Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall

Imagine a fluorescent orange dodgeball. A dodgeball doesn't do a lot of damage...or does it? Now picture it hurling toward you at rapid speed, and you are glued to the floor, unable to move. Then you're hit, falling to the ground and blacking out. You think you are dead, but you're not, since you're at your favorite mall where you spent most of your time over the years. You have a chance so you can see some choices you made to lead to the mall. This is what happened to Tessa Reynolds, who is the main character in Heaven Looks a Lot like the Mall, by Wendy Mass, which was published just one month ago. Here is the opening paragraph to the novel:

"For fifty cents and a Gobstopper,
I lifted my shirt for the neighborhood boys.
My oldest brother Matt caught us
and chased the boys with a Wiffle bat.
Word got around, and at nine years old
I became the girl
other girls' moms
didn't want them to play with."

This book is unusual because it is written in verse. Normally that would be a story that I'd think it was boring, but this is written and a very simple, easy to follow way. I thought of this like going from elementary school to middle school. Elementary school was okay, but still enjoyable. Middle school is new, different, and more exciting. When I read the first few chapters, I paid attention to the verse often. After a while, I got caught up into the plot, and forgot about the format, written in verse.

"Nail Boy starts taking each object
out of the bag and lining them up
on the counter.

"A white fluffy teddy bear with a red bow around the neck..."
"A box of assorted crayons..."
"A roll of toilet paper..."

"Before me is an odd assortment of my stuff,
most of which I haven't seen or thought of
in years. `What's so special
about these particular things?'

"He holds up the bag. `I'm giving you a chance
to visit the choices you made. The choices
that led you here and-`

`I'm here because someone
fired a dodgeball at my head.'"

This passage shows Tessa discovering the bag of items she bought from the mall. The author's creativity connected the items in the bag to choices Tessa made up to the present. At first, the objects are obscure and innocuous, but Tessa, as well as the readers, soon find their significance. She finds that each item is also related to a store in the mall and to an event in her life. Another reason I loved this book is because of the chapter titles, which related the items with the store Tessa bought it from. Also, on the cover, the author used actual store fonts for the words! Even if the ending in much anticipated and the theme was obvious, I still enjoyed this book so much. Wendy Mass does a wonderful job making the readers feel for Tessa, even id she's not always the most likable person.
In the end, Tessa reevaluated her life when she woke up from her coma from all her mistakes and right actions, knew she should become a better person. She also answered her Big Question, which was "why didn't I duck when the ball came at me?" Tessa knew that there are consequences for her actions, and that she would now live her life differently, yet better.

I strongly recommend this book
because of the chapter titles, the
verse forms, the connections
of ordinary objects, but
most of all,
it's so funny!

It's your choice to
duck when a dodgeball
is hurling towards you,
or do nothing
at
all.

The main character is hit by ball during gym class and falls in to a dream where she is in a mall and find a bag of old stuff then revisits the items and the stories associated with them. I love the way she introduces the items in the bag the main character finds, then she takes a chapter of the book for each of the items and the stores they came from. Example: the title would be a store name like JC penny then it would have an item associated with the store like an old baby shoe then it would tell the story associated with the item and the store she bought it at in this case it tells the story when she was a toddler and went shopping for shoes against her will and ends up buying shoes she didn't even try on because her mother ( who is crazy about fashion) thought they looked cute.

Reviewed by Kirby Jo Franze (age 16) for Reader Views (11/07)

Stepping inside the reality of almost every teenage girl's life, Wendy Mass hits the nail right on the head with this witty, realistic tale that will appeal to everyone from daughters to their moms. We follow sixteen-year-old Tessa, "the mall brat," on her epic journey through life up to junior year, when slow reflexes in a dodge ball game suddenly land her at heaven's doors. But, wait, is that Abercrombie & Fitch?!? It would seem that heaven looks a lot like, yup, you guessed it, the mall! Questioning her entire purpose for living, we follow as Tessa reviews her life as a young girl with tough choices, to a young adult with real life decisions in front of her. I believe most girls can relate to Tessa's journey. It travels through everything from cute boys, to temptations, to hard-to-get-along-with siblings and parents.

This book is a good reminder to the average teenage girl to listen to her parents; it helps her realize which decisions are the right ones, and is a fabulous warning of the consequences of making the wrong ones. Ms. Mass was quite successful in making us all feel as though we were experiencing the psychotic, crazy days of high school. As a teenager myself, I could relate to the pressures of staying in shape, keeping the right friends and trying to be compatible with the world and everything in it. Though there were times I felt that Ms. Mass underestimated the vocabulary of teenagers by using the word "and" more than a few times, I still felt it was well-written and sometimes quite humorous. I personally learned to be thankful for the life I have and that we can all learn from our mistakes if we let ourselves.

Tessa did give in to temptation more than a couple of times, unable to resist defending the underdog and delivering a little payback to someone that really had it coming. Regardless, she stayed pure and stood her ground in some awfully tight spots, which left me with a desire to do the same. I hope all of the readers of "Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall" will walk away with that same desire. This book makes for a delightful read for all of the hard-headed, not quite sure what their purpose is, and slightly crazy, self-conscious, silly girls out there...like me!

Book received free of charge.

When 16-year-old Tessa sees the orange dodgeball flying at her from across her high school gym, it never even occurs to her to duck. Soon after, she finds herself floating towards heaven, which looks just like the mall where her parents work and where she has spent a good deal of her life.

She is led to the Lost and Found, where she is given a bag of items: items that she has taken home from the mall during her lifetime, and each item takes her on a journey to her past. She relives several memories, many of which she'd rather forget, and she realizes that it is up to her to sort through her life up until the moment the dodgeball hits her and finally answer the most important question of all.

I really enjoyed HEAVEN LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE MALL, and would definitely recommend it, especially to fans of stories like A CHRISTMAS CAROL. It is written in verse, but if that's not your thing, don't let it stop you! About a quarter of the way through the story I stopped noticing the verse because I was so engrossed in the story, and Wendy Mass does a wonderful job making the reader feel for Tessa, even if she's not always the most likeable person.

Whether you're looking for a fun summer read, an interesting verse novel, or a deeper story about life and death, you shouldn't miss HEAVEN LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE MALL.

Reviewed by: Andie Z.

Imagine coming upon a bag of forgotten things, then reliving memories for each and every item you touch. After being beaned on the head during a game of dodgeball, high school junior Tessa finds herself in what she thinks is heaven - but it looks a lot like the local mall.

Is she dead or just dreaming? She remembers being hit by the ball. She remembers falling down on the gym floor. She remembers being a "mall brat," which she compares to being an army brat, but without the moving around. Because both of her parents work at the mall, it's just as familiar to her as her own home.

Soon, Tessa meets an oddly interesting boy who leads her to a bag filled with things she's obtained from the shopping center over the years. The bag includes a baby shoe, a box of crayons, a pair of flip-flops, and a prom dress, among many other things. Tessa then relates a series of events, one for each item. She remembers scenes with her parents, her older brother, her friends, the girls she wanted to befriend, the boys she wanted to date.

Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall is a fast, compulsive read. The story flows smoothly. Though it is written as a verse novel, it does not rhyme and is not set to a certain meter. Tessa's memories are related in chronological order, making it easy for readers to quickly learn the story of her life.

This isn't a maudlin modern Our Town, but rather a charm bracelet come to life. Instead of this being a scrapbook of the best and happiest times of Tessa's life, it's an honest look at what she's been though. She's not proud of everything she's done, and she must learn to take responsibility for her actions. As her shame and secrets come to light, Tessa begins to realize that she can still shine -- and that (hopefully) she's got a lot of living to do.

Usually, Wendy Mass's books put me to sleep. With Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall I was pleasantly surprised! I could relate to Tessa sometimes and I thought her character really changed and grew throughout the book. So the plot is about Tessa, a 16 year old girl who doesn't really fit in well, like many other teens. But one fateful Gym class, she is hit by a ball and goes to "heaven" (she's really just in a coma) which is designed like her local mall where she pretty much spent her life, because her parents work there. Throughout the story Tessa recalls her life experiences from when she was little, to a couple days before her accident. She goes through her whole life journey in the Mall.
Favorite things about this book:
It's written in verses, so it's fun to read
Tessa
The plot (duh)
How she tells the story

In all I think this was a good book and I am 12 so I recommend this for 10-14 year olds.

I absolutely adored this book! It was a quick read (which I love), mostly because of the verse.

I'm a fan of this kind of style (not the verse, that comes later). I love the way the "chapters" are organized by item. Other reviewers have done a great job of explaining that, so I won't.

It was both light and deep at once. Again, I don't want to go into too much detail--it's a book so easily ruined.

I have one little quibble. It is a "novel-in-verse", so why did I feel that I was reading prose with line breaks? Maybe I'm just being a picky poet, but I really think Mass could have written the exact same words in prose and it would be just as beautiful.

Long story short, I can't tell you too much about the book. That sounds like I'm being lazy, and maybe I am. It's just so easily given away--I don't know what I would have done if I knew too much about the plot before I read it! It's definitely a leap, in fact, I checked it out from my local library because I was afraid to read it...and now the Kindle version is on my Wishlist.

The book was hilarious, well thought out, and interesting! I read the whole thing in one shot, it took me juts a couple of hours since I just had to go on to the next page- and on, and on, and on! The book is all about 16 year old Tessa who gets hit in the head by a dodgeball and goes to heaven, her local mall where her parents work, aka her home away from home. She goes store to store through her life to see all the stupid mistakes she's made in her life. Not just the typical ight before chritmas, but the best night before near death!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heaven Looks A lot like the Mall is a beautifully written realistic fiction novel by Wendy Mass. This book is told in the laugh out loud point of view of an unlikely high schooler named Tessa who is rocketed into heaven. There she meets an unlikely friend and confronts her true self. In "heaven" Tessa looks back on her life, reliving her best and worst memories, which all seem to be to be tied to the mall in some way or another. With the help of the guiding but sarcastic character of nail boy, Tessa just might realize what she is truly here for.

This book is amazing. It is written in verse, but you seriously won't notice. I read this book in one day. I just couldn't put it down. Literally!
True, there is a lot of older girl context. So you might wish to be older than 12 till you read this. Unless your mom reads it before you and says it's good.
The main character, Tessa, is hit with a dodgeball and is taken to a place where she spends sometime looking at her life, noticing the wrong and the right. When, in the end, sge realizes that she sparkles!

this book is filled with many stories and life changing experiences of a young girl. when an unexpected twist occurs and tessa falls off a rope in gym class. I thought it was really cool how the author put all these different memories and flashbacks of tessa's life while she was infact in the mall re-living her past. Some of her memories include her first kiss and her very fisrt tank top at abercrombie. i loved this book and recommend itfor anyone who could go for a good laugh.

When Tessa saw that bright orange dodgeball flying toward her it never clicked in her head to duck. Soon enough she finds her self in heaven which actually looks like a mall that she is very familiar with. When she gets to heaven she is lead to the lost and found and finds items that she has brought home from the mall in her past. Whether she remembers them or not they all have meaning.

Wendy Mass does a wonderful job capturing her audience. It is almost exactly like high school. She really reels in the reader with her flavor of writing. At first I noticed that the novel is written in verses but then I forgot all about it because I was so into the book.

I would recommend this book to any one who enjoys a nice easy read but a juicy book. I think teenage girls would enjoy this book the most. It is definitly a book that anyone would be able to read and enjoy. Just pick it up and give it a try.

Wendy Mass is an amazing author, and this book is yet another piece of evidence to prove this. I love the way this book was able to capture little stories, like little pieces of life, and put them into every-day objects. These objects were then analyzed in the book to find out the true story behind each seamingly worthless object. A very well written, compelling read. Two thumbs up!

Title makes the book sound superficial, when actually it is a thoughtful look at a girl's life & a lot of the bad decisions she has made. Does that make her a bad person? How much can she blame on a psycho mother? Surprisingly good book--hope it comes out as an audiobook soon.

This powerful story about doing the right thing is good for all ages. I loved how Wendy Mass used verse to make a story about guilt come to life. This story made me pause, and really think at the end. teens and grown-ups alike will love this once again great story by Wendy Mass.

This book has a wonderful ending and a magnificent writing job I think I'll be reading this book again and again! I suggest this book to anyone who is looking for a book with short stories that all tie into another . (P.S. this book can be a little confusing so read carefully and don't speed read) :p

I loved this book! It was so wonderful, clever and very creative with the different chapters. I would reccommend this book to anyone, especially girls! The mother/daughter relationship in the book was very enjoyable. All in all, this book was a great escape from reality, and very entertaining.