Blister

Blister by Susan Shreve is a inspirational story of a ten year old, fifth grade, spunky, and bold, young girl named Alyssa Reed. After giving birth to a still baby, her mother, Mary Reed, becomes overly depressed. Alyssa, remaining an only child, once believed that her life was absolutely perfect. She had an energetic grandmother by the name of Daisy G. by her side looking out for her, great friends in an amazing school, and a loving family. But that all soon changed when her parents start fighting, her father is never home, and her mother starts lazily laying on the bed everyday and always out of sight. The new baby was the only hope of restoring back the family, but when the baby died, the hope died with her. To get his wife "some help", Jack decides to move from an old farm house in North Haven, CT, to an apartment building right near the Bowling Alley that he owns. After Alyssa confronts him about his rotten attitude, he admits that he is extremely unhappy and that he is going to move out. Alyssa's life was now forever changed. She didn't want to move in the first place, her family broke up, her dad has a new girlfriend, her mother well as not even be alive, and she had no chose in anything whatsoever. She was just pushed along for the miserable ride. But that was enough for her. She deiced to change her name to Blister. After discovering a suit case underneath her father's bed while visiting him, she starts taking makeup, high-heel shoes, and scandalous clothing thinking that this bag full of woman's things should not be under her father's bed, and that she has the right to them. Furious at her father, she starts to disown him and push him away as she possibly can. To help her at her new school, Bixley Elementary, where everything is a popularity contest, she decides to dress up to impress everyone and have a chance to make it onto the cheerleading team. She didn't make it even though she was the best there, because she wasn't popular enough, but she did make two friends. Even though her life was still down in the dumps, her mother made a promise to her that she would try to change back into the way she