Nobody's Family Is Going to Change (Starburst Book)

Rating:
Summary: Nobody's Family is Going to Change
Review: I discovered this book when I was in the tenth grade. I had read Harriet the Spy, and loved Louise Fitzhugh's books. This is the last book that Fitzhugh wrote before her untimely death from a brain hemmorhage.

Eleven year old Emma and her eight year old brother Willie don't really get along. Their parents won't let them grow up to be what they want. Overweight Emma wants to be a lawyer like her father, while slim Willie wants to be a Dancer. Emma's father is against female lawyers, and finds Willie's dancing most irritating.

I really liked the part when Martha, the babysitter asked them if they wanted custard or ice cream for dessert, and Emma asked for both and Willie asked for neither. ... Other than that, this is a great book, and I would reccomend it to any teacher or student. Buy it at once.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book for Parents to Discuss with Kids
Review: This was a very interesting book, and it has kept me thinking about it for the two days since I finished it. I enjoyed Louise Fitzhugh's (author of Harriet the Spy) other books, and purchased this one solely for this reason, knowing nothing about this book. I am a third-grade teacher, and after reading this book, and considering carefully, do not not feel it is appropriate for elementary school. It is very appropriate for middle school. It was written in 1975, and some of the issues in the book reflect that--when American society was still going through the Women's Liberation movement. It is the story of two kids--a 7-year-old boy, and a teen-aged girl--in a black family. It deals with issues of not getting along with your parents, and finishes with the kids coming to grips with that, and ends by the kids feeling better about themselves and gaining self-confidence. The reason I feel it is inappropriate for elementary school is that these issues are dealt with in a teenage way, menstruation is mentioned several times, and the word "faggot" is used as an insult between kids in the dialog. But actually, while some younger children could read this book and understand it, a lot of the deeper meanings the book is intended to convey would go right over their heads. This would be a great book for kids and parents to read together and discuss.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, humourous, with a serious theme
Review: Yes, it is a serious theme. It's still going on around here (stereotyping, sexism or whatever you'd call it), tho' I wonder if it'll be as bad as Emma's - her father being the one who's being "unfair". I like the fact that Emma and her three new "friends" realize what's going on (in a way), and that not everything becomes solved coz that's the way it is in real life. And it's still humourous in some ways... I think it is, anyway.
Emma wants to be a lawyer - her dad is against female lawyers. Willie (Emma's younger brother) wants to dance - but again his father is against the idea and would really like Willie to be a lawyer. And... well, that's all I'm gonna say!