How Do You Define Normal?

...by guest author A.J., Grade 8.

Define “Normal”

By: Julie Anne Peters

I read the book Define “Normal” by Julie Anne Peters. I chose this book because I liked the sound of the title, but I also read the back and what it was about. It seemed interesting, so I started to read it, and I really liked it.


Define “Normal” is about two girls from totally different worlds. One of them, Antonia, is a very nice girl. She gets to class on time, she gets all straight A’s, and participates in everything, including peer counseling. Antonia is assigned to help Jazz, the “punker,” as a mentor and counselor with Jazz’s problems. 

The other girl, Jasmine or “Jazz,” is very different. She skips classes to hang out with her friends instead; her friends are mostly drug dealers (so people think), and she doesn't care for girls like Antonia. Jazz has a deep dark secret that she doesn't want anybody to find out about except her parents. Jazz has a big talent for playing the piano; her dream is to go to Juilliard, a school for teens who are more than amazing at playing an instrument. But when her parents start getting too close to her as a family, Jazz quits piano, and her dream ever since she was born to go to Juilliard dies. Both girls have two things in common; they both go to counseling every week. 

Everyone in the school who just judges Jazz think she’s a drug dealing pot-smoker who wears black lipstick that you can only get off with turpentine. If they saw her hanging out with Antonia, all the kids would probably flip.  A girl like Jazz, the unpopular, the loser, the freak, can’t be seen around a girl like Antonia, a somewhat popular girl who is very pretty and tries to make friends with everyone except Jazz. 

Jazz and Antonia also have family issues. Antonia’s father hasn't come home in years and her mother needs psychiatric help. She’s never there for the kids; she’s always smoking or in her room sleeping and not eating. She is also very close to losing her house because she has not been paying the bills for a long time. 

Jazz, on the other hand, also has family issues. Her parents are home with her and feeding and treating her like a daughter, but Jazz has fights with her mom all the time usually about Jazz. She thinks her parents are trying to ruin her life because they don’t let her be who she really is. Jazz’s mom wishes for Jazz to be “normal” like all other kids out there. Jazz’s dad doesn't let anything past him. If he doesn't like the way Jazz dresses, then she better go change, or she gets grounded for two weeks, sometimes even a year. 

But at the end, Jazz and Antonia start understanding each other. They know everything about each other and have each other’s backs. Antonia gets her life back with her mom and the rest of her family. Jazz’s parents after going to her recital, seeing how she plays and what she wears, are speechless. They learn to respect her and appreciate her for who she is and what she wears.

I think this book is very good for teens and some adults. This book reminded me a lot of myself and what I went through at a particular time in my life. I started reading the first page but didn't think I would like it at all. It didn't seem like my type of book, but it was so good I finished it. By the end tears welled in my eyes, because the way the author had written the book, it touched my heart and made me feel so happy for the two girls. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who wants to read a thrilling book about two different girls who can relate to each other so much that a punker and a prissy girl become best friends.