Finally by Wendy Mass

Finally by Wendy Mass

Image courtesy of Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis: A humorous look at what it means to FINALLY turn twelve years old.

You can pierce your ears when you're twelve. You can go to the mall with your friends when you're twelve. You can babysit little Timmy next door when you're twelve. You can get a cell phone when you're twelve. Hey, you can even ride in the front passenger-side seat when you're twelve.

When you're twelve, when you're twelve, when you're twelve . . .

My name is Rory Swenson, and I've been waiting to turn twelve my whole life. In exactly 18 hours, 36 minutes, and 52 seconds, it will finally happen.

My life will officially begin.

My Review: First off, let me just say this book was way better than 11 Birthdays because it wasn't repetitive. That being said, I, myself, cannot believe that Rory's parents relented so easily to her list of demands. Even if they had said Rory could pierce her ears and go to the mall with her friends, it's surprising they readily agreed once Rory turned 12, especially after being so overprotective. Rory herself is a fun character. She's really nice and has a bubbly personality. I didn't exactly like Annabelle, her best friend, because she was a bit rude at points, and wasn't really a good friend to Rory. I also didn't really understand the purpose of Amanda and Leo, and it seemed as if they were to bring a deeper understanding into the story, but did not follow through. However, the surprise at the end was cool, and showed that kindness is always rewarded.The plot was what actually caught my eye, and it delivered! It showed that sometimes, desires can be flops, and I think Rory definitely learned that through some unexpected disasters. Those were definitely entertaining, and pretty sad at points, too (you'll understand what I mean when you read the book). Since the plot was great substantially, and the characters were fun to read about as well, I give Finally 4 stars. It was a great, quick middle grade read.