Violets are blue /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From the author of the acclaimed My Life in the Fish Tank and Maybe He Just Likes You comes a moving and relatable middle grade novel about secrets, family, and the power of forgiveness.

Twelve-year-old Wren loves makeup--special effect makeup, to be exact. When she is experimenting with new looks, Wren can create a different version of herself. A girl who isn't in a sort-of-best friendship with someone who seems like she hates her. A girl whose parents aren't divorced and doesn't have to learn to like her new stepmom.

So, when Wren and her mom move to a new town for a fresh start, she is cautiously optimistic. And things seem to fall into place when Wren meets potential friends and gets selected as the makeup artist for her school's upcoming production of Wicked .

Only, Wren's mom isn't doing so well. She's taking a lot of naps, starts snapping at Wren for no reason, and always seems to be sick. And what's worse, Wren keeps getting hints that things aren't going well at her new job at the hospital, where her mom is a nurse. And after an opening night disaster leads to a heartbreaking discovery, Wren realizes that her mother has a serious problem--a problem that can't be wiped away or covered up.

After all the progress she's made, can Wren start over again with her devastating new normal? And will she ever be able to heal the broken trust with her mom?

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

1. Click Click Hey, guys, Cat FX here. Sorry if my voice sounds funny--my allergies are going full blast this morning. Also, I couldn't sleep. So I spent the night thinking what I wanted to say to you, and here it is: It's really important not to overdo stuff, okay? Yes, I know it's exciting when you have all these shiny new products to play with, and you want to use everything all at once. But trust me on this, it's better to go slowly, adding layer on top of layer, building your character from the inside out. Know what I mean? Also--and guys, I can't stress this enough--try not to be too obvious. Have fun with these techniques. Experiment, take risks, but always leave room for a bit of mystery. Tonight my face was Seafoam Blue. Not my whole face. Just a light swish across my forehead, the tops of my cheekbones, and around my chin. The trick was to go slowly, like Cat FX said, applying layer on top of layer. Better to add than to subtract. Build the character from the inside out. And to be who I imagined--my mental mermaid--I couldn't just slather on a ton of blue pigment. My mermaid's superpower was a kind of camouflage: blending into her surroundings. Slipping undetected through sunken ships. Escaping deadly sea monsters. Coming up for air when necessary. The other thing I'd decided was that she was a collector. So when she won a battle, or discovered buried treasure, she would always decorate herself with souvenirs. To never forget what she'd been through, what she'd seen. To make it part of herself forever. Which was why I was gluing a plastic pearl to my eyebrow when I heard the GRRRRUUUNNNCCCHHH . My stomach clenched. We'd been living here for almost three months, and I still couldn't get used to the awful grinding sound of the garage door. But at least it gave me warning. Before Mom could get all the way upstairs, I tossed the jar of Seafoam Blue face pigment, the eye shadow in Cyber Purple, the waterproof eyebrow pencil in Medium Brown, and the spidery false eyelashes into my secret makeup kit. Then I slid it under my bed, all the way to the farthest corner, tossing in an old sneaker to hide it. The shoebox marked M stayed on my desk. Visible. I checked the clock. Only 8:35. Mom clomped up the stairs in her thick-soled Jungle Mocs, which I'm pretty sure is the official footwear of ER nurses when they aren't wearing sneakers. Just in time, I beat her to the door of my bedroom. "Hey, honeybee," she called as she reached the top step. In her wrinkled spearmint-green scrubs, she looked droopy, like a plant you forgot to water. When she smiled, you could see how hard her face was working. "Is that the mermaid?" she asked, lightly touching my cheek. "Yeah," I said. Mom could always tell the effect I was going for, even when I was in the middle of a character. "Although I'm not totally sure about the color." "You're not? What's wrong with it?" "I don't know. The Seafoam Blue seems wrong. Too greenish, maybe? And I'm not getting that shimmery underwater effect. I followed all the directions, but..." I shrugged. "It's not how I thought." "Well, I think it looks really great so far. And I love that eyebrow pearl." She pushed her too-long bangs out of her eyes. "You finished your homework, Wren?" "Yep. An hour ago." She looked past me, into my room. Could she see the makeup kit under my bed? No, that was impossible. But of course she could see the shoebox marked M --on my desk, like usual. "And did your friend Poppy come over after school?" Mom always called her "your friend Poppy," like she thought she needed to remind me that everything was different now: I had a real friend. "Mom, Poppy has soccer. Remember I told you?" At least twice. No, more than that. "And why are you home so early?" Again. "Another mix-up with scheduling. My supervisor keeps overstaffing." Mom leaned against my door and shut her eyes. For a few seconds I just watched her. With all the changes in her schedule, I knew she hadn't been sleeping well. Not during the night, anyway. So it didn't shock me to see her so tired. Still, it was a little awkward, both of us just standing there, not talking. Not moving. "Mom," I said. Her eyes fluttered open. When she took a step, her knee buckled, or something. She grabbed the doorknob to keep from falling. "You okay?" I said quickly. "I'm fine." A small wince. "Just my stupid knee acting up again. Don't worry about it, Wren. I have an early shift tomorrow, so I think I'll just take some Advil and get into bed. Will you please walk Lulu so she can pee?" Lulu was our three-legged French bulldog. She peed sixteen times a day, and that's no exaggeration. "Sure," I told her. "Go rest, Mom. And put a pillow under your knee." "Hey, I'll be the nurse around here, not you." She threw me a little smile as she disappeared into her bedroom. I waited, and then I heard it: Click. One day while I was at school, Mom had a lock put on her door. To keep the cat off her bed, she'd explained. Although, really, that made no sense, because our one-eyed cat, Cyrus, was too old to jump that high anyway. And now, every time I heard that sound-- click --my heart flipped over, but I couldn't say why. I returned to the mirror propped up on my desk, in front of the shoebox. The mermaid looked blurry now, out of focus, the Seafoam fading into boring pink skin. And the funny thing about makeup effects? They were all just technique, Cat FX said, not magic. But sometimes if you stopped in the middle, it was like you were breaking a spell--and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't get it back. I wiped my face and went downstairs to get Lulu's leash. Excerpted from Violets Are Blue by Barbara Dee All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Weaving two very different but timely topics--makeup tutorial videos and opioid addiction--Dee's (My Life in the Fish Tank) frequently poignant middle grade novel depicts the ways that both adults and children can feel out of control. Cued-white 11-year-old Renata, who goes by Wren, copes with her parents' separation by immersing herself in online videos from Cat FX, a special effects makeup artist who specializes in sci-fi and fantasy looks. But after Wren's dad begins a new life in Brooklyn with a new girlfriend, Wren's mother seems increasingly peevish and exhausted--copious hints suggest that she's not simply working too hard at her job as an ER nurse. Caught between her parents, Wren also has plenty going on at her new Chicago school as she tries to navigate crushes and a difficult friendship while doing makeup for the school production of Wicked. The cycle of substance reliance and cover-up is realistically drawn out, as is Wren's anxiety about her circumstances: "It felt like my only options ever were: Keep everyone happy. End the fighting. Don't make problems." With flawed, realistic characters and dynamics, this reconciliatory novel is a believable balm for young people at the mercy of adult choices and scenarios. Ages 9--13. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (Sept.)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4--8--Twelve-year-old Renada (Wren) is going through some difficult changes. In a few short months, her parents have divorced, her father has remarried, and Wren has gone through a major move with her mother. On the positive side, she likes her new stepmother, who is pregnant with twins, and quickly makes a friend at her new school. She also follows a YouTuber who specializes in special effects make-up, and working with make-up helps her cope with life. Wren's friend Poppy convinces her to do makeup for the school musical, and Wren is surprised to find herself enjoying the challenge. On the negative side, Wren's mother is behaving erratically, taking long naps on the sofa, missing work, and keeping things locked away in her room. Wren tackles these challenges, along with her own insecurities, with a believable maturity. Dee addresses with aplomb important topics such as opioid addiction, divorce, bullying, and moving. This inspired novel deftly depicts the self-doubt and loneliness that many children (and adults) feel. Character ethnicity is not described. VERDICT A recommended purchase, especially for libraries that serve children affected by the opioid crisis.--Claire Covington, Broadway H.S., VA

Booklist Review

In this story for young teens struggling to find themselves, readers enter the jumbled world of Wren--a girl whose father recently left and is now expecting twins with his new partner, whose nurse mother is behaving increasingly strangely, and who is, herself, trying as best as she can to give voice to her feelings and ideas. Wren is not great at cultivating friendships, but she's developing a real talent for creating visual transformations using makeup. Behind the colorful layers she applies, she doesn't feel inadequate or "unfriendable," and when the opportunity arises, she throws herself into doing makeup for the school play. Meanwhile her mother's behavior becomes more erratic, with the ultimate reveal that she's addicted to painkillers. As her mother heals and her own self-understanding deepens, Wren relies on the help of family and new friends to move toward a fresh start. Dee (My Life in the Fish Tank, 2020) again successfully tackles tough topics, making them relatable for middle-grade readers.

Kirkus Book Review

Wren and her recently divorced mom have moved into a new community near Chicago, and things are not going well. Wren has made a new friend, Poppy, and found a new interest--learning about makeup by following Cat FX's YouTube tutorials. But her mom always seems tired, even for an ER nurse, to the point where 12-year-old Wren can sense something is wrong, although it takes her quite a while to figure out what it is exactly. In the meantime, Wren, steady and dependable, succeeds in keeping up with her schoolwork and practicing her new hobby, with some help from her dad and his new wife, far away in Brooklyn. Still, her mom's growing problems lurk in the background of everyday life. Luckily for readers and Wren, her passion for her art, the encouraging voice of Cat FX, and the chance to do the makeup for the school performance of Wicked keep her going. Wren makes great efforts to show her unhappy mom that she continues to love her and doesn't favor her dad's new family and their lifestyle, free of financial worries. She also navigates new relationships at school, learning to reassess some of her first impressions. Wren's problems and her pluck will keep readers interested in this sincere story about starting over. Most main characters are White; Wren's father's Jewish, and one of her new school friends is Black. A touching, realistic story about a mother-daughter relationship and its ups and downs. (Fiction. 10-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Barbara Dee is the author of fourteen middle grade novels including Unstuck , Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet , Violets Are Blue , My Life in the Fish Tank , Maybe He Just Likes You , Everything I Know About You , Halfway Normal , and Star-Crossed . Her books have earned several starred reviews and have been named to many best-of lists, including The Washington Post 's Best Children's Books, the ALA Notable Children's Books, the ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List, the NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, and the ALA Rainbow List Top Ten. Barbara lives with her family, including a naughty cat named Luna and a sweet rescue hound named Ripley, in Westchester County, New York.