"Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey." #BookReviewsByWinslyn

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Summary:

Tish Bonner leads a fairly average teenager's life. She has three best friends, Sandy, Rochelle, and Chastity, all of whom are described to have 'big hair and sit in the back of every classroom.' She had a part-time job at the local "Burger Boy" restaurant and lives with her mother and her father is absent, presumed to have left the family. Despite this, Tish shows indifference to his absence, while their mother seems to be getting worse and more distant every day.

At the beginning of the school year in 1992, her English teacher, Mrs. Dunphrey, assigns journal entries, which Tish initially sneers at and attempts to get by on the bare minimum requirement of two entries a week. She talks casually about her friend Sandy's shoplifting habit and Bud Turner, Tish's co-worker who attempted to ask her on a date. She does this only because Mrs. Dunphrey has announced she will refuse to read any entry marked "Do Not Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey." Tish begins marking every entry as such to test Mrs. Dunphrey to see if she keeps to her word, and she eventually concludes that she does.

Soon, her father re-enters her family life before the holidays and begins warming up to Matt and Tish's mother, although Tish still remains frustrated and skeptical about him. On Christmas Eve, he hands out fancy presents while dressed as Santa Claus, which causes Tish to go over the edge and snap at him. He hits her and then he leaves much to his wife's despair. Tish soon learns that the reason why her father could afford those expensive gifts was by charging them to her mother's credit card.

Tish's mother becomes increasingly desolate after her husband's disappearance, and Tish and Matt begin to notice she has been skipping work and lying around all day. One day, Tish discovers that her mother has abandoned her children to look for her husband, leaving only a note assuring Tish that she knows Tish will take good care of Matt.

Tish's schoolwork slips as she finds herself the head of a household with very little means of getting by. She can't increase her hours at work after Bud Turner is promoted to manager, spitefully cuts back Tish's wages, and then fires her. Her little brother begins wetting his bed and regressing due to the absence of either parents. Food is running out with no money to buy it, and bills begin coming in that Tish cannot pay. Her mother sends no money, only a postcard saying that she found her husband, and the two of them are very happy. In the end, Tish's mother admits it was a fake.

Soon, Tish falls out with her friends, who don't understand her home situation and begin taking advantage of her. Tish begins shoplifting food from her mother's workplace to survive, sending back bills only half-paid, and looking for a new job, although no one is hiring. The electricity is turned off, and food is becoming scarcer and scarcer. Tish then gets a foreclosure notice asking for a $200 property tax or else the house will be repossessed, which will leave Tish and Matt homeless. Meanwhile, Sandy is finally arrested for shoplifting.

Finally, Tish marks April 29 Again, Really April 30 Very Early in her journal "DO read this, Mrs. Dunphrey." In this last entry, she tells her teacher to read the entire journal and asks for help, so long as she and Matt can stay together. In an aftermath letter, Tish writes to Mrs. Dunphrey explaining that she and Matt were placed with her paternal grandparents in Florida, her parents were found and are now in counseling, and life is beginning to get better for her and Matt.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Okay, for the review.

The story's interesting, noting that it was written in a journal form and the main point of view that was used is of Tish Bonner's, the heroine of the story. These techniques used by Margaret Haddix (author) intensified every emotion that was depicted in the story. The details of each event were told clearly, allowing the reader to imagine the setup of the story.

The sequence of the events are quite predictable, but it was well-justified. This book should serve as an instrument of courage to those who are in need. This indeed is a must-read.

That's all for now. 'Til the next review!