The Beetle and Me: A Love Story

by Karen Romano Young

Book Overview

Fifteen-year-old Daisy Pandolfi's first love isn't a boy--it's a 1957 purple Volkswagen Beetle, the restoration of which leads to many other experiences, some including boys. An ALA Best Book for... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688159222
• ISBN13: 9780688159221
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 181 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

The beetle and me a love story

This is a great book i dont like to read books and i love this one the author does a great job wrighting this book and does a great job keeping you hoked. This is the first book i have read in a long time my dad asked if it was good because he hasent seen me ever not put a book down i love this author and i am looking for more books by her. This book is about a young 15 year old girl who wants her dads old puple vw bug that he has put in the there ice house she works on it all summer and gets it up to shape to drive the one day her and her friend billy are driving it and and the find oil all over the ground she finds out later that there is a split in the crank case and it will have to be replaced so for christmas her parents and her buy a new one so now the beetle is all fine. Her friend Billy has graduated and doesnt have a car to drive and is in love with Daisy and wants to marry her but she doesnt know if she feels the same way and as a present the him she gives him the beetle on loan till she is 16 and can drive it, this is how the book ends and i am kinda wanting there to be another book after this one but thats just me.sincerly Charity Summerlin

The Bug Called Love

In simple, straightforward language, Karen Romano Young unfolds how a seemingly awkward yet strong and determined heroine comes to terms with her dreams, her family, and herself. Daisy Pandolfi is a believable heroine who makes no excuses for wanting what she wants. She doggedly restores their old VW Bug and discovers heartbreak, disappointment, and love in the process. Her strength was an inspiration to me -- and I'm 23! I wish I was like that when I was 15.The book is a love story, true, but not in the mushy line of commercial teen flicks. The romance aspect develops slowly, surely, imperfectly. But at the heart of it all was how Daisy tackled her independence. In a quiet exchange that moved me to tears, Daisy tells her father not to tell her what to do, just to tell her when she's doing it wrong. In the end, it IS a love story -- of a girl for her dreams, of a girl for her family.I sincerely enjoyed the different characters that Karen Romano Young painted in this book, and I look forward to reading her other works.

incredibly difficult and sweet

i/m 16 years old and i just read this book. i really loved it even though the end left me kind of hanging. i really hope a sequel will come out soon. anyway i recommend it for anyone.

I loved this book!

Daisy, 15, spends every spare minute working on her purple '57 Beetle, hoping to get it up and running before her 16th birthay. With her wild red hair, spirited nature, and red hightop sneakers, Daisy's a teen version of Pippi Longstocking. Someone once said the test of a great book is whether you'd recognize the characters if you sat next to them on a train. If you read this book, you'll recognize Daisy Pandolfi the next time you see her -- in auto-shop class or at a stock-car race!

BEETLE is a charming, page-turning gem of a book!

Karen Romano Young's novel about 15-year-old Daisy Pandolfi will have you smiling, thinking, wondering, and -- on the last page -- crying. It's about a girl's love for her parents' old VW Beetle, but it's also about life. (I never thought I'd care this much about a book about cars, but then again, I didn't expect to love "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," but it was one of the best books I read in college!) "The Beetle and Me" should be given away by VW dealerships to everyone who test-drives a new Beetle. They'd buy one for sure! Read this book. You'll remember it always.