What's in a name? I, Emma Freke is a charming search-for-identity story about Emma―the only "normal" member of her quirky family. Her flighty, New Age mom seems to barely have time for a daughter, especially one who annoyingly spoils her mom's youthful façade.

Emma's well-meaning grandpa is clueless. And her only friends are the local librarian and a precocious 10-year old adopted by the two old ladies next door.Smart, shy, and nearly six feet tall, Emma struggles to fit in at school, so she jumps at the opportunity to "home school" until that too turns into another of mom's half-baked ideas.

Taken from GoodReads.

I, Emma Freke follows the story of tweenage Emma, who has never quite in with her peers. She's too tall to blend, she's more comfortable with customers than those her own age, and she's certain that meeting the rest of her distant family will solidify her status as a freak forever. Along the way though, Emma learns that being a Freke doesn't mean she is actually a freak, and being her own person might be better than fitting in after all.

Remember those horrible in-between years where you wore glasses and braces, and you basically looked like a little wombat in clothes? Ok, maybe that was just me, but we all went through our awkward stages, and Emma is living them out in I, Emma Freke. With moments of cringe-worthy hilarity, sweet sensitivity to Emma's young age and personality, the author, Elizabeth Atkinson, cleverly weaves us along Emma's journey to self-discovery with her. Beautifully written in a tone that all ages can appreciate, it's a story that I really enjoyed reading.

I, Emma Freke is a mildly saccharin-sweet coming-of-age story that I can honestly say I've heard nothing about before. I think it is partially because it doesn't really step outside the box of your typical YA contemporary fiction. It's a very cute story, and it definitely has a message about finding one's true self and owning it no matter what. The plot didn't lag, and there was a definite focus throughout, but I can't fight that nagging feeling that it was missing a little something...different. I think it needed an extra edge of tension to be thrown into the mix to make the climax of the story a little more poignant. In that aspect alone, I, Emma Freke fell a little flat for me.

Nevertheless, I, Emma Freke is a very nice story. Well-written with good values and themes, I give it a strong 3.5 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to a lower YA to MG audience, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction, realistic fiction, and drama.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher, Lerner Publishing Group and Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page, and BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Ms. Fiddle forced herself to speak in a really calm voice, but it was too calm, sort of like the pause just before lightning strikes the ground and explodes. 'If Savannah Lipton, let's say, represented a time on the popularity clock, what time would she be?'
I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

And now, for my Tuesday Teaser...For those of you who don't know, I do my Tuesday Teasers differently (and yes, I add this disclaimer every time). Each week, I feature two sentences (or more) of something I've written, leave it up all day, then remove it around 11 PM. You're welcome to comment on it, love it, hate it, or simply read it at your leisure...if you'd like, of course. This week's teaser is from my current WIP, RACE.

The Tuesday Teaser is down! Check back next week for more :)

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

I, Emma Freke - (For Review - Thank you, Carolrhoda & NetGalley) - What's in a name? I, Emma Freke is a charming search-for-identity story about Emma―the only "normal" member of her quirky family. Her flighty, New Age mom seems to barely have time for a daughter, especially one who annoyingly spoils her mom's youthful façade. Emma's well-meaning grandpa is clueless. And her only friends are the local librarian and a precocious 10-year old adopted by the two old ladies next door. Smart, shy, and nearly six feet tall, Emma struggles to fit in at school, so she jumps at the opportunity to "home school" until that too turns into another of mom's half-baked ideas.

The Long Weekend - (For Review - Thank you, Savita Kalhan) - Sam knows that he and his friend Lloyd made a colossal mistake when they accepted the ride home. They have ended up in a dark mansion in the middle of nowhere with man who means to harm them. But Sam doesn't know how to get them out. They were trapped, then separated. Now they are alone. Will either of them get out alive?This gripping and hypnotic thriller will have you reading late into the night...

Matched - (Bought) - Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander.

What did you get in your mailbox this week? Leave me a link, and I'll be sure to check it out!

Click HERE to enter my international blogoversary giveaway - ends Dec. 17th!