I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
From the Desk of Lizzie Lazowsk
by Melody J. Bremen
Published by Independently Published on August 20, 2024
Genres: Middle Grade
Pages: 300
Format: Kindle, Paperback
Source: the Author
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Kobo, iBooks
When 8th grader Lizzie Lazowski receives a pen pal assignment, she puts her letter into a bottle and throws it into the ocean. A few days later, she receives an anonymous response in her mailbox. She continues to write to her mystery pen pal, answering prompts like what’s your favorite food (milkshakes), and who is your best friend (she doesn’t have one at the moment).
Through her letters, she tells about her biggest dream: to secure a spot at Northcrest High School for the Arts. If she submits a creative project—a true story about one person—she can win a scholarship. And Chloe, the new girl at school, just might be the one to help her complete the project (and maybe even fill the best friend role).
As the deadline for the scholarship draws near, her project flops and her budding friendship goes horribly wrong. All she has is the help of a mystery pen pal to put her life back on track.
This companion novel to The Boy Who Painted the World delivers a story about friendship, forgiveness, and self-discovery.
From the Desk of Lizzie Lazowski by Melody J Bremen is about a girl named Lizzie Lazowski who is getting through her final year of middle school.
Can Lizzie do everything she puts her mind to?
Lizzie Lazowski
Lizzie Lazowski is a twelve-year-old in the eighth grade who has been through a lot in her short life. Her dad died when she was just three, and then just three years later, Lizzie ended up with a cancer diagnosis. Lizzie is a confident young girl who thinks she knows what she wants, even if she doesn’t. She ends up figuring out a lot about herself throughout the book. Lizzie does this with the person who picks up her message in a bottle. I liked Lizzie, but I didn’t. The part I liked about her is that she puts on a front like whatever people say she doesn’t care about, but in reality, she does, even if she doesn’t know that she cares yet. I didn’t like that she is self-absorbed and doesn’t want to welcome any change. Lizzie does end up growing, though, which is nice to see.
The Story
Lizzie Lazowski ends up writing a letter, putting it in a bottle, and throwing it into the ocean. She has an assignment for her English class to write to a pen pal, but Lizzie doesn’t want to write to her assigned partner. She doesn’t want to do that because it is too boring, while this is exciting. The story is told through letters, emails, text messages, and her creative project. It’s a different concept to write a story like this.
Three Stars
From the Desk of Lizzie Lazowski by Melody J Bremen is an interesting way to tell a story through mixed media, not with the standard way of following the main character. Ms. Bremen does a great job of making sure that all the characters have done some growth along with the main character. The one thing I disliked, more of my preference, is that the different mediums were hard for me, and I didn’t feel connected with the main character. My rating for From the Desk of Lizzie Lazowski by Melody J Bremen is three stars. However, give it a try and see how it works for you.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of From the Desk of Lizzie Lazowski by Melody J Bremen.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
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About Melody J. Bremen
Melody J. Bremen spent most of her childhood in her imagination. She began writing when she was young and simply never stopped. Now she writes contemporary and fantasy novels for middle-grade readers. Her secret superpower: the ability to go through life without coffee.
Melody lives on a distant planet where all they do is write and read books. (Sometimes they eat jelly beans.) Oh… you want the boring version. Well, then. She lives with her family in New Jersey, where people do normal people things. She has a faithful computer named Oswald. Other than that, she does not have any pets. She used to have a neurotic hamster named Puff, but she has since gone to the great hamster wheel in the sky.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2025 Goodreads RC
- 2025 Middle Grade Reading Challenge
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