Luv Ya Bunches
 First edition, 2009 | |
| Author | Lauren Myracle |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Flower Power |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Publisher | Amulet Books |
Publication date | October 1, 2009 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Hardcover, Paperback |
| Pages | 352 pages |
| ISBN | 0-8109-4211-9 978-0-8109-4211-0 |
Luv Ya Bunches is a 2009 children's novel by author Lauren Myracle. The book was first published on October 1, 2009 through Amulet Books and focuses on the friendship between four elementary school girls with similar floral themed names. It's very popular among girls ages 9–13, and is known for its girly and interesting story plot. Luv Ya Bunches has received some controversy over its inclusion of same-sex parents, with Scholastic requesting that Myracle remove the couple and some objectionable language before it could be sold at their book fairs.[1] Myracle removed some of the language, but refused to replace the lesbian couple with a heterosexual one.[2] Scholastic later retracted their statement, saying that they would offer the book at book fairs but would not sell the book at ones held in elementary schools.[3][4]
Plot summary
The main characters, Yasaman (which means "jasmine" in Turkish), Violet, Katie-Rose, and Camilla, are each named after flowers, and all are entering fifth grade.
Katie-Rose is one of the most unpopular girls in the grade. She has two older brothers (in order of birth): Charlie and Sam. Her only friend is Max, her neighbor. He is funny and smart, but Katie-Rose wants a girl friend, one that she can hang out with at school. She really wants to be friends with popular girl Camilla Swanson, nicknamed Milla. Katie-Rose knows Milla from Pioneer Camp and likes her a lot. Although Milla feels the same way, she is told by her friend Modessa not to hang out with Katie-Rose.
Milla is an only child and has two moms, "Mom Abigail" and "Mom Joyce". Her best friends are Modessa and Quin, but they are not very nice to her. One time, Quin even cruelly put mud in Milla's milkshake.
Modessa (nicknamed by Katie-Rose "Medusa") is the most popular girl in the school. Pretty and smooth, she loves to tease people and bully them. Modessa's BFF, Quin, does the same. Milla hangs out with them, as Milla is really pretty.
One of the girls Modessa bullies is Yasaman. Yasaman is a sweet Muslim girl that is a computer genius. Modessa calls her Spaz-a-man because Yasaman is kind of clumsy. Yasaman has a younger sister named Nigar (pronounced Nee-GAR).
Violet is the last of the flower friends. She is the new girl (she just moved with her dad—no siblings—from Georgia to California), and her mom is in a mental ward, causing her to feel very sad. She temporarily joins Modessa's clique and becomes friends with Milla.
Yasaman has made a website much like Facebook, called a name that Yasaman, Katie-Rose, Milla, and Violet dislike: "BlahBlahSomethingSomething.com". Katie-Rose and Yasaman become friends and Katie-Rose joins the site.
Meanwhile, Milla feels like it isn't right for Modessa to tell her who she can't or can talk to. So Milla talks to Katie-Rose behind Modessa's back, and Katie-Rose introduces Milla to the site. But Modessa finds out, and wants pay Milla back.
In the beginning of the book, Milla had accidentally dropped her good-luck charm: a bobble-head turtle named Tally. Unknown to all, Violet picks it up and keeps it. Later, once she finds out that the turtle is Milla's good luck charm, she wants to give it back to Milla without her knowing that Violet had ever had it. So while the fifth-grade class is giving presentations, she hides Tally in the cushions she knows Modessa will sit in, then find Tally, and then give it back to Milla, so no one knows she was involved. However, Modessa does not give the good luck charm back to Milla; she puts it in Katie-Roses's backpack, pinning the stealing of Tally the Turtle on innocent Katie-Rose. Katie-Rose was then shunned by Milla, who believed Katie-Rose stole it. Violet knows the latter is innocent but doesn't say anything.
Eventually, Violet tells Milla and they ditch Modessa and Quin. They become friends with Yasaman and Katie-Rose and plan revenge on Modessa. They decide to—and do—make Modessa think that Quin put mud in her ice cream, just as she had done to Milla. It was easy to do as Modessa assumes the worst of people. The plan worked and Modessa and Quin are covered by ice cream at the end of the book, angry at each other and in trouble with scolding teachers. United through anger at Modessa and Quin and friends at last, Milla, Violet, Katie-Rose, and Yasaman find out that they are all named after flowers and dub themselves the "FFFs," or "Flower Friends Forever". Throughout all this, Milla gains a crush on Max.
"LuvYaBunches.com" is the name the girls decide to rename Yasaman's social network now that they all use it to at the end of the book.
Reception
Critical reception for the book was mostly positive,[5][6] with Booklist giving it a positive review.[7] Publishers Weekly gave a mixed review of the book, saying that Luv Ya Bunches "sends something of a mixed message about the acceptability of teasing as the girls’ plot their own prank in response to Modessa’s machinations. Still, readers will find the girls’ voices enticing and should be able to relate to their conflicts and inner anxieties."[8]
References
- ^ "ScholasticCensors Myracle's 'Luv Ya Bunches' from Book Fairs". School Library Journal. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "Scholastic to Sell 'Luv Ya Bunches' at Middle School Book Fairs". School Library Journal. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "Scholastic backtracks on demand that author change book's lesbian parents to a heterosexual couple". Think Progress. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ Wolf, Shelby. Handbook of Research on Children's and Young Adult Literature. Routledge. p. 446. ISBN 0203843541.
- ^ "Review: Luv Ya Bunches". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "Reviews for Luv Ya Bunches". BookVerdict (SLJ, Horn Book Guide). Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "Review: Luv Ya Bunches". Booklist. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "Review: Luv Ya Bunches". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 7 March 2013.