Reviews

Although this book is a little young for me (I found it while putting in an order at work... so yes, it's like for 9th graders or something heh) I am enjoying it.
So B. It is the story of 13 year old Heidi who lives with a mentally disabled mother and has been looked after by her Agoraphobic since she can remember.
So yes, a bit strange and all Heidi wants is too be normal.

I just finished it and it was wonderful and very sad in parts. I really enjoyed it!

4saradouglas's review against another edition

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3.0

I like this book pretty well. One thing I didn't like are the unbelievable parts, such as the main character's luck, which take away from the believability of the book. Some sections were a little slow, but otherwise it was a good book and a good look at what it's like to live with an adult who functions as a child.

jesstele's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

agenderberry335's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lillimoore's review against another edition

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3.0

I read this book in middle school and reread about 3 years ago in anticipation of watching the movie. This middle-grade novel balances on the line of charming and heartbreaking. We follow our protagonist, Heidi, and her mentally disabled mother, who are both watched over and cared for by their brilliant but agoraphobic neighbor Bernadette. It is a coming-of-age tale that has Heidi realizing all that is missing from the story of her life and coming to terms with her unique predicament. She travels across the country to fill in the missing pieces and understand herself, her mother, and her background.

While this is a very cute tale and introduces complicated and complex subject material to younger readers in an accessible way, it is not without the problems of being quite unrealistic. You really have to suspend belief to think that Heidi can be so highly functioning, let alone exist in the situation that she does. Her mother is only capable of communicating with an extraordinarily small vocabulary. Where is CPS? Both Heidi and her mother deserved so much better. Yes, this is a touching story that can help younger readers develop empathy for those in the mentally disabled community, but I believe it could have been better executed and hope genuinely that there are other middle grade books that deal with similar subjects in a more realistic manner. If you, like me, enjoy reading books and comparing the movie afterwards, then I hope you enjoy this quick and engaging read with interesting characters, but don't expect any form of realism from it. Perhaps seek other books instead.

onceuponthesewords's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5/5

This book absolutely destroyed me when I first read it 15 years ago, and it wasn’t any different this time around. This book CONSUMED me. I read this in about two hours, and I am SO glad I kept this on my shelves even after all these years.

This was so beautifully written, and it’s unlike anything I’ve read before. The characters are wonderful, and I cried my eyes out (once again).

And how am I just discovering that there’s a sequel to this book?! BRB while I purchase it AND watch the movie as soon as I post this review.

missmeg10's review against another edition

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sad

3.0

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