Summary
Addie is celebrating her 12th birthday, but she is so over being a kid. She hates being short and freckled. She wants to be 16 – boys, makeup, dances. She wants all the glamour of high school. So when her elderly neighbor gives her a box that’s supposed to grant wishes, Addie wishes to be 16. And the next day, she is.
At 16, Adeline is tall and lovely. She wears makeup and drives. She has a new best friend and a popular YouTube vlog. Sixteen is everything Addie wanted. Except….
Adeline/Addie doesn’t remember the last four years! She doesn’t know why Grace isn’t her friend anymore. She doesn’t know HOW to drive the car she has, what to feed her own dog, or any of the French words her teacher uses in class. While she got everything she thought she wanted, Addie’s not so sure her shortcut to 16 was the right idea after all.
Review
I really connected with Addie. At 12, she longs for the freedoms and privileges her older sister enjoys but which are out of her reach. As a 12-year-old in a 16-year-old’s life, the shiny appeal of those freedoms and privileges wears off when Addie sees what she has given up to get there.
I love that the author kept Addie’s 12-year-old self so clear in the high school world. The driving scene and the coffee scene were two of my favorite parts. And the sections on nostalgia and shortcuts are great messages for the reader.
This was comically painful and lovely at the same time. This could easily be the plot of a Disney movie, complete with awkward, embarrassing moments that make kids laugh and adults cringe. This book would be great for fans of All the Answers and other be-careful-what-you-wish-for stories.