Daisy, Bold and Beautiful

By Ellie Collins

DJ (Daisy Jane) is a sixth grader forced to move away from all-things familiar, to a new house, new school and new friends. Terrified nobody’s going to like or accept her, DJ must assimilate into her new school. She soon makes friends who invite her to play their video games. DJ is happy she’s made new friends, but the girls want her to do the things they like.

Meanwhile, she’s also made other friends. DJ loves to garden. One of her teachers runs a community garden club. DJ joins and looks forward to their meetings. She’s afraid her new friends won’t like her new activities, especially when they’ve found out not only does she nor have video games, but she’s never had a TV.

Others suggest that DJ bring her friends over to her house for a gardening party and that includes a new lab mate Hudson, her father, her teachers and a Goddess named Persephone.

Story questions: Will her new girl friends go along with DJ’s activities as well as their own? Will she be able to keep them as friends? How about Hudson? Will he become interested in her garden club? Will he go to Spring Fling with her? And, what about the Goddess Persephonie, her new best friend, who must spend half the year in her outdoor garden of gorgeous flowers and the other-half in the Underworld with her husband, Hades. Will she be able to start a “no sun” garden?

This imaginative coming-of-age story was written by an eleven-year-old sixth grader who has a wonderful concept of plot, sixth grade culture, attitudes, and language. I hope to see more from her.

Patricia A. Guthrie Reviewer