67 pages • 2 hours read
Jennifer BrownA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Summary
Part 1, Chapters 1-2
Part 1, Chapters 3-4
Part 1, Chapter 5
Part 2, Chapters 6-7
Part 2, Chapters 8-9
Part 2, Chapters 10-11
Part 2, Chapters 12-13
Part 2, Chapters 14-15
Part 3, Chapters 16-17
Part 3, Chapters 18-19
Part 3, Chapters 20-21
Part 3, Chapters 22-23
Part 3, Chapters 24-25
Part 3, Chapters 26-27
Part 3, Chapters 28-29
Part 3, Chapters 30-31
Part 3, Chapters 32-33
Part 3, Chapters 34-35
Part 3, Chapters 36-37
Part 3, Chapters 38-39
Part 3, Chapters 40-41
Part 3, Chapters 42-43
Part 4, Chapter 44
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Given that Jessica now eats with her, Valerie is exempted from detention, so her mother allows her to attend Bea’s art class the following Saturday. Immediately, Bea’s relaxing energy puts Valerie’s tense mother at ease as she “whispered for a long time in [her] ear,” an act that replaces Mrs. Leftman’s fear with curiosity (271). When her mother tries to pay for the class, Bea says, “[the class] costs patience and creativity, mostly. Also time and practice. And self-acceptance. But you won’t find any of those things in your purse” (272). Mrs. Leftman finds this strange, but she leaves without paying. Valerie finds the experience of her first art class thrilling and cathartic.
The next week, in school, Meghan, one of Valerie’s former antagonists, pulls Valerie aside. Meghan wants to know why her name was on the hate list. Struggling to explain, Valerie remembers an incident where Chris Summers put chewed gum into Nick’s mashed potatoes at lunch. When Chris went to sit at his lunch table, the kids fawned all over Chris, and one of those students was Meghan. Although Valerie understands how unsatisfactory that answer is, Meghan seems to move on, which Valerie figures is the best she can hope for.