Review by Booklist Review
Rips, who is scheduled to graduate from high school just before this memoir, her first book, comes out, grew up in New York's Chelsea Hotel. There she was surrounded by a cast of eccentric characters, starting with her writer father and world traveler mother, which might be too zany, and too numerous, to be believed in a novel. For the young Ms. Rips, though, the Chelsea Hotel inhabitants of the early aughts were just family, neighbors, and friends, and she writes about them with a kind fascination that reflects this. Persistent lobby fixtures, the Craftys, men of mysterious, elaborate backstories who loved to torment one another, welcomed Rips into their fold. Her most reliable babysitter was a well-known, aging former night-club owner and photographer. When a friendly neighbor known only as El Capitan interrupted Rips' princess party wearing only underwear, she felt embarrassed about her home for the first time. Rips recounts lots of school tales, too, with the keen observations of the lonely outsider she was, along with the precise language she employs throughout her precocious, interesting memoir.--Bostrom, Annie Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Growing up in New York City is an adventure, but growing up in the city's famed Chelsea Hotel is an adventure that high school student Rips chronicles in her droll memoir. While it's not uncommon to be cramped for space in N.Y.C., Rips and her preoccupied but loving parents live together in a one-room apartment in a hotel that's known for its unusual characters. Rips was always more comfortable in the company of adults than children, and she spent most of her childhood friendless, hanging around hotel inhabitants such as the Mr. Crafties, two men who perpetually sat arguing in the lobby. She recounts failed attempts to join a variety of activities in her elementary school, most of them ending comically and badly. Her parents didn't seem to care that their daughter was the least popular girl in school. This changed in middle school when she found her own tribe of misfits. What doesn't change are Rips's indefatigable sense of humor about her own circumstances and her confidence. Readers will be impressed that this young author has written such a powerful memoir, and that she persevered through adolescence and her atypical upbringing to emerge as a strong, if eccentric, individual. This heartfelt memoir balances pathos and humor, proving that Rips, still only a senior in high school, is a promising writer who is wise beyond her years. Agent: Nicole Aragi, Aragi Inc. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Rips's delightful memoir will amuse readers of all ages. Her eccentric childhood, spent growing up in an apartment in the famous Chelsea Hotel on West 23rd Street in Manhattan, is described with wit and humor. Spanning from preschool entrance to the end of eighth grade, her work addresses her struggle to make friends and fit in at school. The insightful anecdotes are so well-done that readers will assume that Rips is an adult, but the teenage author graduated from high school in 2016 and this is her first book. Young adults will hope that a sequel covering her years at La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts is forthcoming and wonder if she is as funny in person as she is on the page. The tenants of the Chelsea are not the famous ones of the past, but those portrayed were important for the young girl, whose parents did not arrange the usual playdates. Rips's parents are depicted as creative optimists from the Midwest, and, fortunately for readers, her father tired of her troublesome tales about school and suggested that she write them down instead of complaining. VERDICT This hilarious selection will make readers laugh and could encourage young people to keep a diary and try their own hand at writing.-Karlan Sick, formerly at New York Public Library © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
First-time author Rips, a high school senior who lives with her parents in New York's legendary Chelsea Hotel, reflects on her earlier years attending public schools in the city and befriending the many eccentric residents at the hotel.In this delightful coming-of-age memoir, the author draws a portrait of her younger self as the ultimate outsider. Lacking traditional good looks, physically and often socially awkward, she was eager to make friends, yet her frequent attempts to fit in typically led to embarrassing results, her desire to be popular spiraling further away. In contrast to her challenging school life, she found it easy to connect with her neighbors. She has been accepting of their eccentricities and attuned to some of their own struggles: "our home was in the Chelsea Hotel, known for its writers, artists, and musicians, but also for its drug addicts, alcoholics, and eccentrics. At any given time, at least one from each group was in the lobby. Since there were few children in the hotel, it was with these people that I spent my time." Her story progresses through a series of comedic episodes at school or within her home/hotel setting, and she vividly depicts each of the various characters she has encountered along the way. She writes about the many self-absorbed, narcissistic teachers and classmates (along with their obsessively hovering parents), while her neighbors come across as free-spirited and openly caring individualsas do her parents, who can also be somewhat scatterbrained: "They were like balloons that had escaped a child's grasppointlessly floating." Rips is a gifted writer who quickly reveals a mature, nuanced insight into human behavior. She has a genuine talent for extracting comic potential within these encounters, yet she balances them with moments of surprising poignancy. An engaging story with a big heart, written by a young adult whose sharply tuned and often witty observations will appeal to adults and teens alike. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
