|
Dark Blue: Color Me Lonely (TrueColors Series #1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Th1nk Books
List Price: $12.99
Buy New: $4.75
You Save: $8.24 (63%)
New (37) Used (18) Collectible (1) from $3.00
Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 138202
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 196
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 1576835294
EAN: 9781576835296
ASIN: 1576835294
Publication Date: January 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Excellent condition.
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
When Jordan starts to make new, more popular friends, Kara feels totally burned by her former best friend's icy rejection. These dark blue days are almost more than she can take, until she makes a life-changing discovery. To get there, however, Kara must make some major choices about who and what she's going to believe in, and if she'll ever trust anybody--including God--ever again. In her new TrueColors series, best-selling author Melody Carlson takes young readers into edgy, poignant topics that students deal with on a daily basis--issues such as drug abuse, sexuality, body image, and more. Includes discussion questions.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 An awesome book for all teens May 8, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Kara Hendricks and Jordan Ferguson have been best friends since kindergarten, but that all changes during sophomore year when Jordan becomes a cheerleader and dumps Kara for more popular friends. Feeling betrayed, all Kara can do is sulk, hoping Jordan will take her back, but after a few weeks Kara realizes that this will not be the case. Kara starts eating lunch with an outcast, a goody-two-shoe, and a goth, all who are art geeks, but still feels the pain of losing Jordan. Then, through this unlikely bunch, Kara is introduced to the one true friend who can fill the hole in her heart, God. Dark Blue: Color Me Lonely, by Melody Carlson, was an awesome book that I would recommend to all Christian teen girls.
This wonderful page turner was enticing and a fast read. Because it was filled with so much drama, this book was never boring. Also, this book is made up of many short chapters, so each chapter leaves the reader at a place where they just can't stop reading. For example, towards the middle of the book, a chapter ends with Kara running into her room, sobbing, and wishing everything could just end. The beginning of the next chapter explains why she was crying in order to keep the reader hooked.
Reading this book taught me a lot about my relationships with other people, as well as my relationship with God. I have learned to value my friendships more and make the most of everyday. Also, although Kara, the main character, only represents one way to live for Christ, I think she sets a good example. From her, I realized that I should pray all the time, not only when something's wrong. I think anyone who reads this book could learn something about relationships or God.
I found the characters in this book easy to relate with. I think anyone who has lost a friend or felt lonely or betrayed can relate to Kara. Others, who have lost parents, may be able to relate to another character named Edgar. There are other characters too who have assorted issues, so no matter who the reader is, he or she will be able to relate to some character in someway. I think this make the book more meaningful, enjoyable, and interesting.
Dark Blue, by Melody Carlson, is a five star book filled with life lessons. Also, it is a fast read and easy to relate to. Dark Blue is the first book in the Truecolor series, which now has eleven books. Each book in the series is about a different girl and touches on a different issue faced by teens today. I recommend that any teen girl read Dark Blue, as well as the other Truecolor books to learn how to deal with any problems they might have.
S. Leser
 Dark Blue? Color me apathetic.... April 5, 2007
Alisa Williams (MI United States)
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
In this tepid novel two teen girls, Kara and Jordan, go from best friends to opposite ends of the pecking order at their high school. We get to hear Kara's side of the story as she drones on and on about how she has no life, no friends, no personality, etc. The book consists of an inordinate about of filler consisting of such sentences as "I took my shower. Then I brushed my teeth. Then I ate a sandwich. I thought about how great my life used to be when I had Jordan. But now she's popular. Then I watched T.V. Then I...." Unfortunately, I am not exaggerating. The many times Kara mentioned that she might as well jump off a bridge or get hit by a bus, I wanted to tell her to go for it. Never, in all the hundreds of books I've read, have I met a character who I so desperately could not bring myself to care about even one iota.
The author, Melody Carlson, tried early on to connect with the teens presumably reading this book by using words like "crap" and "lesbian" and other such utterances that are sure to make your fine Christian parents gasp. I think this was her idea: Use borderline words and concepts such as these at first to draw the kids in and make them think they're reading something "cool" and "exciting" and "edgy."
Unlike some of the other reviewers who spoke badly about this book because of its Christian aspect, that is not where I find fault. The problems with this book are as follows: average writing, atrocious character development (see above), and a terrible plot execution.
Let me explain about the plot. It was a good idea. It is a plot that nearly 100 percent of teen girls have experienced first hand at some point in their lives. But Kara was such a bloody boring character that by the time she developed half a personality, I didn't care. I spent the first half of the book wanting to smack her upside the head, and the other half rolling my eyes at how absurd the climax and conclusion were.
Kara of course, in pure Christian fashion, discovers that Jesus Christ is her one true best friend and her life turns around. She starts eating better, exercising regularly, going to church, standing up for herself, being friendly, having a personality and having self-confidence. Oh, and of course all of a sudden her now popular former best friend wants to be friends again. Hurrah! And this all happens in the course of a week.
Now, I'm not saying God can't do all of that. Because I know from personal experience He can. My problem lies in the fact that the book seemed to imply that every single aspect in your life will improve IMMEDIATELY if you just say the magic words "Jesus I want you in my life." I'm sorry, maybe it works that way for some people. But for those poor teen girls reading this book and expecting some miraculous life altering experience to happen overnight for them just like it did for Kara, they are in for a rude awakening.
...Color me bored March 30, 2007
Reading Hannah (MN, USA)
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
"Dark Blue: Color Me Lonely" is not my favorite novel on my book shelf. The concept of the book was interesting but I felt like all it was trying to do was make people want to be Christains. Now, I have absulutely nothing against any religion but I would have much preferred if the author hadn't made it seem that way for the reader.
The idea was interesting but sadly, it wasn't the book for me. I wouldn't recommend it.
A Real Great Book March 1, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I read a book called Dark Blue: from the True Color series. It starts with a girl named Kara. Her best friend named Jordan joins the cheer team and doesn't hang out with Kara. Kara feels so lonely. Kids from her art class invite her to have lunch with them in the art room. She makes a bond with them and Jesus.At the end, Jesus becomes her best friend.
I liked how Jesus becomes Kara's best friend. I also liked it when Kara defended her friend when some cheer leaders were being mean to Kara's friend. Some of the cheer leaders were Jordan's friends. I liked the part when Kara was telling Jordan she was best friends with Jesus,but Jordan didn't care. Kara was really strong when Jordan left her.
I thought it was a really good book. It was more of a Christian book. The other True color books are Christian books. If you like books about God and Jesus,I think you should read this book.
Dark Blue: Color Me Lonely October 16, 2006
G. Dester (Massachusetts, USA)
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
This book is about a girl named Kara, a somphmore in high school, who has just lost her best friend since kindergarten to the "popular" crowd. Devastated and lonely, Kara lets herself go almost completely, hardly talking and crying everyday after school. But then she is invited to stay in at lunch with three students in her art class, Amy, Edgar and Felicia. Although they aren't what Kara would have looked for in friends in the beginning, she actually starts becoming close with Edgar when he introduces her to faith. Kara lets God into her heart and finds she has a new best friend.
I found this book to be quite depressing throughout the first half, and almost unbearable through the second. Seeing as this was my first Melody Carlson book, I had no clue how faith-filled and religous her books were. After reading this first one, I'm not so sure if I'm going to be so willing to read the rest of the True Colors series. I am not a true Christian, and though I don't mind a little religous spirit every once in a while from friends and family, this book was just too jam-packed with it for me. Having been through a similar situation as Kara's, I thought I'd enjoy the book because I would understand her feelings, but I was quite disappointed. The book was repetitive (there was just too much of Kara's moping in the beginning and too much of her "I am so glad I've let God into my heart" towards the end) and preachy, which I did not enjoy in the least.
However, if you'd like to read about a teenage girl going through the motions, and don't mind a lot of religous talk, I'd reccomend it. If you are like me, though, I wouldn't.
|
|
|
Disclaimer: In association with Amazon.com, product information on this site belongs to Amazon.com. Best Children's Books Store makes no representations regarding either the products or any information vendors offer about their products. Any questions, complaints, or claims regarding the products must be directed to the appropriate manufacturer or vendor, or to Amazon.com.
|
|
|
| |
