Chapter 9: A Book Based Entirely On Its Cover

The Book Of Bright Ideas, Sandra Kring

"Your dad looks like Elvis," Winnalee said when Daddy and me got back to the yard (not even bothering to whisper), but that wasn't so. He had black hair like Elvis, and eyes the color of a navy crayon, but not the same nose and mouth, just regular ones.

Before I can even get into discussing the writing, I have to talk about this cover. It's popped up on my online library page a few times and has always been a Maybe Read. It's obviously Chick Lit and looks like it's probably pretty funny. This sassy little girl appears to be up to something. I finally decided to find out what and I was not disappointed.

Bright Ideas is narrated by 9 year old Button. She tells story of one crazy summer as only a timid child can. Winnalee (the cover girl) and her sister Freeda blow in to small-town Wisconsin and set Button's world on end. By the time Labor Day rolls around, no one is the same. The characters are lovable, if somewhat one dimensional, and the story, while predictable, is entertaining in large part due to the narration.

Early in the book, I assumed it took place in the South. People say things like "Bless her heart." I don't remember people talking like this in the Midwest of my childhood, but the turn of phrase is very charming. As I neared the final pages, I began to tire of the expressions, but for most of the book, I enjoyed how Button describes emotions as physical attributes: twirling me until my belly got the giggles and Some sad was sitting in her eyes. These were more powerful than the incongruent dialect, so I could look past that.

Another confusing aspect was the weather. Daffodils are blooming, but school is out of session, but people still need sweaters. Now, I am well aware that the climate of the Midwest can be unpredictable, but these little details just don't make sense. Perhaps school let out much earlier in 1961, or this town is somehow above the Arctic Circle. Even still, Wisconsin has four seasons and the shift described is too abrupt. And I'm the girl who had several feet of snow fall down the back of my parka while on spring break in Chicago. I think it's the flower detail that sticks in my craw because daffodils will even come up through snow in the Midwest. Regardless, these details rubbed me the wrong way.

Looking beyond details, the story is formulaic and shallow. It's not groundbreaking or revealing of some under-analyzed part of the human experience. It doesn't need to be any of those things, though. It is tender entertainment told in the light of childhood magic. Kring does an excellent job of creating and maintaining a voice for each character. The way they speak reveals as much about their personalities as their actions do. At times the author gets carried away with exposition, like when Freeda goes off on Button's mom, but I probably prefer the efficiency of it to a clumsy attempt to show these truths over time.

Overall, this is a cute book for some light reading. I doubt I'll read the sequel, but I did enjoy this one. If you like chick lit, a little absurdity, and family drama, this book is for you.