Parents' Guide to

My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters

By Stephanie Dunnewind, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

A teen's big nose leads to a big lesson in self-acceptance.

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Kids say (4 ):

Teens may relate to Jory's various misadventures, including a gaseous yoga session and a disastrous wedding job. Jory is subject to every teen insecurity: She hides her big nose with tons of makeup; she worries she's a bad kisser; she tries to be cool but is mostly a klutz.

Though Salter tries to pass Jory off as edgy, in the last few chapters Jory comes around to accepting herself and realizing the errors of her ways. The epiphanies come off a bit forced, in a staged speech to her shallow, one-dimensional mother ("I'm never going to be good enough for you!") and the symbolic ripping of magazine images ("How many of them suffer from eating disorders, or addictions, or just plain old insecurity?"). Still, teens will find much to identify with here, and could find worse books to read.

Book Details

  • Author: Sydney Salter
  • Genre: Contemporary Fiction
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: Graphia
  • Publication date: April 6, 2009
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 17
  • Number of pages: 345
  • Last updated: July 12, 2017

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