From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up–Overachieving high school senior Mara Valentine's drive stems from the belief that she is her parents' "Only Hope"; her 35-year-old sister has achieved nothing but having a daughter, V, who is only a year younger than Mara and appears to be a "nicotine-addicted nympho." Sport for Mara is competing with her ex-boyfriend for class valedictorian; she has been accepted early decision to Yale. Mara is a sharp, interesting narrator, but she has alienated most of her friends with her rigid, single-minded attitudes. Her life is thrown into chaos when V comes to live with the family, and provides multiple shades of gray in Mara's black-and-white world. She makes out with Mara's ex on the first day of school and constantly makes cutting, but frighteningly accurate, comments about the limitations of her aunt's life plans. In the midst of this chaos, while working part-time at a local café, Mara falls in love with her 22-year-old boss who hasn't gone to college and is forced to reassess the goals that V has already called into question. The romance is believable, as is the tension between Mara and V, although both situations resolve smoothly and somewhat quickly. This is a fast, often humorous read with some meat but no bite (although Mara does lose her virginity)–just the universal theme of growing up and figuring out what's important. This title will have strong appeal for teens grappling with these same questions.–Karyn N. Silverman, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 8-12. Besides the words vegan and virgin, overachiever also describes Mara Valentine. A straight-A senior who has been accepted by Yale, Mara is trying to beat out her ex-boyfriend for another v-word, valedictorian. Then, into her well-ordered life flies her same-age niece, Vivian, known as V. V is living with the family because her mom, Mara's much older sister, is trying to find herself yet again. V is the anti-Mara, a smoking, drinking loser with a fondness for the F word. Wisely, Mackler does not frame this as the story of opposites trying to get along. In fact, with a little love from her grandparents and a part in the school play, V turns herself around with unbelievable ease. She is, however, a catalyst for Mara to examine her own behavior, and this is where the book rings true. In a knowing first-person voice, Mara explores her tightly woven relationship with her parents, the pressure she puts on herself to get ahead, and the growing feeling she has for an older guy. By the book's conclusion Mara is no longer a virgin or a vegan, but her transformation has been entirely credible and, for readers anyway, thoroughly enjoyable. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Mara Valentine is in control. She's a straight-A senior, a vegan, and her parents' pride and joy. She's neck-and-neck with her womanizing ex-boyfriend for number-one class ranking and plans to kick his salutatorian butt on her way out the door to Yale. Mara has her remaining months in Brockport all planned out.

The plan does not involve having V, her slutty, pot-smoking, sixteen-year-old niece -- yes, niece -- come to live with her family. Nor does it involve lusting after her boss at the local café or dreaming about grilled cheese sandwiches every night. Before Mara knows it, things are spinning wildly out of control....

Vegan Virgin Valentine is the gripping story of an overachiever who learns to get over it and get a life.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Mackler's (The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things) latest tale starring a strong female protagonist centers on Mara Valentine, who is headed to Yale and vying with her ex-boyfriend, Travis Hart, for valedictorian. Enter wild niece V, who is only a year younger (the daughter of Mara's sister, who is nearly 20 years older) and who moves in with Mara's family. The two get off to a bad start when V hooks up with Travis, and Mara gets worked up over V's gross habits and pot smoking. But the young women stick up for each other in unexpected moments, too (such as when Mara crosses out some nasty graffiti about V). The plotting here follows a familiar path: when Mara falls in love with James, the 22-year-0ld owner of the caf where she works, she sees there is more to life than grades, while V, finally in a stable environment, begins to fulfill her "unrealized potential" by landing a part in the school play. While some readers may identify more with rebellious V than with Mara ("You sure are wound tight," V says to Mara), the two characters begin to deepen and mature through the course of the novel, and the audience may well warm up to Mara. There are some hilarious moments here, too; Mara, for example, who became vegan in order to stop obsessing over her ex, dreams of cheese and wakes up with lips that "tasted salty." Readers won't find anything groundbreaking here, but they will likely be entertained along the way. Ages 14-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Francine Thomas

Mara Valentine is a straight-A high school senior with early acceptance to Yale who tries to walk the straight and narrow in everything she does—including dating and eating. Enter her slutty, boyfriend-stealing, pot-smoking sixteen-year-old niece known simply as V. Vivienne Vail Valentine is moving in to spend the school year because her single mother, Mara's 35-year-old sister, is off to pursue her own immature dreams. Trouble begins almost as soon as V gets off the plane. Not a first book for author Carolyn Mackler, she exhibits a grasp of the demeanor and language of many of today's teens as well as their propensity for use of the "F" word. The latter makes the storyline more believable, but certainly not more commendable. Written in the first person, the dialogue is delivered in a quick paced, gum-chewing manner. The story lightly explores Mara's maturation process as she takes a look at the person she is becoming and chooses to make changes for the better. Thankfully, V eventually learns to make a few right choices as well. The book may be a popular easy read for many young girls looking for a mildly entertaining treatment of today's challenges of growing up. 2004, Candlewick Press, Ages 12 to 14.

VOYA - Lisa A. Hazlett

Brainiacs Mara and Travis had been their high school's "it" couple, but after having been dumped online for greener pastures, Mara faces both pain and empty hours. For assuagement and distraction, she single-mindedly pursues academic and personal perfection, but her intense, rigorous choices ironically heighten her focus on Travis's actions while separating her from friends and normal lifestyle. Accepted early by Yale, Mara's remaining goal is to trample Travis for valedictorian. Her focus is interrupted when her older vagabond sister, Aimee, flits to Costa Rica, and Aimee's daughter V, who is a year younger than Mara, arrives. V is Mara's polar opposite, but her promiscuous, wild-child ways are also derived from pain and resentment, albeit toward Aimee and their peripatetic lifestyle. Initially the girls clash, but as their relationship deepens, each assumes the other's persona. Mara eases up on studying, dumps her vegan diet, reconnects with friends, and begins a mature, sexual relationship. V straightens up, gives a show-stopping performance in the school play, and prepares for the SATs. Both girls-especially V-change lifestyles too quickly, but each begins settling into her true personality. The ending feels implausible as Mara, having earned valedictorian, decides to skip graduation. V persuades her to attend, but thoughtful and conscientious Mara's action seems as unlikely as V's refusal to consider Mara's absence. Racily narrated by likeable Mara, this fast-paced coming-of-age story is charged with sarcasm, angst, honesty, and hope. Many teen girls will recognize parts of themselves within its pages. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broadgeneral YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Candlewick, 256p., Ages 15 to 18.

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