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Summary
Summary
Verbena Colter knows she's bad news.
Trouble from the get-go. How could she not be, with parents like hers Her mother practically pickled her before she was even born, leaving Verbie to struggle with the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome. And her father was just plain mean. Verbie wishes she could be somebody, anybody other than who she is. Enter Pooch, a flatlander boy visiting for the summer. When Pooch and his mom rent the house next door, Verbie takes the opportunity to be someone else entirely. And what starts out as a game leads Verbie into a surprising and heartwarming journey of self-discovery.
Another gem from the author of So B. It.
Author Notes
Sarah weeks was born March 18, 1955 in Ann Arbor Michigan. She received her BA from Hampshire College and her MFA from New York University. Sarah is the author of numerous best-selling children's books including Glamourpuss, Woof!: A Love Story, Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth, If I Were a Lion, the hilarious Mrs. McNosh series, and many more.
Sarah's book, So B. It, made the New York Times bestseller list in 2015.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Verbie, 11, is happy with her life in a small town with a best friend and loving parents until she discovers a secret that shakes her world. It turns out that Verbie's real father is her uncle who is in jail for murder, her real mother drank too much when she was pregnant, and Verbie is probably suffering from some of the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome. Unable to understand, she begins to act out and yell at her mother who she feels is smothering her with attention. To make matters worse, Verbie's best friend deserts her and she's faced with a lonely summer. Then Pooch and his mother come from the city and rent the house next door for the summer. For some reason, Pooch thinks that Verbie is the ghost of a girl who drowned in a nearby lake and Verbie takes the opportunity to become someone else, at least in the eyes of a nine-year-old boy. It starts out as a game and their unlikely friendship grows, but some dangerous problems arise. Verbie must reach inside herself to cope with them and, in the process, learns much more about herself and her place in the world. Rachel Gray narrates all the characters in Sarah Weeks's novel (HarperCollins, 2010) with slightly different voices, making their emotions sound real. A heartwarming story of self-discovery.-Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary School, Edmonds, WA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Verbena recently learned that she was adopted--and that her birth father is a criminal. She has also lost her best friend, and is feeling moody and unsettled. Things start to change when a boy named Pooch moves into the neighborhood--and he thinks Verbena's a ghost. Weeks's characters are well rounded and her story line is engaging. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Fifth-grader Verbena knows that she was born in New York City while her parents were there looking for bad news Uncle Mike. When she finds a curious clue, she finally gets the real, shocking story: Mike, who's in jail, is her father, and her mother is an alcoholic whose drinking was the cause of some of Verbena's challenges, including learning difficulties. This news puts Verbie in a tailspin; she is sure that the mean feelings she has been taking out on her adoptive parents, especially her overweight mother, come from bad blood. When Pooch, a boy from New York City, comes upstate during the summer, she convinces him she is the ghost of a local girl who drowned. Together they find a boat and take it out for a ride that's almost their last. Pooch may be a nebbish, but his belief that Verbena's a ghost, especially as her white nightgown gets dirtier every day, never rings true. What does is Verbena's anger and the eventual resolution, which brings reconciliation and hope.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
