Shanna Silva's Reviews > Things That Shimmer

Things That Shimmer is a powerful story about friendship, self-knowledge and acceptance. Melanie Adler is a pre-teen caught in typical middle school angst: she wants to be part of the in clique, but the cool girls don’t even notice her. Her best friend is making inroads, leaving Melanie to question their relationship. When a new girl moves in, she and Melanie become fast friends as they understand each other’s challenging home situations. Later, when Melanie starts to bond with cool “shimmer” girls, she must decide where her allegiances lie and deal with the consequences of her choices. Set in the 1970’s against the backdrop of Watergate in the US and the Yom Kippur War in Israel, both the characters and story are richly developed. Deborah Lakritz perfectly captures the thrill of belonging to a popular group, and the anguish of being outside, and worse, feeling different. Mental health issues are addressed in an age appropriate way, which cause the reader to feel compassion for Melanie, even as she makes missteps. This book is a welcome addition in the middle school genre and will help readers see themselves, their choices, and their possibilities in a whole new light. I wish this book had been available to me as a kid; it would’ve helped me to better navigate the choppy waters of junior high and validate the angsty bouquet of emotions that are fraught with the age.