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labunnywtf's review against another edition
3.0
This is another one of those "google til your fingers bleed" books. I couldn't remember the name of it. I'm only putting three stars, because while I remember liking it and it having quite an impact on my life at the time, I've found that going back and reading something that meant a lot back in the day usually ends up with me thinking, "Hell. I should've read better books."
labunnywtf's review against another edition
3.0
I couldn't sleep last night, and for some reason this book popped into my head. So, I googled and discovered I could read it online. Thus leading to me sleeping even less.
It's been at least 20 years since I've read it, so a lot of it was unfamiliar. In the way of books for this age range at this period of time, the emotions and inner thoughts are a bit overblown, but overall, this book is done really well. You feel for Laurie, you completely understand why she couldn't tell anyone what was going on.
Also, I now vividly remember how this book convinced me that despite their deep, deep, deep problems, my parents were not that bad.
It's been at least 20 years since I've read it, so a lot of it was unfamiliar. In the way of books for this age range at this period of time, the emotions and inner thoughts are a bit overblown, but overall, this book is done really well. You feel for Laurie, you completely understand why she couldn't tell anyone what was going on.
Also, I now vividly remember how this book convinced me that despite their deep, deep, deep problems, my parents were not that bad.
mlejmeyer's review against another edition
3.0
After talking with a teaching colleague about this book, I remembered how much I loved it in the 4th grade and bought myself a used copy off of Amazon. Although it didn't hold the power over me it did as a 9-year-old, I still thought it was an important and ground-breaking book; I'd read little at this age that truly delved into deep problems.
candicem's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book as a 5th or 6th grader. I was intrigued and horrified at the same time. It was unthinkable, to me, that a mother could do that. I do not remember the details of the book but I can remember the way it may me feel and the emotions that I had while reading it. Shocked, sad, angry, and I can also remember "talking" to the main character, Laurie, and telling her, screaming at her to go tell someone.
I've been looking for this book for a few years now and I think I will revisit this childhood favorite as an adult.
I've been looking for this book for a few years now and I think I will revisit this childhood favorite as an adult.
kjboldon's review against another edition
2.0
I remember checking this out of the library when I was the age of the girl in the story. Now, it reads as overly didactic, but then, there weren't the slew of books and made-for-tv movies about child abuse, and this one did a credible job of showing it without sensationalizing it. It's a little too lax on the abusive mom in the end.
ms_aprilvincent's review against another edition
4.0
It's weird revisiting childhood loves, because it's not just about the book, is it?
I first read this book when I was probably in 4th or 5th grade. I got it through one of those Scholastic book order things that we got every week at school. I must have read it almost 10 times.
I recently discovered a copy in a thrift shop and snapped it up immediately. Reading through it brought back not just the memory of the story itself, but where I was when I first read it--the bathtub, duh--and my own naive disbelief; having grown up in a happy, loving family, Laurie and her mother were like aliens to me, and I didn't understand them at all.
It's been over 20 years now, and I'm more aware that other people's families were not like mine. Don't Hurt Laurie is a fiction book, but it's still painful to read. Much more effective, I thought, than the supposedly factual Child Called It.
I first read this book when I was probably in 4th or 5th grade. I got it through one of those Scholastic book order things that we got every week at school. I must have read it almost 10 times.
I recently discovered a copy in a thrift shop and snapped it up immediately. Reading through it brought back not just the memory of the story itself, but where I was when I first read it--the bathtub, duh--and my own naive disbelief; having grown up in a happy, loving family, Laurie and her mother were like aliens to me, and I didn't understand them at all.
It's been over 20 years now, and I'm more aware that other people's families were not like mine. Don't Hurt Laurie is a fiction book, but it's still painful to read. Much more effective, I thought, than the supposedly factual Child Called It.
mon_ique's review against another edition
4.0
I hated it. I mean hate in the way that you hate what happen. I really wish there was more of an ending, like go on to September and see what happens to Annabelle, or see if she(Laurie)ever finds her father. I would have also liked if they had explained more about why Annabelle abused Laurie like that and tried to lie saying she was clumsy and awkward. It was so sad and at times made me very angry. I also thought that the author could have put a little lesson in there. There is a right and a wrong way to help someone who is being abused. They should have told the grandma in the first place, but I have to admitt that with Laurie all bruised and sore that It kind of strengthed their cry for help. Overall, I don't want to say I enjoyed this, that I found it amusing or something, but I felt everybody should read a story like this at least once in their lives.
meghan's review
4.0
I remember reading this in middle school and it is one book that has stuck with me after all these years. I must have read it about 5 times when I was younger, it was one of my favorite books.
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