Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom by Susin Nielsen

Susin Nielsen’s first book, Word Nerd, is one of my favourite young-adult novels of the past few years, and it had won a number of Canadian book awards. I looked forward to reading this second novel but I did wonder if it would live up to expectations, and I'm happy to report that I enjoyed it just as much as the first.

The story centres around twelve-year-old Violet who is trying to cope with her parents' separation, especially the fact that her father is now living with his young and beautiful second wife in a luxurious home in Los Angeles. Dismayed with the string of losers that her mother had found through dating services and worried about her most recent romantic interest, Violet attempts to set her mother up with the ideal man, George Clooney.

Like Word Nerd, this novel features hilarious situations, heartwarming moments, and quirky memorable characters. A few of the characters from the first book reappear in this one in more minor roles, and I was more than pleased to encounter them again, as I particularly love Nielsen's portrayal of her characters. She has a way of making each person unique, no matter how "ordinary" he or she is.