Vivian Lantz's Second Chances

by Kathryn Ormsbee

Overview

Groundhog Day meets Eighth Grade in this time-loop story set on the first day of school, from the critically acclaimed author of Candidly Cline.

Vivian Lantz is cursed. Every year, terrible things happen on her first day of school. This year, Vivian has a plan to conquer eighth grade. But eighth grade? Turns out to start with her worst first day yet.

Vivian can’t wait to put it all behind her. But instead of waking up to a brand-new day, Vivian somehow gets stuck reliving her catastrophic one. Curse: 9,000 – Vivian: 0. Then she sees her misfortune for what it is: the golden opportunity to get her perfect plan back on track. But when her second chance turns into a third, a fourth, and a fifth, Vivian might have to let go of the perfect day of her dreams… and make a few surprising choices along the way.

This delightfully awkward saga of first crushes, mean-girl drama, and unexpected magic is sure to please fans of Mark Oshiro, Lisa Jenn Bigelow, and Julie Murphy—and any reader who’s ever been nervous about their first day of school.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063060043
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/13/2023
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kathryn Ormsbee was born and raised in central Kentucky. She now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wife and their pup. She is the author of several books for young readers, including Candidly Cline, The House in Poplar Wood, and The Water and the Wild. You can find her online at www.kathrynormsbee.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2023

With affection and humor, Ormsbee (Growing Pangs) takes on a time-loop telling via an Austin eighth grader whose first day of school just won’t quit. From a preschool glitter incident to a bout of food poisoning in the fifth grade, each one of Vivian Lantz’s first days of school has been marred by what she thinks of as “the curse.” This year stands to be even worse, since Vivian’s best friend has moved away. Armed with wise words courtesy of her favorite fantasy author, Vivian launches herself into a foolproof self-reinvention plan: finding her style (rocker chic), joining the school paper (instead of writing fantasy fanfic), and wooing classmate Alex Fernandez (her crush for 23 months) by befriending a mean girl. The first day still doles out disaster after disaster, including her first period. But when the same day reprises the following morning, the event grants Vivian another chance—and sticks her in a time loop. As the days repeat and Vivian’s fully fleshed first-person voice forces her to become more deliberate with her choices, Ormsbee combines cringe-worthy moments with sweetly wrought relationships, creating supportive, caring day(s)-in-the-life circumstances around growing up. Vivian reads as bisexual and white; the secondary cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 8–12. Agent: Beth Phelan, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

A compulsively readable and laugh-out-loud story about identity, family, and how even a 'perfect' day can be messy. I rooted for Vivian on every Monday, and truly fell in love with this book along the way!” — Katryn Bury, author of the Drew Leclair mysteries

“A warm, engaging coming-of-age tale with a sprinkle of magic.” — Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR CANDIDLY CLINE: “Like a perfect country song, CANDIDLY CLINE sings a sweet and empowering tune of hope, friendship, and the beauty that comes from chasing seemingly impossible dreams. Cline Alden is my hero.” — Ashley Herring Blake, Stonewall Honor author of Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World

“Confident, candid, and immensely endearing. Destined for the spotlight.”  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Warm and hopeful." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Lyrical and full of country twang. Cline is a relatable tween protagonist who shows readers what it takes to live authentically and be true to yourself.”  — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Thrums with the joy of weaving your heart’s whispers into a song for all to hear. Empowering, affirming, and sweet as all get-out.” — Lisa Jenn Bigelow, author of Drum Roll, Please 

"Cline Louise Alden is a character you can't help but cheer for in this endearing story about finding your voice and pursuing your dream. A tender exploration of the power of different kinds of love and making your own music." — Nicole Melleby, author of How to Become a Planet

“Offers readers an inspiring combination of self-awareness, bravery, and passion” — Horn Book Magazine

“Readers looking to broaden their LGBTQIA+ middle-grade romance collections with a witty, offbeat voice should loop back around to this title.”   — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

From the Publisher

2023-04-12
It’s the first day of eighth grade…over and over again.

Vivian Lantz has a bad first day every new school year, but she’s determined to have a fresh start for eighth grade even though she’ll be without her best friend, who recently moved away. She sets out to accomplish the tasks on her Master Plan, but right from the start, nothing goes as anticipated, and it ends up being the worst of her very bad first days. When she wakes up in the morning, though, it’s Monday all over again. Vivian wants to use her second chance to have the perfect day, but with each time loop reset, she makes different choices that lead to her changing her mind about what her goals should be and what a perfect day would look like. This story set in Austin, Texas, successfully uses the repeating-day trope to explore the emotions and conflicts common in middle school, from friendship drama to new crushes to getting one’s period for the first time. Just as Vivian, an aspiring author, relates to the characters and themes from her favorite fantasy book series, readers of this book will connect and empathize with bighearted Vivian even when she makes frustrating decisions. Vivian is cued White, is attracted to both guys and girls, and has queer dads; there is ethnic diversity among secondary characters.

A warm, engaging coming-of-age tale with a sprinkle of magic. (Speculative fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews