Everything Is Fine.

March 1, 2009
Gr 6-9-Mazzy is fine. Her severely depressed, almost catatonic mother is fineas long as Mazzy takes care of her and keeps neighbors and family-services investigators away. Her absent ESPN-host father is fine, though he's been gone a while and Mazzy doesn't feel like returning his calls. And the summer will be fine, as long as she can keep hanging out with Colby, her neighbor, and pursue her art. In spare prose verging on free verse, Mazzy tells her story, of her daily routines without parents, of her occasional interactions with neighborsand of the tragic accident that recently killed her young sister and led to her family's breakdown. Ellis impressively captures the voice of a sardonic, damaged, but surviving adolescent girl. Secondary characters are fleshed out well through Mazzy's pointed descriptions and snappy dialogue, and Colby shines with humor and a personality that rings true. Readers are given glimpses into the family Mazzy used to have, and the girl she once was. Although the ending seems hasty and perhaps unrealistically optimistic, Ellis has created a unique snapshot of family tragedy that's refreshingly devoid of melodrama.Riva Pollard, Prospect Sierra Middle School, El Cerrito, CA

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
After Mazzy's sister dies, her mother becomes too depressed to get out of bed and her father moves out. In denial, Mazzy tries to fend for herself, spending her days chatting with neighbors, snowing the social worker, and creating artwork. Though unremittingly bleak, Ellis's spare novel is a fascinating portrait of a family rent by grief, misplaced blame, and mental illness.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)