Mazer’s ‘Babyface’ Tells Realistic Story

Norma Fox Mazer has won many honors and awards for her books, which are for, and about, young people. In one of her newer novels, “Babyface,” Mazer writes sensitively on the themes of friendship, forgiveness and finding inner strength.

“Babyface” is a nickname Toni Chessmore has had all her life. Even though she’s 15 now, she doesn’t complain when her father sometimes calls her by this pet name. Instead, she counts her blessings. Her parents are loving and appreciative. Her best friend, with whom she shares everything, lives right next door. Toni is secure and happy. “Toni Luck,” she calls it.

But when cracks start to appear in her picture-perfect world, Toni wonders if she’s really lucky at all. Her best friend leaves for California, and shortly afterwards her father suffers a heart attack. It is while she is learning to cope with these problems that she discovers a family secret that shifts her views of life into frightening and unfamiliar pictures.

This is a book that’s sure to be a favorite. It’s easy to identify and sympathize with Toni, because her character subtly changes and matures throughout the story. Mazer blends quiet joys with the pains and uncertainties of life, and her perceptions are always insightful.

As Toni’s relationships with the people closest to her change, she learns that life is never perfect and finds new, more realistic bases for her happiness. She draws closer to an older sister who has always been utterly distant. She develops a tentative friendship with a boy. She learns to express herself.

Most importantly Toni learns to view the people she loves in a whole new light, appreciating their strengths and forgiving their weaknesses.

I highly recommend “Babyface.” It’s an excellent book that’s both realistic and absorbing.