to have parents out of the picture.
Rebel is not a perfect main character, but she's a realistic one. In order to raise money for the paleontologist dig, Rebel decides to win the Frog Level Volunteer Fire Department's beauty pageant. And Rebel uses any means necessary, even tricking her new-found friend. With a unique talent (burping...), and a non-beauty queen personally, can Rebel beat the neighborhood bully/beauty queen, her new homely friend, and become the serious paleontologist she dreams of?
As you can imagine, Rebel's antics do not go unchecked and there's a nice little moral to the story by the end. After all this is middle-grade and we don't want our little girls taking out their best friends in beauty pageants, but it's a fun ride of a book.
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I loved the newsletters, cartoons by Rudy and other children-friendly insertions of this book. Middle Grade can be so fun!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
For this review and more check out my blog Galavanting Girl Books
November 5, 2015
I struggled with this one. I found Rebel to be a strong protagonist, but the premise of the story was so far-fetched, that I had trouble putting that aside as the story went on. Unless a parent was in a truly desperate situation, he or she would not send their daughter into an unsafe environment like that. Rebel's parents were in no such situation. They were written as two perfectly reasonable, intelligent adults. I actually had a similar problem with One Crazy Summer. No parent in their right mind would have sent those girls to California to spend their summer with an abusive parent. Children's literature can be funny like that. I didn't blink at a child sailing to America in a giant peach with a group of friendly bugs, but two reasonable parents sending their daughter to spend her summer in a trailer park? That's what I find unbelievable.
May 27, 2021
The perfect middle-grade summer read🧃 Rebel is such a character ! 😂🧡
June 25, 2012
Rebel McKenzie is a wonderful book for young middle school teenage girls filled with comedy. Rebel dreams of digging up ancient bones at Ice Age Kids' Dig and Safari, but her parents tell her that it’s too expensive and they can’t afford sending her away. So what does she do? She runs away. The funny thing is that she doesn’t get very far and if brought back home by the police. But Rebel is on a mission, she needs to find a way to come up with the money to go digging. Then she finds out about a beauty pageant. She is so not the type to join a pageant, but she is a girl on a mission and sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do. The one thing that she doesn’t expect is that she will learn a lot of things about herself.
Rebel McKenzie isn’t a book I would normally pick to read, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed it. Sometimes it’s nice to read something different. I recommend this to all middle school girls.
Rebel McKenzie isn’t a book I would normally pick to read, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed it. Sometimes it’s nice to read something different. I recommend this to all middle school girls.
June 14, 2014
3.5 stars
Texas Bluebonnet nominee 2014-15
Good book! Definitely different from your typical middle-grade novel...Rebel is a gritty, edgy little redneck gal and it's difficult to like her. It's gratifying to see some growth and change in her character, though I would have liked to see more -- I'm afraid her self-realization was so subtle and so late in the book that many kids aren't going to pick up on it. I'm also not sure Rebel is likable ENOUGH to keep kids reading. The kid is SO sarcastic that we really see very little hint of the child that she is.
What kept me going in this book was the humor (a 26-pound cat with attitude issues named Doublewide, ha!) AND my affection/compassion/interest in the other characters. I actually cared more about what happened to everybody else than I did the main character! I like this book enough to recommend it, but I'm not sure how the kids will respond.
Texas Bluebonnet nominee 2014-15
Good book! Definitely different from your typical middle-grade novel...Rebel is a gritty, edgy little redneck gal and it's difficult to like her. It's gratifying to see some growth and change in her character, though I would have liked to see more -- I'm afraid her self-realization was so subtle and so late in the book that many kids aren't going to pick up on it. I'm also not sure Rebel is likable ENOUGH to keep kids reading. The kid is SO sarcastic that we really see very little hint of the child that she is.
What kept me going in this book was the humor (a 26-pound cat with attitude issues named Doublewide, ha!) AND my affection/compassion/interest in the other characters. I actually cared more about what happened to everybody else than I did the main character! I like this book enough to recommend it, but I'm not sure how the kids will respond.
July 17, 2016
This was cute. Super cute. Well worth reading.
I just made the mistake of finally reading it and I JUST read Raymie Nightingale...which is a totally different story...but the similar elements made me just a bit shadowed by the awesomeness of the other.
I just made the mistake of finally reading it and I JUST read Raymie Nightingale...which is a totally different story...but the similar elements made me just a bit shadowed by the awesomeness of the other.
March 15, 2017
Texas Bluebonnet nominee that will make 9-12 year old girls cheer, laugh and connect with as Rebel deals with annoying neighbor girls, a pesky nephew she's forced to babysit all summer, and a beauty pageant she is forced to enter.
November 3, 2012
I loved this. More importantly, my 13 year old thought it was excellent!
April 17, 2013
Interesting and believable characters and a fun story!
January 21, 2020
"Rebel McKenzie" by Candice Ransom, Candice Ransom is a popular author that creates young adult and children's books. Ransom was born in Washington DC on July 10th 1952 but grew up in Rural Virginia. As Ransom lacked in college funding she got a job as a secretary but then also began to write magazines on her spare time while trying to maintain the secretary lifestyle. In 1982 she published her first book. Then she She has also received International Reading Association/Children's Choice designation in 1987 for Fourteen and Holding. In the story "Rebel McKenzie" Ransom shows how finding who you are can influence the knowledge of others and yourself.
The story is about a young girl who goes by the name Rebel McKenzie wants to spend her summer attending the Ice Age Kids' Dig and Safari, this is a camp where kids discover prehistoric bones with the help of real paleontologists.But realizes that digging up those bones cost money so she decided to join a pageant. My favorite part is she decided to join the pageant because she finally has to courage to step out of her comfort zone and try something new. My least favorite part is when McKenzie runs away from her family because she could of asked her parents for money for the camp.
In the story "Rebel McKenzie" the main characters are Mckenzie, her sister (Lynette) and her nephew. These characters were believable because this book was written in first person and Ransom made the characters have a lot of feelings. My favorite character is McKenzie because she is very out going and open. She also says what ever is on her mind. I can relate to McKenzie because she wants to do everything by herself without the help of her parents/ family.
I like this book because it shows how young girls seek for independence and don't want to accept help from anyone. I would recommend this book to people who love comedy and suspense. I say this because the book will leave you in a shock and in a powerful mood as well.
The story is about a young girl who goes by the name Rebel McKenzie wants to spend her summer attending the Ice Age Kids' Dig and Safari, this is a camp where kids discover prehistoric bones with the help of real paleontologists.But realizes that digging up those bones cost money so she decided to join a pageant. My favorite part is she decided to join the pageant because she finally has to courage to step out of her comfort zone and try something new. My least favorite part is when McKenzie runs away from her family because she could of asked her parents for money for the camp.
In the story "Rebel McKenzie" the main characters are Mckenzie, her sister (Lynette) and her nephew. These characters were believable because this book was written in first person and Ransom made the characters have a lot of feelings. My favorite character is McKenzie because she is very out going and open. She also says what ever is on her mind. I can relate to McKenzie because she wants to do everything by herself without the help of her parents/ family.
I like this book because it shows how young girls seek for independence and don't want to accept help from anyone. I would recommend this book to people who love comedy and suspense. I say this because the book will leave you in a shock and in a powerful mood as well.
January 24, 2018
This book had me laughing all the way! I liked the main character’s gusty spirit so her name is Rebel which tells you a lot already. Rebel has her heart set on going this cool kids camp which is an archaeological dig. She’s into fossils and wants to be a future paleontologist (not the dinosaur kind). However, her older sister moves back in a town nearby and needs Rebel to look after her son which is her seven-year-old nephew, Rudy.
I love the silly fat Siamese cat, Doublewide, who is part of the mobile home rent agreement the sister is residing. Doublewide apparently can ring the doorbell, uses the human toilet, and prefers to watch western TV shows.
Most of the story revolves around Rebel watching her nephew and taking care of her sister as she struggles through Beauty School. Rebel ends up befriending the neighbor girl who then both decides to join the local beauty pageant. Rebels hopes to use the prize money to go to the kid's camp.
The story follows along quickly and has wonderful sarcastic lines that I really love. I also love the way the author describes the cat in a comic way. I hope to do a nice drawing or painting soon! I like how the story is set in the Southern way so there is lots of southern dialect like “Oh law!” Also the description of how miserably hot they were in the summer. As a west coast reader this is something I probably would not like to experience!
If you like cats, beauty pageants, and funny scenes, then go read this book!
I love the silly fat Siamese cat, Doublewide, who is part of the mobile home rent agreement the sister is residing. Doublewide apparently can ring the doorbell, uses the human toilet, and prefers to watch western TV shows.
Most of the story revolves around Rebel watching her nephew and taking care of her sister as she struggles through Beauty School. Rebel ends up befriending the neighbor girl who then both decides to join the local beauty pageant. Rebels hopes to use the prize money to go to the kid's camp.
The story follows along quickly and has wonderful sarcastic lines that I really love. I also love the way the author describes the cat in a comic way. I hope to do a nice drawing or painting soon! I like how the story is set in the Southern way so there is lots of southern dialect like “Oh law!” Also the description of how miserably hot they were in the summer. As a west coast reader this is something I probably would not like to experience!
If you like cats, beauty pageants, and funny scenes, then go read this book!
August 8, 2025
This is such a fun, relaxing, and funny book! The main character, Rebel, is hilariously witty and blunt. The overall message is good, although I will have to say Rebel isn’t the best role model for younger audiences.
As a 10-11 year old, this was probably my favorite book. I read it so many times, and I loved the little comics, book excerpts, and newsletters in it.
The book is definitely pretty clean for middle-graders, with very little harsh language and no “adult themes” whatsoever (if I remember correctly). It’s very focused on main goals rather than complicated relationships/romance (which there is none of).
I definitely recommend this book as a more realistic, relaxing, and relatable read. It’s great for summer and airplane rides too :) This book deserves at least 4 stars on my part.
As a 10-11 year old, this was probably my favorite book. I read it so many times, and I loved the little comics, book excerpts, and newsletters in it.
The book is definitely pretty clean for middle-graders, with very little harsh language and no “adult themes” whatsoever (if I remember correctly). It’s very focused on main goals rather than complicated relationships/romance (which there is none of).
I definitely recommend this book as a more realistic, relaxing, and relatable read. It’s great for summer and airplane rides too :) This book deserves at least 4 stars on my part.
March 19, 2020
Rebel McKenzie is a wonderful book, if you love the thoughts of spending time with family and have a few unspeakable turn of events.I absolutely love the character Rebel because she acts a lot like me. We are both funny and we like to speak our minds without thinking about the consequences of our words. The character Rebel is made up of several personalities. She is funny, caring, she loves adventure, and she is very determined to do what she wants when she puts her mind to it. What I loved the most about this book is that it is very family friendly. This book is very good for kids. The book isn't only for kids, but it is also for adults no matter what their age is. This book is perfect for any family for any time. If you decide to read this book you are in for a roller coaster of fun.
June 1, 2018
The genre for this book would be realistic fiction
I recommend this book to people who like mostly fiction and in most realistic ways
The noteworthy thing about this book would be that we see how much the main character develops during her time with living with her sister and cousin
Mostly fiction is my go-to genre for most books, and which it is interesting how much the author can come up with a realistic fiction sort of setting.
I recommend this book to people who like mostly fiction and in most realistic ways
The noteworthy thing about this book would be that we see how much the main character develops during her time with living with her sister and cousin
Mostly fiction is my go-to genre for most books, and which it is interesting how much the author can come up with a realistic fiction sort of setting.
November 29, 2018
This book was very cute and took you into a world of a normal teenage summer. This book was filled with curiosity and the process of working hard. Rebel McKenzie was a total tomboy until she met someone that changed her whole summer. This exciting plot twist keeps the book intriguing. This book might be for a bit of a younger level. The main character is 12 years old and I think this book was a little young for me but still enjoyable and worth the read!
June 4, 2018
A light read, purely for fun. The characters are quirky, for no real reason (a young girl fancies herself a paleontologist, a little boy likes telling people what they should wear to their own funerals) other than it's fun. There's no deep meaning or payoff. Might be a good book for kids who don't like to read, as the characters' crazy antics are engaging.
September 17, 2024
I first read this in late elementary, maybe early middle school and I tend to revisit this book every few years because I adore so much! And every time I open it, I get a new perspective. Rebel is a character that I can relate and sympathize with. And the end, where she didn’t get what she wanted but got something she didn’t even know she needed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2019
Very good book, and a Quick read, I finished this one in two days.
January 24, 2020
AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~~!
Read
November 28, 2020I read this years ago in elementary school, and I saw it in the library today. Even now, I remember vividly how much I loved it.
March 17, 2021
This was a fun book. I really liked the part when Rebel burped the thirteen colonies. I also liked the part where Kissie and the cat got into a fight
December 19, 2021
fun, lovable characters, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book for girls between the ages of 9-14.
January 30, 2026
this book had a grip on me in elementary school/middle school. now i realize it’s not peak lol
October 22, 2025
Charming story. Great characters.
January 9, 2017
The book, Rebel McKenzie, is an amazing book filled with adventure and comedy. In my opinion, Candice Ransom did a great job with connecting with the reader. This book is relatable to anyone who may have an older sibling with a kid or even a younger sibling.
Rebel McKenzie is an adventurous young girl who has dreams about being a paleontologist. When her parents say that they can't afford to send her to a summer paleontologist camp Rebel gets upset. She makes her own decision that ends her up back at home with torn up heels. After a few days in bed her older sister arrives with her son, Rudy. Instead of spending summer at a camp, she is spending it at her older sisters watching Rudy. Most of her summer is spent cleaning up after her older sister and Rudy. But surprisingly, is also getting ready for her first pageant with her new friend Lacey. Her summer is filled with twist and turns. This is truly an amazing book written by Candice Ransom.
Rebel McKenzie is an adventurous young girl who has dreams about being a paleontologist. When her parents say that they can't afford to send her to a summer paleontologist camp Rebel gets upset. She makes her own decision that ends her up back at home with torn up heels. After a few days in bed her older sister arrives with her son, Rudy. Instead of spending summer at a camp, she is spending it at her older sisters watching Rudy. Most of her summer is spent cleaning up after her older sister and Rudy. But surprisingly, is also getting ready for her first pageant with her new friend Lacey. Her summer is filled with twist and turns. This is truly an amazing book written by Candice Ransom.
October 22, 2015
Rebel Mckenzie is a soon to be 7th grader with dreams of becoming a paleontologist (not the dinosaur kind.) Rebel lives in a house with her mother, but then moves to her sisters house to babysit her niece. The point of view is from Rebel, who is also the protagonist. Other main characters include Lacey Jane, Rudy, Lynette, and Bambi Lovering. When told she can't go to her paleontologist camp, she runs away, only to be caught by the police and brought back home. Her parents are furious, and ground her for,"The rest of her born days." She then is forced to babysit her nephew at a trailer park for the rest of the summer. When she is told about a neighbor named Banbi Lovering who won a beauty pageant for playing a ukulele behind her head, she decides that she could probably win one herself, and enters the local beauty pageant with her "friend", Lacey Jane.
I think that this book would be good for a kid in middle school, just because the vocabulary is not super complicated, and the story plot seems to be for younger kids. In my personal opinion, I think that this book is overall a good book, although I think that it could have included more complex words and more action. This book had very kid-like writing, for example, when Rebel talked about her running away, she used words and phrases like, stupid, and "I would have killed - absolutely killed - for a blueberry Slurpee", frazzle, and podunky. The strengths of this book is that it has an original plot and well-described characters. The weaknesses of this book are that (in my opinion) it has a limited vocabulary, and a slightly unsatisfying ending. I would recommend this book to a classmate because it is a fun, well written, kiddish, and unique. If this book was part of a series, I would definitely read the other books.
I think that this book would be good for a kid in middle school, just because the vocabulary is not super complicated, and the story plot seems to be for younger kids. In my personal opinion, I think that this book is overall a good book, although I think that it could have included more complex words and more action. This book had very kid-like writing, for example, when Rebel talked about her running away, she used words and phrases like, stupid, and "I would have killed - absolutely killed - for a blueberry Slurpee", frazzle, and podunky. The strengths of this book is that it has an original plot and well-described characters. The weaknesses of this book are that (in my opinion) it has a limited vocabulary, and a slightly unsatisfying ending. I would recommend this book to a classmate because it is a fun, well written, kiddish, and unique. If this book was part of a series, I would definitely read the other books.
March 6, 2017
(one of the best) Best. Book. EVER!!!! This is one of the library books I actually finished start to end and actually ENJOY it!
Rebel McKenzie wants to be a paleontologist (the ice age kind). Then, her dreams are crushed when her mom forces her to go to her sister Lynette's trailer park to take care of Rebel's nephew, Rudy.
A bunch of crazy things happen, involving turtles, carnivals, a lazy cat, and a lot more!
After that, Rebel joins a beauty pageant (totally not Rebel's style) to win money for the paleontology summer camp. Read to find out what happens!
Rebel McKenzie wants to be a paleontologist (the ice age kind). Then, her dreams are crushed when her mom forces her to go to her sister Lynette's trailer park to take care of Rebel's nephew, Rudy.
A bunch of crazy things happen, involving turtles, carnivals, a lazy cat, and a lot more!
After that, Rebel joins a beauty pageant (totally not Rebel's style) to win money for the paleontology summer camp. Read to find out what happens!
July 6, 2012
Rebel McKenzie by Candice Ransom follows twelve year old Rebel who is sent off to live with her poor sister to spend the summer babysitting her nephew after running away because she was upset about not being able to go to paleontology camp. Rebel finds out that things are very difficult for her sister who is attending beauty school after a divorce. The trailer is small and there isn't a lot of food. She makes friends with the neighbors, decides to enter a pageant and end up making a difference in a lot of lives.
This is a great book that kids will love. It's so nice to read a book with a character that is not excessively rich (that isn't specifically about poverty). While some of the money situations are a bit difficult to read about it's not the focus of the book and it's not written to be tragic, just the setting for everything. There's a great set of original characters including the two neighbor girls, one who is a snotty reigning pageant queen and the other who is a mess after the loss of her mother. My only complaint about the book was that the ending wrapped up a little perfectly with some obnoxious behavior being rewarded.
Appropriateness: This is an easy and quick read that will be enjoyed by it's intended audience of 9-12 year old girls (although it's a little flighty for readers older than that). The book will provide parents with a good opportunity to talk about poverty with their kids and how we take things for granted that others have to struggle to obtain. There is no adult content, romance or violence.
This is a great book that kids will love. It's so nice to read a book with a character that is not excessively rich (that isn't specifically about poverty). While some of the money situations are a bit difficult to read about it's not the focus of the book and it's not written to be tragic, just the setting for everything. There's a great set of original characters including the two neighbor girls, one who is a snotty reigning pageant queen and the other who is a mess after the loss of her mother. My only complaint about the book was that the ending wrapped up a little perfectly with some obnoxious behavior being rewarded.
Appropriateness: This is an easy and quick read that will be enjoyed by it's intended audience of 9-12 year old girls (although it's a little flighty for readers older than that). The book will provide parents with a good opportunity to talk about poverty with their kids and how we take things for granted that others have to struggle to obtain. There is no adult content, romance or violence.
May 21, 2012
Originally Posted Here
Rebel Mackenzie’s summer wish: Go to the Ice Age Kids’ Digs and Safari in Saltville, Virginia; right alongside real paleontologists. Rebel Mackenzie’s summer life: Nothing's free. She ends up babysitting her 7-year-old nephew, Rudy, in a sizzling trailer,“mobile home” with no air conditioning. Rebel’s desperate to make money to go to the Dig. So when she finds out about the Frog Level Volunteer Fire Department’s beauty pageant contest, she decides to enter. And win. After all how hard can it be?
Candice Ransom’s novel, Rebel Mackenzie, isn't a novel I would normally pick up. I’m the kind of person that loves action and adventure, not beauty contests. But that doesn’t mean I hated this novel. The story starts off with Rebel running away. Rebel's not much of a beauty contestant but she’s doing it for the dig, which in my opinion, made it all easier for a person like me to relate to. My favorite character (and pet) was Rudy and Doublewide. Doublewide (the name suits him fine) is a cat, a big clever cat. And when I say clever, I mean it - he knows how to ring a doorbell and use the bathroom in the toilet.
Overall I’ll give this slightly funny book 4 stars, because like I said, this book just wasn't perfect for me.
Rebel Mackenzie’s summer wish: Go to the Ice Age Kids’ Digs and Safari in Saltville, Virginia; right alongside real paleontologists. Rebel Mackenzie’s summer life: Nothing's free. She ends up babysitting her 7-year-old nephew, Rudy, in a sizzling trailer,“mobile home” with no air conditioning. Rebel’s desperate to make money to go to the Dig. So when she finds out about the Frog Level Volunteer Fire Department’s beauty pageant contest, she decides to enter. And win. After all how hard can it be?
Candice Ransom’s novel, Rebel Mackenzie, isn't a novel I would normally pick up. I’m the kind of person that loves action and adventure, not beauty contests. But that doesn’t mean I hated this novel. The story starts off with Rebel running away. Rebel's not much of a beauty contestant but she’s doing it for the dig, which in my opinion, made it all easier for a person like me to relate to. My favorite character (and pet) was Rudy and Doublewide. Doublewide (the name suits him fine) is a cat, a big clever cat. And when I say clever, I mean it - he knows how to ring a doorbell and use the bathroom in the toilet.
Overall I’ll give this slightly funny book 4 stars, because like I said, this book just wasn't perfect for me.
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