By Candice Ransom
Disney-Hyperion Books
Ages 9 to 13
ISBN-13: 978-1423145394
Recognition
- Texas Bluebonnet Runner-Up
- Children’s Choice Nominee
Chapter One: Never Wear Seven Pairs of Underpants
Convicts can spot a runaway right off the stick. I found that out too late.
I was trudging down Coolbrook Road, a big fat lie of a name if there ever was one.
The brook was invisible, unless you counted the dried-up gulley running alongside. And I would have had to catch on fire first to cool off.
Twelve-year-old Rebel McKenzie wants to spend her summer at the Ice Age Kids’ Dig and Safari where kids discover prehistoric bones, right alongside real paleontologists. But digs cost money and Rebel is broker than four o’clock. Instead she must spend her summer watching her seven-year-old nephew, Rudy, who picks out clothes for people’s funerals before they are dead, while dealing with the next-door bully, the across-the-street pageant queen, and Doublewide, the enormous cat that came with her sister’s trailer.
Reviews
“Spunky and sassy, Rebel redefines beauty pageants in this rollicking tale.”
“Like a blueberry Slurpee on a scorching hot day, Rebel McKenzie is perfect for summer. Everyone is worth knowing in this rich and funny book.”
“Surprises in both plot and character development create a quick pace; extra material like Rudy’s cartoons and pages from Rebel’s field notebook provide welcome and often amusing insight.”
“Rebel McKenzie is a pure delight. I hated to see the book end, so I read it twice.”