Title: The Queen of Kentucky
Author: Alecia Whitaker
Release Date: June 12th, 2012,
Hardcover
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Group: Young Adult
Literature
Rating:★★★★★
Fourteen-year-old Kentucky girl Ricki Jo Winstead, who would prefer to be called Ericka, thank you very much, is eager to shed her farmer's daughter roots and become part of the popular crowd at her small town high school. She trades her Bible for Seventeen magazine, buys new "sophisticated" clothes and somehow manages to secure a tenuous spot at the cool kids table. She's on top of the world, even though her best friend and the boy next door Luke says he misses "plain old Ricki Jo."
Caught between being a country girl and wannabe country club girl, Ricki Jo begins to forget who she truly is: someone who doesn't care what people think and who wouldn't let a good-looking guy walk all over her. It takes a serious incident out on Luke's farm for Ricki Jo to realize that being a true friend is more important than being popular.
Caught between being a country girl and wannabe country club girl, Ricki Jo begins to forget who she truly is: someone who doesn't care what people think and who wouldn't let a good-looking guy walk all over her. It takes a serious incident out on Luke's farm for Ricki Jo to realize that being a true friend is more important than being popular.
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Did you know that the author of this book, Alecia Whitaker, is from Cynthiana, Kentucky? Did you also know that I live about an hour away from there? Crazy! I could just relate to this book so much. What Alecia Whitaker wrote was so relatable and so true for this area of the country.
The story is about an all country farm girl Ricki Jo, but please call her Ericka if she is at school. She is fourteen years old, lives on her father's farm, and her best friend Luke Foster lives just right down the street. This coming of age novel talks about all the things a girl wants to happen once she enters High School. Ricki Jo wants to be popular and fit in with the cool crowd, but can she still be herself and not change to fit in with the popular crowd?
I just loved this book so much! I could relate so much to Ricki Jo at parts in the book. My dad was also a Tabaco farmer, but quite once there was a big buy out which is just what Ricki Jo's dad did also. I live on a farm with cattle, crops, and barns. So I just got really into the story. Ricki Jo lived in a town that isn't too different from mine. The author uses a lot of references that I could understand.
I also really enjoyed the characters. Ricki Jo is friends with a bunch of mean girls, but at the end you really see redeeming qualities in them all. My favorite character was Luke and he really held the book together at times. While there relationship was perdictable, I just couldn't wait to see what was going to happen with them in the end. I am glad that Ricki Jo's friend Mackenzie turned out to be a true friend. I really liked her at the beginning and thought that she was nice to Ricki Jo when the other girls weren’t. Ricki Jo is relatable to me because there have been a lot of times that I have been in the same position as her. I never really fit in at my high school and I remember putting up with mean comments, just to say that I have friends. But I never had as good as friend as Luke. Ricki Jo is lucky! I also loved all her funny commentary; there were parts when I was laughing out loud. I also just got to say I love Kentucky! It is so beautiful and I love how the author you a lot of descriptive language to describe their farm and how farm life was.
Overall, The Queen of Kentucky has a very good message that I think everybody should take the time to read. I would recommend this to any girl that is in middle school. I really enjoyed it and glad that I had it down in my 2012 Debut Author Challenge. I really wish that the author would write another one. There is so much that could go on with these characters! I also just want to read more about Ricki Jo and Luke! Along with Mackenzie and Candace.
The story is about an all country farm girl Ricki Jo, but please call her Ericka if she is at school. She is fourteen years old, lives on her father's farm, and her best friend Luke Foster lives just right down the street. This coming of age novel talks about all the things a girl wants to happen once she enters High School. Ricki Jo wants to be popular and fit in with the cool crowd, but can she still be herself and not change to fit in with the popular crowd?
I just loved this book so much! I could relate so much to Ricki Jo at parts in the book. My dad was also a Tabaco farmer, but quite once there was a big buy out which is just what Ricki Jo's dad did also. I live on a farm with cattle, crops, and barns. So I just got really into the story. Ricki Jo lived in a town that isn't too different from mine. The author uses a lot of references that I could understand.
I also really enjoyed the characters. Ricki Jo is friends with a bunch of mean girls, but at the end you really see redeeming qualities in them all. My favorite character was Luke and he really held the book together at times. While there relationship was perdictable, I just couldn't wait to see what was going to happen with them in the end. I am glad that Ricki Jo's friend Mackenzie turned out to be a true friend. I really liked her at the beginning and thought that she was nice to Ricki Jo when the other girls weren’t. Ricki Jo is relatable to me because there have been a lot of times that I have been in the same position as her. I never really fit in at my high school and I remember putting up with mean comments, just to say that I have friends. But I never had as good as friend as Luke. Ricki Jo is lucky! I also loved all her funny commentary; there were parts when I was laughing out loud. I also just got to say I love Kentucky! It is so beautiful and I love how the author you a lot of descriptive language to describe their farm and how farm life was.
Overall, The Queen of Kentucky has a very good message that I think everybody should take the time to read. I would recommend this to any girl that is in middle school. I really enjoyed it and glad that I had it down in my 2012 Debut Author Challenge. I really wish that the author would write another one. There is so much that could go on with these characters! I also just want to read more about Ricki Jo and Luke! Along with Mackenzie and Candace.
Plot: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Writing:★★★★★
Ending: ★★★★★
Cover: ★★★★★
It's always fun when you can relate to a book. I love things that are set in places that I know well. Usually it seems like books are set in NYC or San Francisco or random made-up little towns. It's so rare that they're in places I've lived. Plus I like books that have good messages.
ReplyDeleteReally good review. I'll most definitely add it to my TBR! I don't usually do this but I've nominated you for the Versatile Blogger award because I think you deserve it!
ReplyDeleteFor more info check my post ->
http://thebooktomyheart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/blog-award-versatile-blogger.html
I didn't realize that this was a younger adult novel. I normally tend to read books where the characters are a bit older. But I'm still willing to give this one a shot. Nice review :)
ReplyDeleteSarah @ That Teenage Feeling