Asking for Trouble by Sandra Byrd

Reviewed by Lori Twichell, Radiant Lit

Genre: YA fiction

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Publication Dates: March 4, 2010

Fifteen year-old Savvy Smith is a typical American teenager. She loves fashion and hanging out with her friends. Except that her family has just moved to Britain and everything is different there. Things like hair bands, shoes, and umbrellas all have different names and nothing is the same that it was when Savvy lived stateside. Now she’s struggling to fit in with a popular group of girls that she calls the Aristocats. She’s hoping that perhaps if she gets a spot writing for the newspaper that she might be able to break down some of the barriers she feels are between her and making friends at school.

Unfortunately the newspaper situation doesn’t work out so well. Because she has no prior experience, she can’t be added to the staff of the paper unless it’s as the paper delivery girl. So every week, it’s Savvy’s job to lug all of the newspapers around the school and drop them off and then later, go pick them up.

When Savvy suggests some changes to the newspaper, her ideas are accepted, albeit with a little jealousy and difficulty amongst some members of the staff. Her suggestion of an advice column is greeted with much excitement and Savvy’s convinced that she’s going to be the most popular girl in school when everyone realizes how smart she is. God soon shows her what really needs to happen with the column and she’s not really sure how she feels about it.

Savvy’s struggles to fit in are well written and understood by all of us who have been teenage girls. It doesn’t take a trip to Britain to be out of place when there are more beautiful, smarter, and more popular girls around. Savvy is a great example of what teenage girls need to be. She’s not perfect, but the lessons she learns are heartfelt and she’s very open to God’s leading in her life.

I loved these books and blew through them pretty quickly. My 11 (nearly 12) year-old daughter, who is most definitely NOT a reader, loves them so far. I haven’t had to push or bribe or beg her to read them. She came to me quite proudly and told me that she’s nearly halfway through the first one and she can’t wait to read further. That is high praise from my household!

Sandra Byrd has done an exceptional job in capturing a young girl’s heart as she struggles to fit in to a new place and find new friends. I highly and heartily recommend this book (and the rest of the series) for tween girls who may be experiencing similar struggles.

*G – Anyone can read them, but tween girls are the intended audience.

*Review copy provided by Tyndale House Publishers. Thank you!