Bringing Up Beauty by Sylvia McNicoll Date of Publication: 1994 ISBN: 0-7736-7479-9 Number of Pages: 204

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior:High   Intermediate: Average
GENRES: Realism
THEMES :Family - Coming of Age - Isolation

SUMMARY:
Elizabeth is a 12-year-old girl whose mother is a staunch environmentalist (when that's not cool), whose older sister walks on the dark side of life, whose two best friends seem to abandon her and start dating each other, and whose dad is immersed in computer and business problems. To top it all off, her mother has enlisted Elizabeth in a dog-training program. She is to socialize "Beauty", a black lab pup, until it's time for Beauty's training as a guide dog to begin.

Unfortunately, training Beauty can’t distract Elizabeth from all the turmoil and change in her life, though Beauty does manage to remind Elizabeth that she isn’t alone in the world. Just as Elizabeth realizes that life will go on, it’s time for her to give Beauty back to the Vision Centre. She learns, however, that letting go is never easy…

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- loves dogs
- has an older sibling suffering from growing pains
- likes to laugh
- anyone who has lost a pet
- feels neglected at home

WHAT ELSE?
This book was chosen as the Silver Birch winner for 1996, and is the first in a series of three books featuring Elizabeth and her family, many of which have also been nominated for awards. The older sister does end up in trouble, which might strike close to home for some readers with rebellious siblings.

RELATED LINK:
Author's site: http://www.sylviamcnicoll.com/