Undercover, by Beth Kephart

Undercover, by Beth Kephart
Young Adult, 2007

Elisa is a modern-day Cyrano de Bergerac, writing lines and poems for the boys that are 'smitten' in her school. One of the guys, Theo, has a thing for Lila, who is beautiful and popular, but treats Elisa like scum. Theo and Elisa start a friendship, but Lila cuts it short, and almost ruins her chances at a skating competition. Will Elisa ever come from 'undercover' and show who she really is?
I must confess I skimmed so many pages in this book. But, in my defense, it was because she couldn't stop talking about trees, and foxes, and beautiful clouds....and enough was enough. Because she was in dreamland so often, it was hard to sometimes get a grasp on reality and the plot in general. The ending is a bit of a drop off, and you can only assume it goes alright, but gee, it would have been nice to see Lila get her comeuppance. I'm glad her dad comes home, and that her relationship with her sister and mom get better. I also like the teacher, Dr. Charmin, who tries everything she can to nurture Elisa's gift with words and writing. Graded a B-.