Blurry Around the Edges

Blurry Around the Edges

Emmaline is blamed for something Jane Doe has done and is sent to the principal’s office, terrified and angry. The principal wants to bring in one of her parents but they both have jobs and can’t get away. Emmaline suggests one of her brothers – Aaron. He is her favorite, but the principal says ‘no’ and phones her dad.

She meets Hannah when they both go for the same swing and become best friends. Hannah even invites Emmaline to her house, and Emmaline is thrilled to find out that Hannah has a puppy and a treehouse where they eventually declare themselves sisters.

When Jane Doe, the bully, teases Emmaline for having red hair, Emmaline can name several famous people with red hair. When Jane confronts Emmaline about having freckles, Emmaline shows her the constellation Orion on her arm. Then there’s Emmaline’s shortness and buying store brand items. Emmaline is always supported by her classmates when they use hair chalk to make themselves redheads and use various media to make freckles.

Emmaline has four big brothers and would happily give one to Hannah, who is an only child. With a big family, the Modesties take turns cooking since there are seven people and seven days of the week. When it’s Emmaline’s turn, she makes chili and confuses the salt measurement with the chili powder. They end up tossing the batch.

Another bump in the road occurs when Emmaline’s Principal tells her parents that Emmaline has ADHD. She has a few months to improve her performance, or she’ll have to repeat the fifth grade. She enlists the help of the genius in the wheelchair two floors below to help her. She has until February.

At the same time, Emmaline discovers she loves classical music and has a talent for the piano. Though she’s never played the piano before, she loves everything about it. Music makes her concentrate, and that’s what she needs. In fact, the genius, Colvin, makes the piano a reward for her, an incentive to get her homework done. So, she wants to have as much time as possible on the piano.

Emmaline’s family take turns discussing their day during dinner, and since Emmaline is the youngest, she is always last. By then, dinner is over, and the family members are anxious to get on with their night. They never hear Emmaline. They never see Emmaline. She is a blur.

All solved by the end of the novel are the bullying, repeating the fifth grade, and finally, being heard by her family, which is the greatest thing of all.