Emily is a young girl fumbling her way through confusing friend dynamics, quirky parents, and first boyfriends. The plot is reflective of everyday experiences, reminding one of an actual middle schooler's diary. There are comical pictures and graphs drawn into the text. The writing is friendly and warm, and reads like "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."
This could easily be a five-star book if there was more depth to the story. The climax happens when the girl gets a boyfriend; not much to get excited about, yet a heartwarming read. ( )

this book its about a gril that writes about what happen in her dayy and her life

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

FLASHCARDS OF MY LIFE is a great book, not just for it's story (which is a cute, funny one!) but because of the pictures and illustrations. This art was done, in fact, by the author herself, which means 1) she's so totally multi-talented; and 2) I'm so totally jealous!

Emily is a pretty typcial young teen. She has plenty of friends, most specifically--Sandra, her 24-hour friend, her best friend, the one she tells everything to; Becca, her best-friend runner-up, the one she tells almost everything to; and Sarah W. and Sarah J., two girls she hangs with, but mostly just at school. The Sarah's don't mix well with Sandra, though, so it's a balancing act of friendship.

Emily also has a set of pretty normal parents. Her mother stays on the narrow road of dieting by making only desserts with nuts in them, since she's allergic. Her dad, though a good guy, is still totally oblivious to her mom's moods, which ends in alternate "I'm ignoring you" =slash= "we're giddy in love" weeks at Emily's house.

Add to that the social dynamics at school, the crushes of Emily and her friends, and the endless demand of trying to figure out what to do, what to say, and how to act, and life is pretty complicated. But thanks to her Aunt Chester (yes, Chester is a nickname, and no, she's not really Emily's aunt), Emily now has a new way of figuring out life--a birthday present containing FLASHCARDS OF MY LIFE. Cards with headings such as Friends, Food, Love, Kiss, Clothing, etc. that Emily can fill in herself, any way she chooses. And as she does so, she comes to realize that, all in all, her life is pretty good. And we, the reader, realize that it's also pretty darn funny.

Aimed more towards the younger teen or pre-teen set, FLASHCARDS OF MY LIFE is a laugh-out-loud, quick read that will leave you with the feeling of having just read a good story. ( )

Emily is growing up and trying to figure out boys, friendship and family life. She reflects on her life so far through a series of "flashcards" that she received as a gift. These flashcards provide character development and plot flow in an interesting format. As with most middle school aged characters I found Emily and her friends to be whinny and annoying. I did however enjoy the topics that were covered throughout the story. I would love to see one in a similar style about recently graduated college girls. Perhaps Charise Mericle Harper will write one like that. I think this would be a great book for middle school girls since it does such a great job covering the topics that middle school girls deal with. ( )

Grades 5-8. When Emily receives a new journaling project as a gift from a family friend, she begins to fill out the titular "Flashcards of My Life." Through flashcards with themes like "friends," "embarrassment," and "secrets," as well as cartoon-y pictures and other text, Emily describes her world and daily events in her life. While the novel lacks plot, the honesty and genuineness that come through in Emily's feelings about her parents, her little battles with her friends, and her crush make for an engaging read. The book never mentions Emily's age or grade, but her voice is so well done that it doesn't need to; we know that she is twelve or thirteen and in middle school. Recommended for all sizes of public libraries, and elementary and middle school libraries. ( )