N 2 Deep

She felt bombarded. Everywhere she turned, someone shoved a request in her face. If she were stuck on a deserted island, a bottle would float up with some new idea in it: Hey Amber. Can you make a scratch and sniff page for the Fungus Club? She knew all she really had to have was a great home page and a sampling of the clubs and sports. But she wanted the site to blow them away.

Book: N 2 Deep by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001

 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 13-17

Subjects: Friendship, Longing for approval, Relationship with parents

Summary: Amber has gotten everything she tried for – the webmaster position at school and a role on the soccer team. The question is, can she balance both of those along with the normal things like homework, Church, and friendships? It seems everyone at school from the chess club to the tae quondo group to the cafeteria ladies want their own page on the website and they all have a very specific idea of what it should look like. As for soccer? Well, she’s actually not that good at it. Nor does she enjoy it that much. But it brings her and her dad closer together, and that makes about anything worth it. As Amber gets deeper and deeper into everything, will she sink so deep there is no way out or will she find some way of juggling all of it?

Notes: The spiritual theme in this book is about working for God’s approval rather than man’s. Amber is desperately trying to please everyone – every group at school, her dad and her friends. She takes a step back and asks herself who’s approval she is truly working for. She doesn’t wind up dropping anything, but her desperate attitude stops when she realizes she doesn’t have to strive for perfection any longer. There’s also a lesson about jumping to conclusions too quickly in friendships and risking ruining your friendship. Another highlight of this book is the section in the back that gives some guidelines for protecting yourself while using the internet. The series is focused around a group of girls who have their own website and chat room and so at the end they give suggestions for how to be safe while navigating the web.

Recommendation Scale: 3/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Matthew 11:28-30 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”