Christine Pakkala grew up in Idaho and studied English and Journalism at the University of Idaho before heading east to attend the Iowa Writers Workshop (MFA, Poetry Writing, 1993). She was a Fulbright Scholar in 1994 in Helsinki, Finland, where she translated modern Finnish poetry. She has taught seventh- and ninth-grade English at Horace Mann School in New York. Last-But-Not-Least Lola Going Green, Christine's debut middle-grade novel, is on the Fall '13 BMP list. She lives in Westport, CT.
"Can two seemingly opposite girls become friends? . . . the
spot-on-cover will entice readers who will identify with the pain
of middle school, enjoy the well-developed secondary characters and
applaud the girls' growth." —Kirkus Reviews
". . . Though their circumstances are vastly different, their
worries and insecurities prompt them to similar behaviors, namely
theft, and their struggles with dishonesty and its aftermath are
sensitively portrayed as they learn to approach each other with
empathy rather than jealousy. Both girls are budding wordsmiths, so
their observations are peppered with witty similes and vivid
images, and the poems they share at their teacher's prompting are
heartfelt and lyrical. In the tradition of Frances O'Roark Dowell,
Pakkala manages to capture a poignant moment in tween life, when
friendships strain and girls are struggling to find their voices
and assert their identities. Mistakes and tensions are interlaced
with tender moments and liberating laughter, self-protective lies
with explosive honesty; this is not girl, interrupted but girl,
launched." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
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