"Gingerbread" by Rachel Cohn

Rating: 3

Description: Cyd Charisse has only met her biological father once, at an airport, when he gave her gingerbread and bought her a doll. Ever since then, "Gingerbread" has been her constant companion. Recently returned from boarding school, where a series of unwise decisions led to her expulsion, quirky Cyd Charisse is enjoying life with her new boyfriend, Shrimp, and her elderly best friend, Sugar, who keep her sane around the opressiveness that is her mother and stepfather. But Cyd's parents are not so understanding of her rebelliousness, and eventually she is sent to New York to spend some time with Frank, her "real dad". Leaving Shrimp on a sour note and anticipating being greeted with open arms by Frank and her two older half siblings, Cyd Charisse is disappointed by the awkward welcome she receives. As she gets to know her biological family, Cyd Charisse learns to let go of her idealizations and her abandonment hang-ups, and she learns to appreciate her real family and friends all the more.

Review: "Gingerbread" is a very real book about a fictional girl. Despite being fictional, spunky Cyd Charisse goes through problems that teenage girls face every day. She is far from perfect, but her imperfections only make her more lovable and allow the reader to identify with her. The other characters are each unique and creatively imagined, and lovable in their own rights. The reader can even empathize with "Frank real-dad" and the uptight Lisbeth, Cyd Charisse's half sister. The plot is a unfulfilling, but the changes Cyd Charisse goes through make "Gingerbread" worth the read.