Wendy Mass is the author of the award-winning books for readers A MANGO-SHAPED SPACE, LEAP DAY, JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE, HEAVEN LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE MALL, EVERY SOUL A STAR, and the Twice Upon a Time series. She tells people her hobbies are photography and hiking, but they're really collecting candy bar wrappers and searching for buried treasure with her metal detector. Wendy lives with her family in New Jersey. Visit her at www.wendymass.com.
Finally (12) (Willow Falls Series #2)
by Wendy Mass
Paperback
$6.99
- ISBN-13: 9780545052436
- Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
- Publication date: 06/01/2011
- Series: Willow Falls Series , #2
- Pages: 304
- Sales rank: 40,457
- Product dimensions: 5.30(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.90(d)
- Age Range: 9 - 12 Years
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You can pierce your ears when you're twelve. You can go to the mall with your friends when you're twelve. You can babysit little Timmy next door when you're twelve. You can get a cell phone when you're twelve. Hey, you can even ride in the front passenger-side seat when you're twelve.
When you're twelve, when you're twelve, when you're twelve . . .
My name is Rory Swenson, and I've been waiting to turn twelve my whole life. In exactly 18 hours, 36 minutes, and 52 seconds, it will finally happen.
My life will officially begin.
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Rory Swenson has been waiting her entire life to be twelve. Of course, when she reaches that magical age, she discovers that all its intensely imagined coolness and independence is intertwined with complications that she hadn't anticipated. This novel by Wendy Mass (11 Birthdays; Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life) burns as brightly as the very best birthday cake a young girl could ever receive. Now in paperback.
From the Publisher
“Finally is a treat–a delicious story about fitting in, falling down, and growing up. Wendy Mass has done it again!”–Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me
A Washington Post KidsPost Summer Book Club selection
“Author Wendy Mass captures the frustration of pre-teens as they reach the magical time that allows them to begin experiencing tidbits from the grown-up world. Finally will have readers laughing, nodding in agreement, and sighing in sympathy as they follow Rory's tale of reaching 12.”–Teensreadtoo.com
“Children will relate to this warm, funny story of a heroine who can't wait to grow up.”–School Library Journal
“Rory's lively first-person narrative clearly expresses her emotions as she seesaws between longing and fear, confidence and insecurity. The jacket photo will attract tween readers.”–Booklist
“Rory's chatty, friendly voice and relentless optimism in the face of her many mishaps are heartwarming.”–Publishers Weekly
“A funny story that will appeal particularly to girls who are just learning what it means to begin growing up.”–Rave Reviews Log, blog review
“I was either smiling, chuckling, or outright laughing all through this book.”–Everead, blog review
“Finally is a fast-paced, hilarious novel…Mass captures an authentic 12-year-old here that never once feels forced, too old, or too young.”–Stacked, blog review
Publishers Weekly
Mass revisits Willow Falls (the setting of 11 Birthdays) for this entertaining treatment of the weeks following Rory Swenson's eagerly anticipated 12th birthday. Upon turning 12, Rory begins working through a list of fervent wishes she's been compiling since she was seven: owning a cellphone, going to the mall without parents, and getting her ears pierced, to name a few. Each wish's fulfillment, however, is predictably accompanied by a minor disaster (an allergic reaction to a gold stud, an unusually aggressive pet bunny). The plot is bolstered by the filming of a movie at Rory's school, starring the “coolest, hottest fourteen-year-old boy in this or any other universe,” with students playing extras. Angelina, the wizened, ageless seer of 11 Birthdays, appears to Rory early on with a prophetic warning, “You won't get what you want... until you see what you need,” but Rory's wishes are trivial enough to make the final scene of self-discovery fall flat. Though long on page count, the book feels slight, but Rory's chatty, friendly voice and relentless optimism in the face of her many mishaps are heartwarming. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)
Kirkus Reviews
Rory Swenson just cannot wait to be 12, that magical age at which her parents will lighten up and allow her some independence. She's been promised that she can get her own cell phone, get contact lenses and attend a boy-girl party, among other things. Just as the long-awaited birthday arrives, Rory and her friend are selected to be extras in a movie being filmed at their school. As Rory begins to tick off items from her list, catastrophes begin. She learns that she is highly allergic to both gold and plant-based make-up, and she mangles her legs when she tries shaving. None of this makes her look good on camera. Rory's amusing disasters foreshadow the lessons she learns at her first boy-girl party, from which she escapes rather than participate in a kissing game: Growing up doesn't have to happen all at once, and it isn't always all it's cracked up to be. A couple of clunky plot points notwithstanding, Mass provides a pretty entertaining and solidly worthwhile read. (Fiction. 8-12)
Chantelle Pritchett
Finally introduces Rory, a spunky and clumsy preteen who finds herself in awkward social situations. Rory's story is sparked when she finally turns twelve, and can do all the things her parents promised that she could do at that age. On B-Day, Rory finally gets to work on her goals. Get her own house key. Check Shave her legs. Check Get a cell phone, wear makeup, and get a pet. Check, Check, and Check. If only accomplishing her list was so easy! Along the way, Rory gets into some scary situations and always seems to land in a less than graceful manner. Rory's family and friends keep her laughing and teach her that turning twelve means more than just checkmarks on a page. Mass's writing style is witty; she gets into the mind of a twelve-year-old girl spinning a humorous story that makes readers laugh out loud. Reviewer: Chantelle PritchettChildren's Literature - Sue Poduska
The author's charm shines through again in this sequel to the popular 11 Birthdays. Amanda and Leo appear as a teaser, but the reader is left wondering what happened to them in the previous book. This time, nearly-invisible Rory is turning twelve, and she wants to make the most of her newly advanced age. For as long as she remembers, her parents have told that her she has to wait until she's twelve to do certain things: stay home alone, get her ears pierced, get a cell phone, go to a girl-boy party, babysit, and more. In anticipation of her birthday, Rory makes a list of these items and informs her parents that she's ready to try them. Disaster strikes with each item Rory crosses off the list, but she learns a lot about being a responsible person and makes many new friends along the way. The journey is an amusing, fast-paced good read. Reviewer: Sue PoduskaSchool Library Journal
Gr 4–7—Rory Swenson just can't catch a break. She's been waiting for what seems like forever for her 12th birthday. According to her parents' rules, that is the magical age when she'll finally be able to partake in many formerly forbidden activities such as wearing contact lenses, getting a pet, owning a cell phone, piercing her ears, and staying home alone. Now that the day has finally come, she finds that growing up isn't as satisfying as she imagined. She's completely unprepared for the minor disasters that result: her new pet bunny seems homicidal; staying home alone is scarier than she thought; and her attempt at having her ears pierced reveals an allergy to gold. The only silver lining is her growing friendship with movie-star Jake Harrison, who is filming at her school. There's a nice twist at the end, when the many good deeds Rory has done without thinking of herself pay off, and she realizes that her misfortunes are minor. This novel pairs well with Mass's 11 Birthdays (Scholastic, 2009), but it stands on its own. Children will relate to this warm, funny story of a heroine who can't wait to grow up.—Madigan McGillicuddy, Los Angeles Public Library