The Longest Hair in the World
 Lois Duncan,
 Illustrated by Jon McIntosh
 (Reviewed by The Editor - Rebecca Brown)
 1999 A Doubleday/Random House, NY USA
  ISBN: 0613337697


When Emily blows out the candles on her birthday cake, she knows exactly what to wish for: the longest hair in the world. When her wish comes true, things get a little too hairy.

Be very careful what you wish for is the solemn moral of this hilarious story about a girl who wants to be the princess in the school play & the only way she can get the role is to have the longest hair in her class.

Be very careful what you wish for or you'll be paying extra on the bus because your long hair takes up so many seats. Your parents will have to buy a convertible. You'll get dressed up as a Christmas Tree or your braid will be used for a skipping rope.

Be very careful what you wish for or the birds will build their nests in your hair & you'll spend hours taking care of it & you'll have to have someone rake out the snarls & the weight of your hair will be no fun on a see saw.

You'd think Emily had learnt her lesson when her birthday came around again, the school was putting on another play about porcupines & Emily makes a wish as she blows out her candles.

Oh, Emily, be careful what you wish for!

Funny, vivid, silly story with lots of inventive ideas. Great illustrations too!

More from Lois Duncan who has written more than 40 books & has received the Margaret A. Edwards Award which honors a living author for a distinguished body of adolescent literature: I Know What You Did Last Summer & Gallows Hill. Visit Lois Duncan at: www.iag.net/~barq/lois.html

More from Illustrator Jon McIntosh: Witch Way to the Country; Witch Way to the Beach; The Foolish Dinosaur, Fiasco, The Amazing Zetabet & more!
(01/14/01)

Rebecca