Waiting for NormalBy Leslie Connor
Katherine Tegen Books, 2008. 290 pgs. Young Adult
Twelve-year-old Addie's life is anything but normal. Her irresponsible mother, recently divorced from Addie's beloved step-father Dwight, has lost custody of Addie's two younger half siblings, due to a tendency to leave the three girls home alone. As Addie and her mother move to a new town, Addie hopes that things will be different, that somehow things will work out better, but it doesn't take long before her mother's new "job" has her away from home for hours and even days at a time. Frustrated by her mother's behavior and desperately wanting to spend more time with her former step-father and her little sisters, Addie must find the resiliency to survive as she's waiting for normal.
This is a very enjoyable book. Addie is a delightful character--resourceful and intelligent while at the same struggling with a learning disability. Her struggle against hope, as she tries to brace herself against pain and disappointment, rang true to me. Well-developed characters and an uplifting message make this a wonderful book.
AE
1 comment:
This is a well written book with an unusually resilient primary character. Addie has a heartbreaking although not unheard of relationship with her neglectful mother. She knows her situation is not normal, but at the same time is not sure what normal is. This is a poignant coming of age novel. I especially liked the stereotype breaking step-father who adores Addie and only wants the best for her.
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