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How to Ruin Your Life: And Other Lessons School Doesn’t Teach You Carolyn McTighe Middle Grade Fiction Penelope Jane Parker - better
known as PJ - is a precocious, sociable ten-year-old who, in the spring of
her Grade 4 year, is keen to show her abilities as a sprinter in the annual
school track meet. Her best friend, Katie, has no interest in competing in
the footrace that PJ knows she, PJ, will win. What do best friends do? Well,
PJ decides that, in order to encourage Katie, she'll slow down to give Katie
a chance when they race together in the warm-ups the week before the meet,
so her friend will feel better about herself. But, as the race begins and PJ
slows down, suddenly Katie surges into the lead, and PJ is left huffing to
catch up; in fact, Katie wins the race.
This begins a spiral of jealousy and anger and worry that causes a rupture
in the friendship and a sequence of events during which PJ goes nuts trying
to figure out how to retrieve her position as winner and good friend. PJ shops
for a new best friend to no avail. Her parents strongly advise her to make up
with Katie. Her brother mocks her. PJ's ten-year-old world is falling apart -
and it's only after a number of disastrous stumbles that the friendship is
repaired and equilibrium is restored. The story is told with a lot of humour
- it's the lighter side of what can sometimes be the very nasty and destructive
world of plot and counter-plot that can infest the social lives of girls.
Carolyn McTighe is freelance writer whose articles have appeared in magazines and newspapers across Canada and the United States. She has written for CBC Radio, the Los Angeles Times, Toronto Sun, Ottawa Sun, 24 Hours Vancouver and most recently ELLE Canada. Her first children's book, The Sakura Tree, was published in 2007 by Red Deer Press, and her first non-fiction adult book, Vacuuming in Pearls will be published in 2011. Carolyn lives in British Columbia, with her husband and four children. |
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