California Dream: The Luckiest Girl by Beverly Cleary

Of the three teen novels by the beloved Beverly Cleary that I have read, this is by far my favorite. Once again, the setting is California, this time the citrus-growing region of San Sebastian. Whether this is a mythical town, or an amalgam of several, I can't be sure, but it is long on charm and rich in atmosphere. Shelley Latham is our heroine, an Oregonian who is allowed to spend a school year with family friends. It's a whole new experience for Shelley, an only child living in a conventional household, to stay with the more free-spirited Michie family, which is composed of Mavis (Shelley's mother's college roommate), her husband Tom, and their children, Luke and Katie. Mavis is a potter with her own studio, Tom is a teacher and the high school basketball coach, and their quirky older home is filled with unique items. Luke is a typical teenaged boy, whose favorite pastime is working on an old motorcycle that he's restoring, and Katie is a thirteen year old experiencing growing pains as she leaves childhood and enters adolescence. It's Mavis's hope that Shelley will be a good role model for Katie, and as time passes, they develop a close relationship.

Shelley marvels at the palm trees, orange groves and warm dry weather – so different from chilly Oregon. On her first day of school, she meets Hartley, an attractive and personable boy who sits just behind her in their alphabetically arranged homeroom, but her head is quickly turned by tall, handsome Philip, the star of the basketball team.

Shelley falls into her new routine and classes, which include biology. Philip is assigned a seat at her side, but she also meets and becomes best friends with Jeannie, a whiz at biology. The fourth in their study group is Philip's best buddy Frisbie.

Philip and Shelley become an item, much to Hartley's disappointment, though they remain friends. While Shelley does well in most of her classes, she is distracted in biology and is horrified to receive a "D" for the semester, her first ever. Philip's grade is worse, an "F", and he becomes ineligible for basketball, and his strict father cuts off his social life. Shelley feels responsible and disappointed, but she also knows she must raise her grade to repair her average as she intends to go on to college.

When her relationship flounders, Shelley is hurt and miserable. She feels sad and homesick for the first time, but in examining her relationship and taking stock of herself, she realizes that she and Philip had little in common. Conversation was often difficult and it was a struggle to find common ground.

Ultimately, Shelley and Hartley get together and as the school year winds down, they enjoy each other's company. Neither want to see it end, but with Shelley's departure looming, they know their time is short and they make the best of it. When it's time for Shelley's parent to pick up, she knows she'll always remember her time in California, the friends she made there, and most of all, Hartley. She is the luckiest girl after all.

I found this novel to have more of a universal quality that transcends the decades. There is less dependence on lifestyle activities and it is more about personal growth and gaining maturity than Cleary's Fifteen or Sister of the Bride. Shelley could be a contemporary girl and Hartley a modern boy – they were both so real and honest. All is all, The Luckiest Girl is both an enjoyable and satisfying read. I only wish they could have met again and picked up their relationship as adults...