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A review by aoosterwyk
Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington
4.0
Sarah Nelson's mother drowned her and her twin brother when she was two. Fortunately, Sarah lived, but her life has been touched by "crazy" and she constantly looks for signs of it in herself.
Her father is a sad alcoholic and Sarah does her best to care for him and not upset him. Both of these things diminish her life and keep her dishonest.
The summer she turns 12, Sarah turns a corner and begins to form connections with some unique neighbors. She also accepts a challenge from her English teacher, Mr. Whisler, to write letters over the summer and she chooses to write to Atticus Finch, the man she wishes her father could be.
Mr. Whisler has one of my all time favorite lines, "Most people don't know what they truly think until they write it down. Don't you want to know what you TRULY think?". This is his pep talk for summer writing.
The cast of characters is terrific with an older brother/sister across the street and a wise old lady down a house or two, who passes on her book collection. Books/reading/writing feature highly in this story and despite the father's alcoholism, he is a literature professor and shares books with Sarah. He's just squeamish about his OWN story.
Overall a very empowering story about growing up and taking responsibility, especially when the grown-ups won't.
Her father is a sad alcoholic and Sarah does her best to care for him and not upset him. Both of these things diminish her life and keep her dishonest.
The summer she turns 12, Sarah turns a corner and begins to form connections with some unique neighbors. She also accepts a challenge from her English teacher, Mr. Whisler, to write letters over the summer and she chooses to write to Atticus Finch, the man she wishes her father could be.
Mr. Whisler has one of my all time favorite lines, "Most people don't know what they truly think until they write it down. Don't you want to know what you TRULY think?". This is his pep talk for summer writing.
The cast of characters is terrific with an older brother/sister across the street and a wise old lady down a house or two, who passes on her book collection. Books/reading/writing feature highly in this story and despite the father's alcoholism, he is a literature professor and shares books with Sarah. He's just squeamish about his OWN story.
Overall a very empowering story about growing up and taking responsibility, especially when the grown-ups won't.