Bibliographic Information
Publisher: Harper
Collins
Publication year: 2004ISBN: 978-0007154609
Reader’s Annotation
Liza Normal’s mother
wants her to be a child star; Liza just wants to get through eighth grade
without making a fool of herself. As she grows up, Liza decides what she wants
from life in her own offbeat way.
Plot Summary
From the moment her
mother Peppy announces she will be buying an abandoned warehouse and turning it
into a dinner theater, thirteen-year-old Liza Normal knows her life will be anything
but what her last name suggests. Peppy wants Liza to be a star, but awkward
Liza just wants to fit in with the popular girls and not to be so awkward. As
she grows up Liza experiments with punk style and falls into being a drug
dealer after moving out of Peppy’s house. After becoming addicted to the drugs
she deals, Liza begins working for a publishing company writing “slash
fiction,” or erotica. The character she develops in her paperbacks, Venal de
Minus, seems like just a way to pay the bills, until Liza is presented with a
new way to use Venal that combines her theatrical past with her quirky
personality.
Critical Evaluation
Colors Insulting to Nature follows the Normal family and their acquaintances from Liza’s childhood until she is grown and settling down in her own house. The most impressive aspect of this book is the way Wilson follows her characters as they grow and change. Liza, her brother, and even her mother Peppy all go through transformations that are very true to life. Liza’s moving between jobs, experiencing being broke and doing what it takes to pay the bills, falling into work she never considered and finding out she has a talent for it, rapidly changing friendships and romantic entanglements, and her strained relationship with her mother are situations that almost everyone experiences as they are growing up and finding their place in the world. Liza’s metamorphosis from aspiring child star to actual Las Vegas headliner is not necessarily average, but the idea of having no direction until one presents itself is extremely realistic to real life. Wilson has coupled this realism with humorous dialogue and absurd situations to create a universally enjoyable novel.
Colors Insulting to Nature follows the Normal family and their acquaintances from Liza’s childhood until she is grown and settling down in her own house. The most impressive aspect of this book is the way Wilson follows her characters as they grow and change. Liza, her brother, and even her mother Peppy all go through transformations that are very true to life. Liza’s moving between jobs, experiencing being broke and doing what it takes to pay the bills, falling into work she never considered and finding out she has a talent for it, rapidly changing friendships and romantic entanglements, and her strained relationship with her mother are situations that almost everyone experiences as they are growing up and finding their place in the world. Liza’s metamorphosis from aspiring child star to actual Las Vegas headliner is not necessarily average, but the idea of having no direction until one presents itself is extremely realistic to real life. Wilson has coupled this realism with humorous dialogue and absurd situations to create a universally enjoyable novel.
Author Information
Cintra is originally
from San Francisco, where she spent several years performing and writing for
the stage. These writings begat journalistic writings, which in turn begat
books and occasional forays into TV and screenwriting. After a very brief
pit-stop in LA, she moved to New York, for obvious reasons.
Genre
Fiction
Humor
Curriculum Ties
History/Pop Culture
Booktalking Ideas
Introduce the character
of Liza and and briefly explain the transformation her character experiences
without giving away spoilers. Read the opening few pages because they paint a
picture of Liza and her family before anything too crazy happens. Then give a
rating from 1-5 and tell the audience why this is my rating, and take
questions.
Reading Level/Interest
Age
Unspecified
Challenging Issues
Bullying
Depression
Drug Use and/or
Addiction
Language
LGBTQ+
Mental Illness
Running Away
Sexual Content and/or
Nudity
Preparing for Potential
Challenges
http://jeselynsminiyacollection.blogspot.com/p/preparing-for-potential-challenges.html http://jeselynsminiyacollection.blogspot.com/p/preparing-for-specific-challenges-lgbtq.html
Why the Item Was Chosen
I have included this
book in my collection for one simple reason: it made me laugh out loud!
Wilson’s writing style is hilarious and relatable, and I think young adult
readers will find it very entertaining. It is intelligently written and the
events are very diverse. Even a reluctant reader would not be able to put it
down until they found out whether Liza got out of her latest scrape. Colors
Insulting to Nature almost reads like a slightly inappropriate sitcom. I
chose it for my collection because after the triumphant ending that is happy
while staying true to Liza’s quirky personality, I believe no library shelf
should be without this book.
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