The Cybrarian's Book Reviews

Just Breeze
by Beverly Stowe McClure

The perils of middle school are real – ask anyone who has survived the ordeal, or is about to go through it. You worry about everything – about fitting in, having the right look, the right clothes, the “right” friends. Will you be popular…at least enough to not be a total social outcast? These are real worries that every middle-schooler must learn to deal with. Breeze Brannigan is no different.

Breeze is the tallest student in her class, towering over even the tallest of the boys. She has fire-red hair that is always out of control, wears shoes that she believes are “canoe sized”, and a blinding smile, literally…when the light hits her braces just so… you get the picture. All the boys in her class think of Breeze as a buddy, a pal, one of the guys as she is a “Ms. Fix-It” and can fix anything. Then there’s her family. A practically perfect older sister – you know the type: petite, blonde and (of course) the captain of the cheerleading squad; an annoying little brother (well, aren’t they all at that age?) and let’s not forget her mother…did I mention her mother is going to be one of her teachers this year?! Breeze does not have high hopes for her eighth grade year.

Enter Cam, the new boy at school and things are definitely beginning to look up. Cam is like no boy Breeze has ever known. He speaks with an accent that assures you he did not grow up locally. He’s…polite. What’s up with that?!? Obviously he must be from Mars, Breeze thinks. And…Cam has a secret. A big one that must be protected at all costs. Don’t you just love solving a mystery?

This is a wonderful story that captures the true spirit and angst of the character’s age. Ms. McClure is an excellent story teller with an innate talent for creating characters that are easy to identify with. You feel an immediate connection to both her characters and storyline. It is easy to recognize the life situations that are a sort of “rites of passage” we all navigate through and the author weaves an intriguing story around it all filled with style and grace.


This award winning book is a reader's choice favorite in the 2009 Editors and Preditors Readers Poll and it is easy to see why.



I highly recommend this book, not only for the young adult audience Ms. McClure writes for, but for anyone who enjoys a brilliant story with engaging characters. I have thoroughly enjoyed this author's work and can hardly wait to see what she will delight us with next.












Millicent Prendergild, Cybrarian
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