false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171648155m/111044.jpg 111044 12 The subtitle of <I>Stop Pretending</I> says it all: "What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy." In a sequence of short, intense poems based on the author's own experiences, a 13-year-old girl suffers through her shifting feelings about her sibling's mental illness. She recalls the terror of the Christmas Eve when Sister was suddenly transformed into a stranger; the horror of visiting Sister in the hospital and finding her rocking on all fours; the fear that her friends will find out; her own worry that she, too, may lose her mind; and her wistful memories of Sister as she was before. More complex emotions are also explored, such as her irrational suspicion that Sister may be deliberately acting crazy, as poignantly expressed in the title poem: "Stop pretending./ Right this minute./ Don't you tell me/ you don't know me./ Stop this crazy act/ and show me/ that you haven't changed./ Stop pretending/ you're deranged." Gradually, as Sister begins to recover, the girl is able to find hope and again take pleasure in her own life. Blank verse is perfect for a story with such heightened emotion, and is a format that has been used with great success in other fine novels for teens, notably the Newbery-award winning <I>Out of the Dust</I>, by Karen Hesse, and Robert Cormier's boyhood memoir, <I>Frenchtown Summer</I>. Teen readers may even be so inspired as to try their own hand at this challenging but satisfying form. (Ages 10 and older) <I>--Patty Campbell</I> 63136 1999 Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy total:666|5:178|4:233|3:189|2:57|1:9| 666 2512 1122 129 2 1 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jun 02 11:55:40 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 04 10:22:17 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri May 23 15:41:39 -0700 2008 Fri May 23 16:11:39 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 06:36:23 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 04 06:20:21 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Jun 02 07:15:16 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 02 07:22:14 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Mon Mar 30 08:57:31 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 10:43:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Feb 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jun 02 06:33:02 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 02 06:40:40 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue May 13 12:44:13 -0700 2008 Tue May 13 12:47:30 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri May 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 07:30:53 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 07:37:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Apr 16 21:16:43 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 21:21:55 -0700 2009 I loved reading this book i actually cried when i read this. This book is about a girl that has a sister with needs. i Started crying because i have a younger and older sister and i thought of my sisters having needs and my parents not always caring or visiting her at the center. This book is very ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Jun 02 07:24:25 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 03 08:21:56 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Mon Aug 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 17:02:23 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 17:02:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Feb 10 10:34:03 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 13 08:00:04 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 10:34:03 -0800 2009 VOYA Evaluation Code: 5Q; 3P
A) Pre-Reading/Anticipatory Thoughts
I'm not sure why I am so intrigued by stories of mental illness; however, this one is no different. I initially picked up this book and thought it could be of no value because it is so small. I flipped through the book and r...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Jun 12 07:30:54 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 12 07:31:41 -0700 2008 4 1 false false Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Jun 09 20:22:20 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 09 20:23:13 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Fri Jul 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 10 14:19:55 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 10 15:05:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Mar 05 09:36:06 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 09:42:03 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Sep 03 13:09:30 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 13:09:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Aug 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 15:54:28 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 15:56:36 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false true Tue Sep 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 13 12:04:41 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 23 13:51:31 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 12:24:16 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 20:19:07 -0700 2009 1
The story, told through poems, of what things were like when 13 year old Cookies older sister had a mental breakdown and ended up institutionalized. In Cookies voice, she shares all: how she did or didn't cope, what she lost, and how she found herself, her life, and family aga...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=111044