Find that book!

May 18, 2007 4:51 PM

It's another find that book I read as a kid question!

OK, nobody's been able to ID this book for me, and Google and Amazon have both failed me. Here's what I remember:
I read it in elementary or middle school in the 1980s.
It was about a girl, pretty young (maybe 11-13?) whose mother was taking her to auditions for commercials and whatnot. I believe the girl started getting a fair amount of work, maybe even landing a series role at some point. Eventually, her income was basically supporting the family (I don't remember any mention of a father but there may have been sibling(s)).

After having a fight with her mother the girls describes the look on her mother's face by saying something along the lines of "After that, if I ever had to work up tears for a scene I just remembered that look on my mother's face."

I'm pretty sure she describes her mother by her first name throughout the book and that her mother's name began with 'D'.

A couple of books I'm pretty sure it's not:
Adorable Sunday by Marlene Fanta Shyer
ENCORE by Joan Lowery Nixon
LOVE STORY, TAKE THREE by Gloria D. Miklowitz

Anybody? I'm starting to think I made it up.

posted by macfly to writing & language (10 comments total)

Well, I dunno that answer, unfortunately, but a book for older folks that reminded me strongly of your description was "Colors Insulting to Nature" by Cintra Wilson.

Sorry I couldn't help with your childhood memories, but it is a very good read. :)
posted by thebrokedown at 7:09 PM on May 18, 2007

Could it have been one of Noel Streatfeild's books? Perhaps one of the Gemma books?
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:01 PM on May 18, 2007

Noel Streatfeild's "Movie Shoes" may be the closest (although all the 'shoe books' have some elements you've listed - it could be a combination of several).
posted by nkknkk at 8:51 PM on May 18, 2007

Was it Deenie by Judy Blume?
posted by peep at 10:24 PM on May 18, 2007

I would have gone for the Sunday book... I'll try to see if anything else comes to mind.
posted by Mozzie at 11:31 PM on May 18, 2007

I was a Judy Blume fanatic as a kid, and Deenie didn't do commercial tryouts or anything like that.
posted by IndigoRain at 1:20 AM on May 19, 2007

I know it's not Deenie.

I'll hit the library and check out the Noel Streatfeild books but the descriptions at Amazon don't ring any bells. I'm really pretty sure that there wasn't a father in the picture.
posted by macfly at 6:10 AM on May 19, 2007

Don't worry about checking Movie Shoes, that's definitely not it. It could just possibly have been one of the Gemma books, though -- Gemma is living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins during the series, but used to be a child tv and movie star, living alone with her mother, who is a piece of work.
posted by redfoxtail at 6:52 AM on May 19, 2007

If you don't get help here, the librarians on the Fiction-L list answer this kind of question all the time. Just subscribe, ask and wait; it's free.
posted by mediareport at 8:01 AM on May 20, 2007

Maybe Domestic Arrangements by Norma Klein? Although you didn't mention anything sexual in your summary, and the book did have a lot of sex.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:13 PM on May 20, 2007