So Totally Emily Ebers facts for kids
So Totally Emily Ebers is Lisa Yee's third novel. It tells the story from Emily Ebers's point of view. Her story happens at the same time as the events in Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time and Millicent Min, Girl Genius.
Cover of So Totally Emily Ebers
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| Author | Lisa Yee |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Contemporary Fiction/Coming of Age |
| Publisher | Arthur A. Levine Books |
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Publication date
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April 1, 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 0-439-83847-9 |
| OCLC | 70292102 |
| LC Class | PZ7.Y3638 So 2007 |
Contents
Emily's Big Move
Moving is tough, especially when you go across the country. Emily Ebers moves from New Jersey to California. This move happens because her parents are getting a divorce. Emily's mom, Alice, wanted the divorce and sold their old house.
Emily chooses to live with her mom. She feels she would get in her dad's way. Her dad's band, Talky Boys, is touring the East Coast.
Summer Challenges
Emily's summer starts to get worse. Her mom signs her up for volleyball. Emily finds it hard to hit the ball. She also has to deal with Coach Gowin. Plus, a popular girl named Julie and her friends are not very nice.
But then, something good happens. Emily meets Millicent Min. Millie is a home-schooled girl. She is also forced to play volleyball. Millie and Emily quickly become best friends. Millie even comes to Emily's house for a sleepover.
New Friends and Secrets
Emily worries her mom, Alice, will embarrass her. Alice wears "hippie" clothes and talks a lot about journalism. Luckily, Millie pretends to be interested in Alice's stories. Then, Emily quickly takes Millie to her room.
After the sleepover, things get even better. Emily meets Millie's family. They seem very normal. Then, she meets Stanford Wong. Emily thinks he is handsome and smart. He is a great basketball player and Millie's tutor.
Emily's life feels normal again. Even volleyball is not so bad with Millie around. But Emily starts to notice strange things. Millie uses big words and carries a briefcase. She seems uncomfortable talking about school. Another girl on the volleyball team calls Millie a "genius."
The Truth About Millie
During a sleepover at Millie's house, Emily finds out the truth. She sees many trophies, plaques, and newspaper articles about "Millicent Min." Emily realizes Millie is not homeschooled or tutored by Stanford. Millie is actually a genius. Stanford Wong is the one who is struggling in school.
Emily feels betrayed. She thinks, "Best friends don't lie to each other." She wonders how they could have lied to her.
Finding New Friends
Emily decides to find new friends who won't lie. She tries to get closer to Wendy, another nice girl on the volleyball team. Wendy tells Emily about Julie and her popular friends. Wendy says they can either help or hurt Emily's reputation at school.
Emily is not usually interested in being popular. But Wendy encourages her to start school with a good image. Emily thinks being popular can't hurt.
The Popular Crowd
Emily and Wendy go to Julie's pedicure party. At this party, Emily feels pressure to change herself. She starts comparing herself to very thin models. Emily begins dieting, even though she is not overweight. She also starts plucking her eyebrows.
Emily feels pressured to buy expensive purses. She buys six identical purses, each costing $112. She uses her dad's credit card for this. Emily spends $672, plus tax. This makes her realize she is losing patience with the popular group.
Real Friends Return
Even though Wendy is nice, Emily misses Millie's humor. She misses how they always had something to talk about. Luckily, their friendship can be fixed. Emily and Millie meet at the mall.
It takes some time, but Millie realizes her mistake. She understands that Emily can look past how smart someone is. Millie realizes Emily was and will always be her friend. This is true even with the "intellectual barrier" that made Millie feel lonely before.
Family Matters
With Millie back, Emily can face other problems. Her dad calls for the first time all summer. He calls about the credit card. He wants to confirm the expensive purse purchases. He also tells Emily to stop using the card.
Emily is heartbroken. She thought her dad was just busy with his band. She thought he still loved her very much. When the truth hits her, Millie is right there. Millie hands her tissues and even asks for a makeover. Emily had always wanted to give Millie a makeover.
Emily also learns something important about her mom. Alice turned down a big job in Paris. She did it just to be with Emily for the summer. Emily realizes her mistake in being mean to her mom. She apologizes to her. Emily finally calls her "mom" instead of "Alice."
Standing Up for Herself
Millie's actions show Emily what a "true friend" is. Emily decides to break away from Julie and her friends. "I finally figured out what a true friend is, and Julie never was one," Emily declares. Julie tries to say she was helping Emily, like with the dieting. But even Wendy stands up for Emily. With two true friends, Emily feels strong.
A Sweet Ending
Stanford Wong called Emily almost every day. But he never said anything or left a message. Emily thought he didn't like her. However, a few days before summer ends, they make up. At an ice cream shop, Emily kisses Stanford on the cheek. They become boyfriend and girlfriend.
Finally, Emily writes a sweet letter to her father. She completes her diary. As wise old Maddie says, Emily is finally "home."
Images for kids
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Cover of So Totally Emily Ebers
