Jennifer Murdley is plain. It would be politically incorrect to call her ugly, but we could probably get away with calling her homely. And she is well aware of the fact. She would do just about anything to be pretty; at least she thinks she would. In the book, we find out if it is true.
We had a Jennifer Murdley in our grade school. Her name was even Jennifer. I don’t know if I realized it at the time, but physically, she had nothing going for her. I don’t do this to be mean. It’s the truth. She was short and stocky. She had no neck. Her eyes were small and beady. I cannot recall a color and that is something that I tend to remember. Her hair was short and a dark auburn. If there was a style, it would be called feathered. Her mouth was small and unremarkable. Her nose was the most memorable thing on her face. She wasn’t a brain and she wasn’t dumb. She was neither athletic nor musical. Everything about her was average. I wonder what, if anything, distinguished her from the herd for our teachers. And I wonder what she did that brought her joy, or if she was just trying to survive.
I can say this without guilt because I am far removed from that time. And I know for a fact how I felt myself back then. I felt unremarkable. I felt plain. I felt unpopular. Long, stringy, mousy brown hair. Plain old, unfascinating brown eyes. Freckles all over my nose. Quiet and shy. Didn’t want to be noticed or singled-out. Still trying to find my place in the pecking order. I was never the new kid, and it seemed like the new kids had it all.
I still remember the first time that someone outside of my family said something to the effect that I was pretty. It was in 8th grade. We were making pizzas to sell to raise money for a youth trip to Washington D.C. A high school junior that I knew well enough, came to me and said, “My older brother says you’re going to be a knock out when you get older.” I know I was flabbergasted and beet-red from nose to toes. And now I really wonder what happened before that and what happened after that because it still seems so surreal. Why would she have told me that. Why would a college man, or maybe even a graduate have reason to say that. I’m certain they don’t even remember the circumstances. We all still belong to the same church, so I could ask, but I’m sure I’m the only one who remembers. It was that important to me. That someone knew who I was and thought that I could be pretty.
This book was uncomfortable for me because it hit so close to home. We all want to belong and we’re all fighting for our right to exist. But it is also a fairy tale where the princess doesn’t take center stage and she doesn’t even win. It is the underdog who is the heroine and for once she takes center stage and has the courage to fight back.
In a world where some of the most popular books are called Uglies and Pretties, I wonder who will want to read about a Toad. It’s a sweet book about 5th graders, but I wonder if it is already too late for them to benefit from the wisdom of this book …
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