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School of Charm
Who’s got time for hair curlers and high heels when you’re busy keeping baby turtles alive?
Chip has always been a tree-climbin’, fish-catchin’ daddy’s girl. When Daddy dies, Mama moves her and her sisters south to Grandma’s house and Chip struggles to find her place in a family full of beauty queens.
Just when she's wishing for a sign from Daddy that her new life’s going to work, Chip discovers Miss Vernie’s School of Charm. Could unusual pageant lessons and secrets be the key to making Chip’s wishes a reality?
Chip has always been a tree-climbin’, fish-catchin’ daddy’s girl. When Daddy dies, Mama moves her and her sisters south to Grandma’s house and Chip struggles to find her place in a family full of beauty queens.
Just when she's wishing for a sign from Daddy that her new life’s going to work, Chip discovers Miss Vernie’s School of Charm. Could unusual pageant lessons and secrets be the key to making Chip’s wishes a reality?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2014
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1430 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
July 25, 2024
A delightful, delicious, charming, heart-warming Middle Grade book with a message. It was like Steel Magnolias meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid wrapped up in Cinderella. This sounds so cliche, but I literally could not put it down, and I pulled one of my rare all nighters. The age range on this book is grades 3-7, but I feel it would be enjoyed by the YA crowd, as well. Also, if you think the readng level might be a little too much for your 3rd and 4th graders, it would make a fantastic "chapter a night" story. One that will definitely spark parent/child conversations about family, sorrow, belonging, and self-esteem. This book was a joy to read. I had a problem with the choice of two descriptive words (and am hoping because it was an ARC someone saw fit to change them), but this was such a minor foible I still felt great about giving it five stars. I won this ARC from a Goodreads Giveaway.
September 28, 2013
A bittersweet story of self-discovery and healing, this book really hits you where it hurts. It will make you cry, not just a few tears here and there, but THE UGLY CRY. I'm still sniffling over here.
December 1, 2013
Chip has always been a tomboy and daddy’s girl and she’s never felt even the littlest bit self conscious about it… until her father dies and her mother decides to move Chip and her two sisters down south to live with her mother, Chip’s grandma. It doesn’t take long to figure out that Grandma doesn’t at all approve of Chip, who’s entirely too much like her Yankee father. As her perfect sisters prepare for the annual Miss Dogwood pageant – a pageant both Chip’s mother and grandmother won a swell – Chip feels even more left out. She likes who she is, the outdoorsy girl who loved her daddy and is determined to remember him no matter what, but what if the only way to make people, including her own family, like and love her is to be someone else? When Chip stumbles across Miss Vernie’s School of Charm, she decides that she’s willing to change to fit into her new life without father. Led by the supportive and quirky Miss Vernie, Chip struggles to fit into the straight-laced, judgmental southern society along with two fellow classmates (one messy and overweight, the other African American) and learns lasting lessons about being true to yourself and acceptance.
I struggled to keep my outrage in check as I read about tomboy Chip and her judgmental Grandma, who appears bent on tearing Chip down and making her feel worthless. This woman is horrible! Seriously. By the end of the novel, Chip’s mother finally starts standing up to her grandmother, but, in my opinion, neither was a very great role model for Chip. Still, this horrible grandmother offers an accessible way to present a variety of difficult topics to middle grade readers. Through Chip’s interactions with her Grandma, the reader is presented with racism, bullying, the ridiculous enforcement of gender roles, not to mention judgment and rudeness disguised as Southern hospitality.
Not only does School of Charm follow Chip’s growth, readers also follow the growth of her fellow classmates at Miss Vernie’s School of Charm. One of the best lessons illustrated by this debut from Lisa Ann Scott is the importance of who you are versus what you look like. All three girls face judgement and unequal treatment because of their physical appearance. There’s a fantastic scene in the novel when all three girls are working in Miss Vernie’s pond and end up with mud facials. As they stand together, peering at their reflections in the pond, Chip notes that, when covered with mud, all the girls look essentially the same. On the outside, they have physical differences, but at their core, they’re essentially the same and are all deserving of respect and fair treatment.
3.5 stars
I struggled to keep my outrage in check as I read about tomboy Chip and her judgmental Grandma, who appears bent on tearing Chip down and making her feel worthless. This woman is horrible! Seriously. By the end of the novel, Chip’s mother finally starts standing up to her grandmother, but, in my opinion, neither was a very great role model for Chip. Still, this horrible grandmother offers an accessible way to present a variety of difficult topics to middle grade readers. Through Chip’s interactions with her Grandma, the reader is presented with racism, bullying, the ridiculous enforcement of gender roles, not to mention judgment and rudeness disguised as Southern hospitality.
Not only does School of Charm follow Chip’s growth, readers also follow the growth of her fellow classmates at Miss Vernie’s School of Charm. One of the best lessons illustrated by this debut from Lisa Ann Scott is the importance of who you are versus what you look like. All three girls face judgement and unequal treatment because of their physical appearance. There’s a fantastic scene in the novel when all three girls are working in Miss Vernie’s pond and end up with mud facials. As they stand together, peering at their reflections in the pond, Chip notes that, when covered with mud, all the girls look essentially the same. On the outside, they have physical differences, but at their core, they’re essentially the same and are all deserving of respect and fair treatment.
3.5 stars
January 7, 2014
Sweet story. Brenda "Chip" Anderson's family moves to North Carolina in the late 1970s after the death of her father. They move in with her strict, Very Southern grandmother who appears to take an instant dislike to tomboy Chip. Her girlier sisters quickly get embroiled with beauty pageant prep, much to the grandmother and mother's delight, and Chip is very much the odd one out. She stumbles across a charm school won my a local woman; her two classmates are Dana, a young black girl determined to enter a largely white pageant, and Karen. Chip decides to become a "Brand New Brenda" and enter the pageant.
This book did a lot of things well: the time period, the cautious friendships between the girls, basically everything about Dana, the difficulties of grief and how it affects families. Chip wants very much to discuss her father, but her mother isn't ready to deal with it. The whole family is very much of a We Don't Discuss Bad Things mentality, and Chip struggles with that.
My major issue was HOW overlooked Chip ends up, particularly by her mother. I didn't find it unrealistic, necessarily, but the mother gets SO invested in the well-being of the two other sisters and shuts out Chip so completely, it was hard to read. But it was a nice story, and also dealt with issues of race and even gender with a deft hand.
This book did a lot of things well: the time period, the cautious friendships between the girls, basically everything about Dana, the difficulties of grief and how it affects families. Chip wants very much to discuss her father, but her mother isn't ready to deal with it. The whole family is very much of a We Don't Discuss Bad Things mentality, and Chip struggles with that.
My major issue was HOW overlooked Chip ends up, particularly by her mother. I didn't find it unrealistic, necessarily, but the mother gets SO invested in the well-being of the two other sisters and shuts out Chip so completely, it was hard to read. But it was a nice story, and also dealt with issues of race and even gender with a deft hand.
October 20, 2016
I was at the library last week picking up more Rainbow Magic books for my daughter. I happened to glance up and spot this book displayed on top of a nearby shelf. The cover definitely caught my eye and the description had me intrigued so I spontaneously added it to our pile of books. I'm so glad I did. I very rarely read anything in the juvenile fiction section, but this book is a gem. Brenda "Chip" Anderson's father has recently passed away so her mother and two sisters move in with her very strict grandma. Chip is totally different from her family. They are really into beauty pageants and Chip is a total tomboy. She feels left out, alone and just wants to belong somewhere. While out exploring the woods, she stumbles across a sign that says Mrs. Vernie's School of Charm and on a whim decides to join. All students are given a charm bracelet that includes a mirror, a flower, ballet slippers and a heart. Mrs. Vernie's insists that once they have learned what they need to learn, a charm will magically fall off. This story is indeed heartbreaking and will have you cheering for a Chip until the very end. I love that each girl took something different from each lesson and found a way to apply it to their own life. It's a perfect coming of age story that delicately touches on race, loss, and self discovery. I believe everyone could use just a bit of Mrs. Vernie's School of Charm every now and then!!
January 16, 2016
School of Charm by Lisa Ann Scott
Eleven year old Brenda Anderson, better known as Chip, has just had life as she knew it taken away. She's always been Daddy's girl, enjoying the outdoors with him and her best friend Billy. An accident has changed that, taken her dad from her.
Her mom is moving their family from New York to North Carolina, to live with a grandma they don't know. What's worse is when they get there she feels more left out than before. Feeling like she needs to become someone she's not to fit in with her own family. Thank goodness she finds Miss Vernie's School of Charm.
This book is aimed at young girls and yet this old girl thoroughly enjoyed it. It takes place in the seventies. Chip learns about being different in her own life and with her new friends. She finds out that becoming someone she's not doesn't always bring acceptance and the importance of just being who she really is. Excellent story.
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...
Eleven year old Brenda Anderson, better known as Chip, has just had life as she knew it taken away. She's always been Daddy's girl, enjoying the outdoors with him and her best friend Billy. An accident has changed that, taken her dad from her.
Her mom is moving their family from New York to North Carolina, to live with a grandma they don't know. What's worse is when they get there she feels more left out than before. Feeling like she needs to become someone she's not to fit in with her own family. Thank goodness she finds Miss Vernie's School of Charm.
This book is aimed at young girls and yet this old girl thoroughly enjoyed it. It takes place in the seventies. Chip learns about being different in her own life and with her new friends. She finds out that becoming someone she's not doesn't always bring acceptance and the importance of just being who she really is. Excellent story.
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...
October 8, 2013
While not my normal reading material, I really enjoyed it. Every family has its "doesn't quite fit" child - some more, some less. "School of Charm" is a wonderful story about just such a girl. I was cheering for "Chip" from her first face-off with her grandma. The author held my attention as if I was standing by "Chip's" side throughout the entire book.
March 26, 2017
read this!!!
March 21, 2014
This was a cute middle-grade read with hints of magical realism. In 1977, Chip is the misfit tomboy middle child in a family full of girly-girls. After her father dies, she feels like no one understands her, and to make matters wore, their family moves to North Carolina to live with their grandmother. Grandma, an aging beauty queen like their mother, fawns all over the eldest and youngest sisters, but is harsh and unforgiving toward tomboyish Chip. That's when Chip decides to take a walk and see if she can find a place to keep her pet turtle... and stumbles upon Miss Vernie's School of Charm. Together with two other would-be beauty queens (chubby, whiny Karen and aloof, African-American Dana), Chip learns the value of self-discovery and inner beauty.
If it hadn't been for two seriously tired and uninspired elements, I probably would have given this book four stars. The first was the shoehorned racism angle with Dana, which wasn't given any real depth and appeared to be the only reason that the book was set in the seventies. The second was Chip's grandmother, who was a complete stereotype of an aging, catty Southern belle taken to an extreme. Grandma is cartoonishly mean to her middle granddaughter, and no reason is ever really given for it, which is frustrating. Still, there's enough sweetness and self-discovery here to temper that, and Chip is an endearing protagonist.
If it hadn't been for two seriously tired and uninspired elements, I probably would have given this book four stars. The first was the shoehorned racism angle with Dana, which wasn't given any real depth and appeared to be the only reason that the book was set in the seventies. The second was Chip's grandmother, who was a complete stereotype of an aging, catty Southern belle taken to an extreme. Grandma is cartoonishly mean to her middle granddaughter, and no reason is ever really given for it, which is frustrating. Still, there's enough sweetness and self-discovery here to temper that, and Chip is an endearing protagonist.
August 25, 2015
I normally don't read books for the younger generations but this was a gift to me as an ARC, an amazing surprise!
I loved this book and did not want to put it down! I was blessed to have a reading partner to buddy up with and discuss the book. Lisa Scott is an amazing author and this is just another great book to add to my collection! I felt like I was in the story with the way it was written!
I wish this book was out when I was younger because even as an adult I was able to open my eyes to self discovery! Great read, more young girls need to get their hands on this.
I loved this book and did not want to put it down! I was blessed to have a reading partner to buddy up with and discuss the book. Lisa Scott is an amazing author and this is just another great book to add to my collection! I felt like I was in the story with the way it was written!
I wish this book was out when I was younger because even as an adult I was able to open my eyes to self discovery! Great read, more young girls need to get their hands on this.
October 1, 2014
School of Charm is about a girl who moved with her family to her grama's house. And everyone who lives in the house is a beauty pagent winner and Chip is a tomboy. She is now determined to win a pagent
I thought this book was really interesting and fun to read. I really enjoyed it because I felt like I could connect with the story. I recommend it for kids who fell like they don't fit in or for kids who like book that has suprises because this book has a lot of them!
I thought this book was really interesting and fun to read. I really enjoyed it because I felt like I could connect with the story. I recommend it for kids who fell like they don't fit in or for kids who like book that has suprises because this book has a lot of them!
February 28, 2017
Moving to a new place is always a little scary but after the recent death of her father, Chip is having a hard time. As an outdoors nature type of girl beauty pageants have not been Chip’s thing but in her new home a beauty pageant has quickly become the only thing to her family.
This is a story about family, beauty and hope. It will pull on your heartstrings. I greatly enjoyed this book.
This is a story about family, beauty and hope. It will pull on your heartstrings. I greatly enjoyed this book.
March 25, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Read. I absolutely fell in love with this book...beautifully written. Was a heartwarming, tear-jerking, magical, and sometimes humorous read that is sure to touch the kid at heart in everyone...
January 2, 2015
Middle school fiction is usually really good story-telling literature. The theme is always simple and straightforward, the characters are developed, and the settings are rich and descriptive. This book is typical of the genre. It's also just a good STORY.
December 31, 2018
School of Charm centers on Chip, a tomboy who recently lost her father and had to move from NY to NC. Her mother, two sisters, and she move in with her grandmother. Everyone except Chip is beauty pageant material. Chip is struggling to find her place in this new world without her father. She finds a School of Charm while wandering in the woods, where she meets two other girls.
The story has some “magical” elements to it, but it’s really a tale about a girl struggling with loss. Solid read for middle grades.
The story has some “magical” elements to it, but it’s really a tale about a girl struggling with loss. Solid read for middle grades.
April 1, 2023
Eleven-year-old Chip Anderson's father has just died, and her family's moving to North Carolina to stay with her grandma. At first, Chip hates it there, but as she spends more time in North Carolina and prepares for the Miss Dogwood pageant, she starts to feel at home.
I absolutely loved the magical realism in this book. Chip felt like a realistic and believable character, and there's a lot of important themes here, such as friendship and how people can grow on you. If you love books by Rebecca Stead, you'll love this as well.
I absolutely loved the magical realism in this book. Chip felt like a realistic and believable character, and there's a lot of important themes here, such as friendship and how people can grow on you. If you love books by Rebecca Stead, you'll love this as well.
February 8, 2018
i love the story line of this book. Its funny, sad, and wonderful it is a little bit of every thing. This book starts out with a girl and family driving to there grandmas house. They were going to there grandmas house because sadly her mom just became a widow. but when they get to the house the girl wonders off, and finds a charm school. As all of her sisters enter this pageant she fells left out and at the end of the day she just wants her dad back.
February 16, 2018
I am not quite sure about the rating on this one. I liked it ok, good issues from the 70's regarding females and race and family issues. I am just not a pagent kind of gal and this book was about pagents. I grabbed it off the shelf due to the cover, it was cute and catchy for young girls! Never judge a book by it's cover, haha!
May 17, 2022
Loved this book! Made me feel like I was experiencing all the emotions the main character was going through and it even made me have a reaction out loud multiple times during the story. The main character even reminded me of myself at points. Overall it was a heartwarming and heartbreaking story that was wonderfully written.
September 17, 2017
Brooke read this and told me how much she loved it and then put it on my nightstand because, "You have to read it Mom!". A delightful JF novel about loss and family and learning to appreciate who you are, especially when you are different from everyone around you. Nice touch of magic as well.
July 10, 2018
It was charming! I loved the adventures Chip. Though it was based on a pretty old year. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
May 28, 2018
i just want to read...........
September 11, 2019
I cried through a third of it but it was great.
January 28, 2020
𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖 "𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙥" 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.
February 3, 2021
Actually 3.5--see http://www.eatreadandbemommy.com/2021... for details.
March 3, 2014
I went into Lisa Ann Scott’s School of Charm expecting a simple, cutesy middle-grade story, but was pleasantly surprised by this story’s depth, heart, and captivating exploration of grief, love, and acceptance. Heartfelt and hopeful, fun and exciting, School of Charm is an enchanting story.
Chip has always been a daddy’s girl and tomboy, choosing to explore the outdoors and climb trees over makeup and clothes. But when her daddy dies, Chip, her two sisters, and her mother move to NC to live with her mom’s strict mother. Both her grandmother and mother are former beauty queens, and, once in NC, both Chip’s older sister and younger sister decide to compete in the local pageant. Being told and believing that she is not a “pageant girl”, Chip wants nothing to do with that beauty queen world, but wants desperately to belong in her own family. Then she discovers Miss Vernie’s School of Charm and with the help of some new friends, hard work, and maybe a little magic, Chip might find what she most needs.
School of Charm is such an endearing book with a wonderful message! Author, Lisa Ann Scott, infuses her charming story with a powerful exploration of grief, racism, and self-acceptance, with a big dose of humor, heart, and Southern charm.
The emotions in this book (grief, pain, longing, self-doubt, jealousy) are so palpably felt that I almost felt like I was experiencing everything with Chip. This story take place in 1977 and Scott shines a light on the racism and discrimination that was still rampant in the world, especially the south, at this time. Although Scott touches on some heavy and important issues in School of Charm, the book is also drenched in whimsy, fun, and humor.
I loved the time Chip, and we the reader, spend at Miss Vernie’s School of Charm! Although in the story it’s a very real place, it feels like something out of a fairytale: magical, whimsical, extraordinary. Miss Vernie’s is a place of love, acceptance, and growth, and Miss Vernie herself is such a special, one-of-a-kind person and friend. Chip and her charm school companions grow so much at Miss Vernie’s and learn invaluable, profound things. The message of staying true to yourself shines brightly throughout this book, which I just loved.
Scott has created some memorable characters in School of Charm, from endearing Chip, courageous Dana, Chip’s sweet little sister, and of course, the wonderful Miss Vernie. I really enjoyed all the characters, but I must admit that Chip’s Grandma is a little too harsh for my liking.
My Final Thoughts: Chip’s story is a heartwarming, magical, and beautiful one that surprised and captivated me in many ways.
Chip has always been a daddy’s girl and tomboy, choosing to explore the outdoors and climb trees over makeup and clothes. But when her daddy dies, Chip, her two sisters, and her mother move to NC to live with her mom’s strict mother. Both her grandmother and mother are former beauty queens, and, once in NC, both Chip’s older sister and younger sister decide to compete in the local pageant. Being told and believing that she is not a “pageant girl”, Chip wants nothing to do with that beauty queen world, but wants desperately to belong in her own family. Then she discovers Miss Vernie’s School of Charm and with the help of some new friends, hard work, and maybe a little magic, Chip might find what she most needs.
School of Charm is such an endearing book with a wonderful message! Author, Lisa Ann Scott, infuses her charming story with a powerful exploration of grief, racism, and self-acceptance, with a big dose of humor, heart, and Southern charm.
The emotions in this book (grief, pain, longing, self-doubt, jealousy) are so palpably felt that I almost felt like I was experiencing everything with Chip. This story take place in 1977 and Scott shines a light on the racism and discrimination that was still rampant in the world, especially the south, at this time. Although Scott touches on some heavy and important issues in School of Charm, the book is also drenched in whimsy, fun, and humor.
I loved the time Chip, and we the reader, spend at Miss Vernie’s School of Charm! Although in the story it’s a very real place, it feels like something out of a fairytale: magical, whimsical, extraordinary. Miss Vernie’s is a place of love, acceptance, and growth, and Miss Vernie herself is such a special, one-of-a-kind person and friend. Chip and her charm school companions grow so much at Miss Vernie’s and learn invaluable, profound things. The message of staying true to yourself shines brightly throughout this book, which I just loved.
Scott has created some memorable characters in School of Charm, from endearing Chip, courageous Dana, Chip’s sweet little sister, and of course, the wonderful Miss Vernie. I really enjoyed all the characters, but I must admit that Chip’s Grandma is a little too harsh for my liking.
My Final Thoughts: Chip’s story is a heartwarming, magical, and beautiful one that surprised and captivated me in many ways.
February 27, 2017
I totally did not expect to love this story but I absolutely did. I found it easy to get lost in and I was even emotional at times. so much heartache but such good lessons.
Great Read!
Great Read!
August 11, 2015
Brenda "Chip" Anderson's world has come crashing down. Her beloved daddy has died and taken the world she knew away with him. Chip used to spend her days outside exploring nature and climbing trees with her daddy and best friend Billy. Now mama is moving the family from New York to North Carolina to live with a grandma they have never met. Chip's sisters Charlene and Ruthie immediately fit in with the Southern belle pageant atmosphere of grandma's house. Grandma was Miss Dogwood 1939 and mama was Miss Dogwood 1961 so of course Charlene will be entered in the pageant and young Ruthie can do the Little Miss Dogwood pageant. Chip decides to enter the Junior Miss Dogwood pageant in the hopes that she will fit in with her family, but even that doesn't seem to work. Chip is definitely not pageant material and can't seem to get on grandma's good side no matter what she does. Her tomboy ways just make her an outsider in her family. Then she discovers Miss Vernie's School of Charm. Miss Vernie's isn't like a regular charm school. Chip and the two other students, Dana and Karen, don't learn how to eat properly or walk with a book on their head. They spend their days working in Miss Vernie's garden and learning about themselves. Miss Vernie gives each of them a charm bracelet and as they learn their lessons a charm falls off. The girls have to learn to stand on their own two feet, to find beauty, to blossom.
School of Charm is simply charming. I thought the Southern setting in 1977 really set the stage for the story. The South at that time was a different world from the world Chip left in New York. The women in Mount Airey do seem to be obsessed with the pageant and everything it represents. There are also the racial elements as Dana is the only Black contestant in the pageant. I love the fact that when Chip realizes her plan to fit into her family has failed completely she takes a stand and comes out as herself. She forces her family to accept her on her own terms and quits trying to change to please others. I think this is an excellent lesson for young readers to absorb. The one part of the book that I thought could have been a bit stronger was grandma's story. We do learn a bit about why she is the way she is, but it comes so late that her character doesn't recover from her one-dimensional, pageant loving, animal hating, mean lady persona of the rest of the book. Overall though this was a magical book full of spunk and charm that is sure to please.
School of Charm is simply charming. I thought the Southern setting in 1977 really set the stage for the story. The South at that time was a different world from the world Chip left in New York. The women in Mount Airey do seem to be obsessed with the pageant and everything it represents. There are also the racial elements as Dana is the only Black contestant in the pageant. I love the fact that when Chip realizes her plan to fit into her family has failed completely she takes a stand and comes out as herself. She forces her family to accept her on her own terms and quits trying to change to please others. I think this is an excellent lesson for young readers to absorb. The one part of the book that I thought could have been a bit stronger was grandma's story. We do learn a bit about why she is the way she is, but it comes so late that her character doesn't recover from her one-dimensional, pageant loving, animal hating, mean lady persona of the rest of the book. Overall though this was a magical book full of spunk and charm that is sure to please.
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