Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love

In the novel Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love by Lauren Tarshis, Emma-Jean struggles to find her place as her 7th-grade peers at William Gladstone Middle School prepare for the upcoming Spring Fling. She considers asking Will Keeler, whom she considers to be an honorable person, but later realizes that they are not suitable for each other. Meanwhile, her friend Colleen feels insecure because she believes that no one would want to attend with her. In an attempt to cheer her up, Colleen’s close friend Kaitlin leaves an anonymous letter in her locker:

Colleen-

I think you’re the best girl in the whole grade. I hope you want to go to the Spring Fling.

Love,

Someone who thinks you’re so great.

Colleen’s reaction to this note is described brilliantly by Tarshis:

“Out of all the girls in the seventh grade, a boy liked Colleen.

Colleen, who wasn’t the prettiest girl in the seventh grade, or the smartest, or the funniest; Colleen, who wasn’t first violin or in high math or in travel soccer. A boy liked Colleen, because she was Colleen, because that was enough” (Tarshis, 32).

This novel is written in third-person, but takes on two different perspective. Each chapter alternates between Emma-Jean’s and Colleen’s point-of-view. This adds much more depth to the story because these characters could not be more different. Emma-Jean always has a logical approach to situations, even when logic may not apply. As Colleen described her, “she knew almost nothing about boys or clothes or makeup, but everything about birds and flowers” (Tarshis, 13). Colleen, on the other hand, loves trying on makeup and using fruity perfumes, both of which Emma-Jean believe irritate the skin and cause asthma. It is very bold of Tarshis to tweak her writing style as she goes back and forth from each of the two characters.

Tarshis does a wonderful job of creating characters that stay with you  long after the book is finished. I especially appreciated how well she fleshed out Colleen’s character and built her into something more than just words on a page:

“All eyes turned to Colleen, who was indeed the most fragile of the girls, easily upset by even the most benign conflicts. A recent debate about soda flavors had caused Colleen to put her hands over her ears and implore, ‘Can’t we all just agree?’” (Tarshis, 70).

I thought that this particular quote captured Colleen’s personality quite well. She clearly cares a great deal for her friends but  hates for there to be conflict. However, because of her sensitivity, she is often anxious. The reason why this stood out most to me is because I worry over the same things as Colleen would, and I think that the author took the appropriate and believable angle when expressing this characteristic.

The author uses both similes and metaphors to express the relationship Emma-Jean has with her peers. My favorite is when Emma-Jean’s friends are compared  to the moons of Jupiter:

“Like the moons of Jupiter, Colleen Pomerantz, Kaitlin Vogel, Valerie Rosen, and Michele Peters moved together in harmony through the chaotic universe of William Gladstone Middle School. And if Emma-Jean did not share their exact orbit, she was very pleased nonetheless to sit with them at their table” (Tarshis, 6).

I admire Lauren Tarshis’s writing style and the story reminded me of how complicated the seventh grade was.