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Amelia's Notebooks #21
Amelia's 7th-Grade Notebook
A Note from the Author - Amelia!
"Now I'm in 7th grade and things are getting complicated. Should I wear
makeup or not? Am I pretty? What does it mean to be a 7th grader? I have
lots of questions but no answers."
-me, Amelia
"Now I'm in 7th grade and things are getting complicated. Should I wear
makeup or not? Am I pretty? What does it mean to be a 7th grader? I have
lots of questions but no answers."
-me, Amelia
80 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2007
About the author
Marissa Moss
121 books268 followersMarissa Moss has written more than seventy books, from picture books to middle-grade and young adult novels. Best known for the Amelia's Notebook series, her books are popular with teachers and children alike. Her picture book Barbed Wire Baseball won the California Book Award gold medal. Moss is also the founder of Creston Books, an independent children's publishing house.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 6, 2018
Amelia is excited to finally be in the 7th grade, but finds that this year is more complicated than 6th grade. At the first dance of the year, Amelia notices the others girls have started using makeup, including her best friend Carly. Amelia isn't comfortable wearing makeup and worries that she is not growing up as quickly as Carly and the other girls. This begins Amelia's wondering about whether she is pretty, if she should wear makeup, and how others see her. A relatable story on how young girls see themselves and what makes each person unique.
May 14, 2023
I have read from this series before. It's cute. The protagonist is Imperfect and relatable. I guess she's a little obsessive. My student liked it too.
March 23, 2017
lol, this book is very funny. Very realistic.
May 7, 2013
Moss, M. (2007). Amelia’s 7th-grade notebook. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Amelia is a 7th grade girl. She is very self-aware and is trying to navigate friendships, school, boys, makeup, and her body image in this journal-style book. The medium in which Amelia’s thoughts and the story’s plot is recorded is an eye-catching way for the reader to stay along with the story. The notebook style lends itself to illustrations and therefore it supports the text narrative. This is one book in a series of Amelia’s notebooks. In this particular story, Amelia is anxious about the upcoming school dance. She’s afraid of no one asking her to dance. Her older sister Cleo does not do much to encourage her sister, so Amelia turns to her best friend Carly, who tries really hard to convince Amelia to go to the dance. Once she’s there, though, Carly dances nonstop with boys, while Amelia is a wallflower. Amelia gets jealous, and doesn’t like the fact that Carly wears makeup. So then Amelia wonders if it’s because she doesn’t wear makeup that boys don’t ask her to dance. She has her biggest fight with Carly about not wanting to wear makeup, and not being okay with her friend wearing makeup. Amelia realizes that she can’t project her own desires onto other people, and Carly and Amelia make up. In the end, she understands herself better- her desire to wait until she’s a little older to wear makeup, her true beauty that lies within, and her values. Amelia learns that people grow at their own rates, and that’s okay.
This is a good book for tweens, especially girls, who might feel insecure about themselves. Tweens start looking more towards their friends for validation, and this book gives an honest look at how Amelia went through the validation-seeking process with Carly. Hopefully by seeing how Amelia ultimately claimed her own values and lived them, tween girls and boys will learn that they must be their own person. This book can shift the power of peer thought onto one’s own thoughts. I like how Amelia is not perfect- she has flaws and insecurities like a real person does. Marissa Moss created a very realistic character with whom tweens can identify and empathize. It’s helpful to see Amelia’s thought processes as she encounters conflict within herself and with Carly and Cleo. Amelia is a well-rounded character who tweens will want to read more about.
Genre: realistic fiction, graphic novel
Reading level/interest level: Tween
Similar books/materials: Dork Diaries, Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Reader’s advisory notes:
i. personal thoughts: I like the journal-style of narrative writing. I think kids will like this style, too. The pictures are engaging.
ii. subjects/themes: identity, friendship, growing up, family, boy-girl relationships
iii. awards:
iv. series information: part of a series of Amelia’s Notebooks
v. character names/description: Amelia, 7th grader, is self-conscious about her appearance, her maturity level with boys and friends; Cleo, Amelia’s older sister who’s a 9th grader, picks on Amelia; Carly, Amelia’s best friend, Amelia thinks she’s beautiful and has no problems with how she looks, boys, etc., idolizes her a bit, an encouraging friend.
vi. annotation: Amelia wants 7th grade to be a good year. The 7th grade kick-off dance is a chance for her to solidify her reputation and set things right. If only she could find out what’s best for her: to wear makeup or to not? To go to the dance, or not? To be friends with Carly, or not?
Amelia is a 7th grade girl. She is very self-aware and is trying to navigate friendships, school, boys, makeup, and her body image in this journal-style book. The medium in which Amelia’s thoughts and the story’s plot is recorded is an eye-catching way for the reader to stay along with the story. The notebook style lends itself to illustrations and therefore it supports the text narrative. This is one book in a series of Amelia’s notebooks. In this particular story, Amelia is anxious about the upcoming school dance. She’s afraid of no one asking her to dance. Her older sister Cleo does not do much to encourage her sister, so Amelia turns to her best friend Carly, who tries really hard to convince Amelia to go to the dance. Once she’s there, though, Carly dances nonstop with boys, while Amelia is a wallflower. Amelia gets jealous, and doesn’t like the fact that Carly wears makeup. So then Amelia wonders if it’s because she doesn’t wear makeup that boys don’t ask her to dance. She has her biggest fight with Carly about not wanting to wear makeup, and not being okay with her friend wearing makeup. Amelia realizes that she can’t project her own desires onto other people, and Carly and Amelia make up. In the end, she understands herself better- her desire to wait until she’s a little older to wear makeup, her true beauty that lies within, and her values. Amelia learns that people grow at their own rates, and that’s okay.
This is a good book for tweens, especially girls, who might feel insecure about themselves. Tweens start looking more towards their friends for validation, and this book gives an honest look at how Amelia went through the validation-seeking process with Carly. Hopefully by seeing how Amelia ultimately claimed her own values and lived them, tween girls and boys will learn that they must be their own person. This book can shift the power of peer thought onto one’s own thoughts. I like how Amelia is not perfect- she has flaws and insecurities like a real person does. Marissa Moss created a very realistic character with whom tweens can identify and empathize. It’s helpful to see Amelia’s thought processes as she encounters conflict within herself and with Carly and Cleo. Amelia is a well-rounded character who tweens will want to read more about.
Genre: realistic fiction, graphic novel
Reading level/interest level: Tween
Similar books/materials: Dork Diaries, Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Reader’s advisory notes:
i. personal thoughts: I like the journal-style of narrative writing. I think kids will like this style, too. The pictures are engaging.
ii. subjects/themes: identity, friendship, growing up, family, boy-girl relationships
iii. awards:
iv. series information: part of a series of Amelia’s Notebooks
v. character names/description: Amelia, 7th grader, is self-conscious about her appearance, her maturity level with boys and friends; Cleo, Amelia’s older sister who’s a 9th grader, picks on Amelia; Carly, Amelia’s best friend, Amelia thinks she’s beautiful and has no problems with how she looks, boys, etc., idolizes her a bit, an encouraging friend.
vi. annotation: Amelia wants 7th grade to be a good year. The 7th grade kick-off dance is a chance for her to solidify her reputation and set things right. If only she could find out what’s best for her: to wear makeup or to not? To go to the dance, or not? To be friends with Carly, or not?
November 22, 2008
Don't read it.
February 26, 2009
So good, keep wanting to read more!!!
February 21, 2011
very good
July 12, 2011
I loved Amelia's 7th grade notebook! I love how Amelia learns she dosen't need makeup to be beautifal. I reccomend it for girs aged 9-13
September 2, 2011
i love this book
June 26, 2014
it makes me kinda more cofertable for 7th grade
January 17, 2017
Very cute, addresses age-appropriate issues middle school girls actually experience
Read
May 23, 2009I'm reading this 'cause I just picked it up off the shelf in the library. It's boring.
Read
February 17, 2017I remember seeing a lot of myself in Amelia when I was growing up!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews