Terra Rose is gorgeous. She works hard to keep it that way. That is,
if you don't look at the "port-wine" colored stain that is the
birthmark on the left side of her face. She is really tired of people staring
at that side of her. She is tired of her controlling father, and she is
tired of her perfect boyfriend. In walks (or rides through a car accident)
Jacob, a Goth Chinese boy with a cleft palate. Terra and her mother travel to
China to meet Terra's brother and track down Jacob's birth mother. Terra's father
is a cartographer, [prop idea / questions to ask: picture bringing out books
of maps--which will chart a simple journey, a map of your love, a map of your
relationships?] which runs throughout the book--finding a place in life, in
romance, in your personal journey, in love, and in your own voice.
North of Beautiful is a complex novel that asks the reader to become
involved.
Booktalk by Mary Jo Heller, Teacher-Librarian emeritus
"My dad calls me jolie laide. That's French for "pretty
ugly." My mom says "You'll be beautiful one day," as she's
paying for yet another laser surgery to heal my scar. It doesn't work. It never
does.
Jacob sees me through the port wine stain. Jacob with his own scars.
This boy throws my plans totally off the map.
Can I learn to see me as Jacob sees
me? Am I ready to?
If you've ever hated how you look. If you've ever thought the people
who say, "oh, the only beauty that matters is what's inside" were
lying like a rug. And if you've ever wondered how that could possibly change,
you'll want to read Terra's story.
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