Lily B. on the Brink of Love
By Elizabeth Cody Kimmel


Signed,
Lily M. Blennerhasset
So ends each of the famous writer-to-be's advice columns. Serving up the best advice she can think of (and correcting punctuation as she goes), Lily B. means business when it comes to her writing career.

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's second book in her Lily B. series shows us a more mature and anxious Lily. Lily Blennerhasset is a dramatic, determined teen girl, who, despite the fact that she is rather short, decidedly does not bear any semblance to Yoda. She is ready to further explore her world, and perhaps get her name out into the world of writing.

However, she is stopped short by what she calls “The Boy”, the most wonderful thing Lily has ever seen, clad in red Converse high-tops none the less! Lily sets out to learn about The Boy and somehow, find a romantic and completely “out of a book” way to become his bride.

The story is laced with humor and surprise as Lily and her best friend Charlotte discover new things about themselves, about others, and about life. A friend of theirs, Bonnie, teaches them new ways to look at the world around them. Bonnie encourages Lily not to give up on The Boy, even though he shows no interest in Lily.

At the same time, Lily has gotten a job working for an author, who happens to be the mother of The Boy! Things do not go as planned, but in the end, Lily ends up with great friends, and an absolute freedom that she does not need The Boy anymore in her life. She is the only one who can make herself happy.

Another thing to note about Lily B. on the Brink of Love is the fantastic job Kimmel does portraying a teen girl. I too am like Lily in age, and I feel that her everyday occurrences are very similar to what I come across. Every girl wants a best friend like Charlotte, every girl has to let go of a “boy fantasy”, and every girl has a time when they must decide what path they want to take.

This is an enjoyable book that I would recommend to any preteen girl searching a library shelf. The characters will pull you in and the story will have you laughing often. This is certainly a great read. And perhaps someday far into the future, explorers will come across Lily B. on the Brink of Love, and say to themselves, “Oh. So this is what life was like!”