|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Amazon
Deborah Ellis's first middle-reader novel, Looking for X, won a Governor General's Award for its gritty portrayal of life in a Toronto housing project. Narrated by 11-year-old Khyber, Looking for X recalls Catcher in the Rye and all the other first-person narratives about troubled kids that have followed since. Khyber lives in the infamous Regent Park public housing project with her single mother, a former stripper, and twin half-brothers, who are both autistic. Bright but quick-tempered and a bit sassy, she's often in trouble at school and has no friends her own age. Instead, she seeks out the company of an elderly homeless woman named X, who believes she is being pursued by secret police. More socially engaged than most novels for this age group, Looking for X opens a window onto what it would be like to have virtually no money--not enough for a phone, a cab to the hospital, or the beautiful $60 backpack in the army surplus store.
Khyber's relationship with X is a little hard to swallow at times--would an 11-year-old girl really rush out to meet a bag lady and chatter away despite getting no response? Also, certain minor characters, such as the schoolyard bully and the mean-spirited teacher, are little more than cardboard cut-outs. But Khyber's voice, with its interesting blend of know-it-all bravado and childlike wonder and vulnerability, remains compelling to the end. Looking for X is worth reading just for her. (Ages 9 to 12) --Lisa Alward
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8-Eleven-year-old Khyber lives with her mother and autistic twin brothers in a low-income area in Toronto. In addition to her problems at school (she skipped two grades and doesn't fit in), she deals with her mother's decision to send her brothers to a group home, some menacing skinheads, a false accusation of vandalism that gets her expelled, and a search for her homeless friend, "X." Khyber loves her family and gladly goes beyond what one would expect of a child in order to help her mother and "X." Her friends are an odd assortment of characters, all adults. There are just too many quirks and issues to make this book believable. Some aspects of the plot are far-fetched and everything falls into place just a little too neatly at the end. On the other hand, all of the characters seem real and natural. Khyber is a likable protagonist and readers will appreciate how she copes with her issues. If they can accept some of the improbable circumstances, they will enjoy the story.
Leslie Ann Lacika, Dingman-Delaware Middle School, Dingman's Ferry, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Leslie Ann Lacika, Dingman-Delaware Middle School, Dingman's Ferry, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Mom used to be a stripper. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Mom used to be a stripper. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Looking For X,
By malisa (toronto, canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Looking for X (Paperback)
My friend decided to read looking for x, and loved it. so i decided t give it a try. i loved it! from the minutte i picked it up i was hooked! i remember when i started to finish the last few chapters i felt so sad because i would never find a better book. khyber is such a wonderfum independent, determaned girl. tammy is such a loving mother, and the twins were so interesting. all the characters were incredible and easy to relate to on different levels. the setting was quite different, and even though she did grow up in a rough place you would still want to be there just for the feeling. the story line is incredible, there are always twists and you never knew what to expect. i like how it always changes and when one thing happens the changes the whole plot.
4.0 out of 5 stars
searching for X,
By Tara age 13 (london, ontario) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Looking for X (Paperback)
kyber is struggling at home with fianacial problems (her family is on welfare) because her to brothers are autistic and need expensive treatments.At school she has no friends her age and is constantly getting in trouble because of tiffany a school bully. her one and only true friend is X a mysterious homeless woman who kyber gives food to and talks to when she's upset but X rarely speaks back to kyber. X is very cautious and is afraid secret police are after her so she makes as little contact with people afraid hey are undercover cops. when X goes missing kyber sneaks out in the middle of the night in search for X in downtown toronto. she has no food or money or a place to sleep. read the book to find out more it's an awsome book.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good, But Sad,
This review is from: Looking for X (Hardcover)
Khyber is living in poverty in a poor part of Toronto with her family. Her father abandoned them when Khyber's two autistic brothers were born. I can tell you, having an autistic child is not easy. Autistic children cannot look at you in the eye or even talk. Plus, it costs money for treatment. And you can imagine, with the shortage of money that Khyber's mother has, it would be hard to pay for treatments for two autistic children. But Khyber loves her brothers dearly and would never let anything bad happen to them. But one thing Khyber looks forward to in life is her friend X, who lives in the park. X is a very mysterious old lady who is intensely afraid of the secret police and will not tell Khyber her real name. When X suddenly dissapears, Khyber is devastated. She just had to find X. Her journey would probably be one of the scariest things that would ever happen to her. read on...
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Children's Books > Issues
- Books > Children's Books > Literature
- Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Siblings
- Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Issues > Special Needs
- Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Situations > Self-Esteem & Self-Respect
- Books > Health, Mind & Body > Personal Health > Children's Health > Special Needs Children
- Books > Teens > Social Issues > Being a Teen
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
