Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

From the Publisher

Publishers Weekly

Baratz-Logsted's modern take on Beauty and the Beast is told from the alternating points of view of two sophomores as they begin class at a new school. Beautiful, kind Aurora is immediately absorbed into the popular crowd; she and her father, the school librarian, are especially close following the death of her mother a few months earlier. Lucius's family is more troubled: since he exploded chemicals in his basement last year, blowing up part of his house as well as his forearms, his father will barely look at him. Lucius brings his past with him to the new school, both externally (in the form of the hooks that he chooses to replace his hands) and on the inside. Lucius quickly attracts the attention of Jessup, a student who harasses him and nicknames him Hooks, but also that of Aurora, who is as drawn to Lucius as he is to her. Both Aurora and Lucius are remarkably resilient given the events of the preceding year, and following the highs and lows of their blossoming relationship makes for a fast-paced and intense read. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)

VOYA

In this modern version of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast, goodness triumphs and a kiss promises a "happily-ever-after" ending. Aurora is the fifteen-year-old beauty who is in a new school after her mother's death from cancer. Aurora, sincere and compassionate as any heroine could be, even has a wonderful relationship with her school librarian father. Having a more difficult time trying to fit in is Lucius, the beast who blew off his own hands while practicing a chemical experiment to do some future vague harm to the world. Now changed and remorseful, his hook hands repel most of his classmates but not Aurora or security guard Nick. When fellow students Jessup and Celia plot to make Lucius the villain in phony charges against Aurora's father, the truth prevails and Aurora and Lucius join hearts in a perfect kiss. This story, told in the alternating voices of Aurora and Lucius, is set in a contemporary high school. The supporting cast—the handsome but unsavory Jessup and the cheerleader type girls—is stereotypical as is their involvement in the musical Grease. Aurora and Lucius, however, become authentic as they reveal their inner thoughts on the loss of a parent, bullying, and teen romance. Both demonstrate heroic behavior as Aurora treats Lucius as a whole person rather than a "Crip" with a handicap, and Lucius helps Nick achieve his NFL dream. Is it believable? Well, it is a fairytale. Young readers will love its straightforward narration and happy ending. Reviewer: Barbara Johnston

Children's Literature

After blowing off his hands in a chemical explosion of his own doing, Lucius is on a quest for recovery and acceptance which results in an unexpected friendship. He chooses hooks as prostheses for his lost hands since they make a statement for him that he is different. Will these prostheses scare others off? A friendship emerges with a popular classmate, Aurora, because she is not scared by the hooks. Can she relieve his suffering, or is he destined to a life of pain and suffering? Or is Aurora already in her own life of pain and suffering after the loss of her mother, and seeking a recovery of her own? Perhaps this friendship can help both of them to survive. Their journey gives a new perspective to the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. The author's use of multiple viewpoints allows the reader to connect with Aurora and Lucius from their respective viewpoints and see their relationship develop. This alternate viewpoint usage shows the family dynamics well, too. The author also establishes a realistic high school setting and demonstrates the students' interactions to keep the reader engaged. Reviewer: Annie Laura Smith

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—Sophomore Lucius Wolfe lost both hands in an explosion of his own making, and now he is left to pick up the pieces—with steel hooks. The story is told in alternating chapters by Lucius (Crazy) and Aurora (Beautiful). Baratz-Logsted does a deft job of weaving the perspectives together to show events from both points of view. Lucius chooses a bus seat so as to be left alone and is immediately called "crip"; Aurora gets on the same bus, smiles at people, and hears a voice call "New girl! Come sit back here with us." It doesn't help that Lucius has an air of arrogance about him and has changed schools to find a new start. The author spends equal time on several plotlines: Lucius, the brilliant loner destructo-kid, his amusing sister and his dysfunctional family; Aurora and her newly widowed saintly father; Nick, the good-guy security guard with dreams of the NFL; a school play; a false accusation; and Cecelia and Jessup, the scheming spurned lovers. Resolving everything makes the final chapters feel rushed and too perfect. However, the pacing is energetic and the topics current. Readers who have outgrown MJ Auch's One-Handed Catch and aren't quite ready for Harriet McBryde Johnson's Accidents of Nature (both Holt, 2006) might enjoy Crazy Beautiful.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

Kirkus Reviews

Lucius Wolfe and Aurora Belle are both new in school, but their situations couldn't be more different. Aurora is instantly popular. Lucius, on the other hand, is an antisocial double amputee with hooks for prosthetics-to replace the hands he blew off in a reckless chemical accident. While Lucius makes only enemies among the usual crowd of stock high-school nasties, Aurora effortlessly becomes the social queen. Yet sweetheart Aurora is fascinated by Lucius, and the two orbit one another despite his pariah status. The tale's structure (a not-particularly-successful "Beauty and the Beast" retelling) at first creates impressions of an unsubtle and offensive disability-as-beastliness metaphor. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that it's Lucius who believes that disability is beastly, and his coming-of-age involves his learning that he's wrong. Somehow, this romance transcends all of its potential pitfalls to create a powerful story about recovery and friendship. (Fiction. 12-14)

Product Details