- Hardcover: 160 pages
- Publisher: Transworld; Gift edition edition (Aug 28 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0385603223
- ISBN-13: 978-0385603225
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 259 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Lesley Dunlop reads The Suitcase Kid in this unabridged three-cassette pack.
Although there are many children's books about divorce, few move beyond bland therapeutic preaching into the realm of well-told stories. This one does. A hard look at joint-custody life, The Suitcase Kid follows Andrea West and her tiny stuffed rabbit, Radish, through the painful adjustment of being a kid with divorced parents. She must leave the home she loves with the mulberry tree in the front yard, and deal with parents who still fight, step parents, step siblings, two different bedrooms (neither of which is really hers), loneliness, and an acute longing for the past. Her grades sink. Her friends drift away. And she's not quite sure how to fix any of it.
Wisely, Jacqueline Wilson doesn't offer instant solutions; rather, she chronicles Andrea's journey to the beginning of equilibrium in her new life. Things will never be the way they were, but, as the book suggests, they'll get better over time. And because it's well written and honest, The Suitcase Kid will appeal to any child who enjoys realistic fiction, not just those who "need" to read a book about divorce. (The publisher recommends the The Suitcase Kid for ages 8-12, but it could well appeal to children who are a couple of years younger or older.)
Running time is three hours five minutes. --Susan Harrison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
When Andy's parents get divorced, she finds herself spending alternate weeks at Mom's house, then at Dad's, and longs for the days when they were all at home together. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Tug of War - ABCs of Divorce,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Suitcase Kid (Audio CD)
Andrea (Andy) at 10 is living out of a suitcase. She alternates her weeks between her divorced parents. Her father has remarried Carrie, a post-Woodstock flower child who has 5-year-old twins Zen and Crystal from a previous marriage. She is pregnant with her third child, a girl. Andrea tries to make sense out of this by going through the ABCs of divorce, with each chapter going down the alphabet. Andrea's mother has also remarried. Andrea dislikes her widower stepfather and calls him the Baboon. He has bratty Katie, 10 who is thoroughly spoiled; Grant, 12 and Paula, 14 who are pleasant and reasonable. I just hated the way Andrea's mother defended Katie regardless. She wouldn't even LISTEN to Andrea's side! Katie treated Andrea badly with impunity and that bothered me. Even though one could sympathize with her fear of dying in her sleep, because as Grant explained, Katie was told when their mother died that death "was like going to sleep." Still, that doesn't excuse her execrable treatment of Andrea and her malicious sneakiness. People who glorify Other People's Children to their own and let themselves be conned and beguiled by Other People's Children make me tired. Sneaky Katie lies; destroys Andrea's things and ridicules her for being inordinately attached to her stuffed rabbit, Radish. I think Katie was a grade-A brat. I disliked the way Andrea's parents used her as a pawn against each other. When the girl became ill and couldn't leave one home for another, once again her natural parents try to use her against each other. Another thing that bothered me was the way each parent spoke against the other's new spouse to Andrea. I thought that was way out of place. I also disliked the Baboon's parents because they excluded Andrea and made a big point of buying presents for their natural grandchildren. Andrea's school work suffers; she and her parents see a counselor who talks down to Andrea and is generally irksome. I didn't like the cloying, annoying way she spoke to Andrea. In time, Andrea accepts the fact that she is the link in two extended families; Katie will continue being allowed to get away with murder, but at least she has the twins, Grant, Paula and some kind neighbors who have moved into her former house on her side. The house she pines for is called Mulberry Cottage. That in turn makes me think of the inane song, "here we go 'round the mulberry bush." Plenty of thorny characters in this story.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Tug of War - ABCs of Divorce,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Suitcase Kid (Paperback)
Andrea (Andy) at 10 is living out of a suitcase. She alternates her weeks between her divorced parents. Her father has remarried Carrie, a post-Woodstock flower child who has 5-year-old twins Zen and Crystal from a previous marriage. She is pregnant with her third child, a girl. Andrea tries to make sense out of this by going through the ABCs of divorce, with each chapter going down the alphabet. Andrea's mother has also remarried. Andrea dislikes her widower stepfather and calls him the Baboon. He has bratty Katie, 10 who is thoroughly spoiled; Grant, 12 and Paula, 14 who are pleasant and reasonable. I just hated the way Andrea's mother defended Katie regardless. She wouldn't even LISTEN to Andrea's side! Katie treated Andrea badly with impunity and that bothered me. Even though one could sympathize with her fear of dying in her sleep, because as Grant explained, Katie was told when their mother died that death "was like going to sleep." Still, that doesn't excuse her execrable treatment of Andrea and her malicious sneakiness. People who glorify Other People's Children to their own and let themselves be conned and beguiled by Other People's Children make me tired. Sneaky Katie lies; destroys Andrea's things and ridicules her for being inordinately attached to her stuffed rabbit, Radish. I think Katie was a grade-A brat. I disliked the way Andrea's parents used her as a pawn against each other. When the girl became ill and couldn't leave one home for another, once again her natural parents try to use her against each other. Another thing that bothered me was the way each parent spoke against the other's new spouse. I also disliked the Baboon's parents because they excluded Andrea and made a big point of buying presents for their natural grandchildren. Andrea's school work suffers; she and her parents see a counselor who talks down to Andrea and is generally irksome. I didn't like the cloying, annoying way she spoke to Andrea. In time, Andrea accepts the fact that she is the link in two extended families; Katie will continue being allowed to get away with murder, but at least she has the twins, Grant, Paula and some kind neighbors who have moved into her former house on her side. The house she pines for is called Mulberry Cottage. That in turn makes me think of the inane song, "here we go 'round the mulberry bush." Plenty of thorny characters in this story.
5.0 out of 5 stars
When the parents split up, where do you fit in?,
By
This review is from: Suitcase Kid, The (Paperback)
Andy West's parents have divorced and have started new lives with other partners. Andy is to spend one week with her mother and the "Baboon" and his miserable children. While there, she is forced to share her step-sister Katie's room, and Katie goes out of her way to make Andy miserable. On the weeks Andy stays with her dad and his "new agey" wife Carrie, she shares a room with 5 year old twins Zen and Crystal, and their mess. To add to the misery, Carrie is pregnant. The only one who understands's Andy's confusion is her constant companion Radish, a tiny toy rabbit. Radish understands how Andy misses the tiny cottage she and her parents shared. Radish understands how hard it is to make people you barely know, your family. Radish understands how hard it is to remember all your schoolwork and belongings when you stay at two places. All Andy wants is a place for her and Radish to feel at home. One day she and Radish discover a tiny, hidden garden, that they long to make their own. This is a sensitive story of divorce and one child trying to cope with events out of her control. Once again, Jacqueline Wilson has displayed an uncanny understanding of the needs of a child, and a true ear for dialog. This is a sweet book and a must read for anyone you know who has been touched by divorce.
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