Twelve-year-old budding writer, Victoria spends a summer with her estranged father and his new family which does not turn out the way she imagined.

Judy Blume meets Barbara Dee in this tender and empowering middle grade novel told in journal entries and poetry about a young writer on the verge of becoming a woman whose summer with her estranged father doesn’t turn out the way she’d hoped. Twelve-year-old Victoria Reeves is all set for her “First Magnificent Summer with Dad,” even though it’s been more than two years since she last saw him. She’s ready to impress him with her wit, her maturity, and her smarts—at least until he shows up for the long road trip to Ohio with his new family, The Replacements, in tow. But that’s not the only unpleasant surprise in store for Victoria. There are some smaller disappointments, like being forced to eat bologna even though it’s her least favorite food in the world. And then there’s having to sleep outside in a tent while The Replacements rest comfortably inside the family RV. But the worst thing Victoria grapples with is when she begins to suspect that part of the reason Dad always treats her as “less than” is for one simple reason: she’s female. As Victoria captures every moment of her less than magnificent summer in her journal, she discovers that the odds are stacked against her in the contest-no-one-knows-is-a-contest: Not only does her wit begin to crumble around Dad’s multiple shaming jabs, but she gets her first period. And when Dad does the worst thing yet, she realizes she has a decision to make: will she let a man define her?

There’s a new man in her mom’s life, and Victoria is determined to get rid of him—no matter what. Both a standalone novel and a follow up to The First Magnificent Summer, this pitch-perfect middle grade story is destined to become a classic. Thirteen-year-old aspiring writer Victoria Reeves remains dedicated to writing in her diary as her reading tastes evolve from Virginia Woolf to Sylvia Plath. She’s growing up—getting the hang of her monthly “visitor,” coming to terms with her relationship with her estranged father, and grappling with her ever-evolving views of womanhood. But the summer brings unexpected bumps along the way when Victoria develops complicated feelings about the cute boy next door and decidedly uncomplicated ones about her mom’s new boyfriend. To protect her mom—and the family dynamic she’s used to—from this unwanted interloper, Victoria will do what it takes to send him packing. But when she goes too far, Victoria realizes all she’s done is ruin a good thing for her mom. Is it too late to set things right?

Before midsummer turned eighteen, her greatest wish was to marry Gu Xi Nian, but on her eighteenth birthday, she had accidentally associated herself with a man she couldn't avoid. After that, feeling guilty, she continued to act like a queen. She raised her head proudly and threw a golden card in the man's face with a straight chest. Do you know what to do? There was only one person I loved, and not only him before, but now it will also be him, and in the future it will be him. " The next second, the man held her down, implying, "Is that so?" From then on, he had a reason to keep pestering her until she became his Night Lady. [Previous Chapter] [Table of Contents] [Next Chapter] Join Collection

This is the second volume of collected poems written by Richard from 2005 to 2015. The first volume's poems were written from 1971 to 2004 and is availble for purchase as well.

The ninth chapbook of poetry and philosophy by Richard Wilson Moss.