Theme
The book, Never Mind, by Avi Rachel Vail, describes the lives of fraternal twins, Meg and Edward. The main theme in the book is a family rivalry. Edward and Meg do not like each other. They are in the seventh grade but in different schools. Edward hates Meg because of her determination to join the High Achievers Club. He plans to destroy his sister’s social life.
Setting
The story is set at home and in school. It gives clear descriptions of the children’s schools and home. The narrator follows these two characters wherever they go.
Main Characters
Edward and Meg are the main characters in the book. Meg is a bright girl. She attends a very competitive private school, Fischer, and is very neat and great at sports. Edward, on the other hand, likes skateboarding and attends a different school. He is messy, and his room is very disorganized. The two are twins, yet they have very many contrasting traits.
Plot
The book is based on the lives of the twins. Meg shows extensive determination to join a popular group in her new school, but her brother Edwards is on a mission to kill her dream. He thinks that Meg would make him feel inferior. He responds to Meg’s announcement to join the high achievers’ club by saying that he would start a low achievers club, whose main goal would be to prevent his sister from joining the High Achievers’ Club.
The story’s climax is when Edward eavesdrops on Meg’s conversation with her friend, who is the most popular in school. Meg says that she has a brother called Ted who is the lead singer in a famous rock band. She describes him as tall and handsome. In his efforts to destroy Meg’s social life, he calls Kimberly and says that his band, which does not exist, would perform at her party on Saturday.
This lie excites Kimberly, and the rumor spreads in the whole school. Many people are eager to know about Meg’s “cool” twin brother. However, the twins become victims of their lies when Edward’s scheme fails during Kimberly’s party. However, he does not embarrass her sister. He admits that he had fun while performing at the party. Meg, on the other hand, praises her brother saying that he is the bravest and the coolest person on earth.
Edward is confused; he does not know whether he should embarrass Meg at the party or not. However, he thinks that Meg wants to humiliate him during the party. Meg says that they are friends. Edward shows concern about Meg’s boyfriend. He does not approve of him.
This action displays his love for his sister. Their experience at the party changes Edward’s interpretation of “smart” and “cool.” He now considers himself “cool” and “smart.” The experience also improves the relationship between the twins. They become more comfortable together than before.
My Review
In my opinion, the author has done a good job in showing sibling rivalry amongst twins. Edward and Meg do not like each other. She shows the differences that the twins have. These disparities are the major causes of rivalry. However, the twins have several similarities that reconcile them after Kimberly’s party.
They both love each other. Edward decides not to embarrass his sister, and Meg praises him in the presence of her schoolmates. They then come up with the same name for Edward’s band, Never Mind. In the book, they have similar thoughts in different instances. The development of the plot is about modern society. It is a well-written book.