Quaking
by Kathryn Erskine
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 60)
Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com
How can you not love a book that starts like this:
"Families come in all varieties but with no warranties. I have lived with first cousins twice removed, second cousins once removed, and now a third cousin who is removing herself. I call her Loopy. Because of her large earrings. And because she is insane.
Loopy drives like a ten-year-old car thief on a sugar high."
From the very beginning, Matt (not Mattie, and certainly n...more
How can you not love a book that starts like this:
"Families come in all varieties but with no warranties. I have lived with first cousins twice removed, second cousins once removed, and now a third cousin who is removing herself. I call her Loopy. Because of her large earrings. And because she is insane.
Loopy drives like a ten-year-old car thief on a sugar high."
From the very beginning, Matt (not Mattie, and certainly n...more
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Quaking by Kathryn Erskine
In Southern California we all know about quaking.
When everything starts to shake we might pause for a second or two to see if it is going to last, and then dive under a table or desk and ride it out. You probably started preparing for this kind of quake when you were just little kids.
But for 14-year-old Matt, (don’t ever call her Matilda), quaking has nothing to do with the earth shaking.
For Matt, there are the seemingly minor quakes, like the ones that ha...more
In Southern California we all know about quaking.
When everything starts to shake we might pause for a second or two to see if it is going to last, and then dive under a table or desk and ride it out. You probably started preparing for this kind of quake when you were just little kids.
But for 14-year-old Matt, (don’t ever call her Matilda), quaking has nothing to do with the earth shaking.
For Matt, there are the seemingly minor quakes, like the ones that ha...more
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Read in June, 2008
A few things about this book, in no particularly coherent order. It is written in first person, present tense narrative, but for once it isn't distracting - the only thing about her writing I didn't care for was an odd aversion to contractions, which may have been meant to reflect something about the character narrating, but if so I didn't get it. Other than that, it's very well-written and the author does a solid job of character development. The protagonist is a cynical 14-year-old with a roug...more
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Read in January, 2007
Fourteen-year-old Matt (Matilda) is a Goth, but that's partially a pose to keep the world away. She uses her look, and her humor — a knife-like sarcasm — to avoid making connections and taking action. But she finds at her new home that the parents, in particular the father Sam, are devout Quakers and activists engaged in the anti-Iraq war movement. As she moves closer to Sam, those same beliefs lead to her harassment at school by a big mouth bully and a pro-war civics teacher. As the title s...more
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Read in June, 2007
This is a great book for young adults, and for the adults who come across it. The story of a troubled teenage girl who has been bounced from one foster home to another, it's also about love and learning to trust. The book rises above the average due to its setting and theme- a Quaker family dealing with the "war fever" that swept over many Americans post-911. It raises questions about what it means to be patriotic, and what it means to stand up for one's beliefs. My only regret is that...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Sarah by:
all teens and writers
Great story. The first line caught my attention: "Families come in all varieties but with no warranties." This could be classified as a peace book, or by some an anti-war book. The main character, Matt, a girl moves in with distant relatives who are also Quakers. The theme is approached on multiple levels of the story. I wanted more at the ending, but as I consider the story, I feel she ended it at the correct place.
I plan to read this book a second time; I only give 5 stars to books ...more
I plan to read this book a second time; I only give 5 stars to books ...more
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Read in March, 2008
I probaly wouldn't have finished this young adult book but I was sick and had more free time.
A young girl with a terrible past is sent to live with a Quaker family. There she finds acceptance (that was the good part) and becomes involved in protesting the war in Iraq.
All the students in favor of the war are mean bullies.
All the other characters are holding peace rallies.
Very little about the war is discussed, only that it's wrong to kill people.
A young girl with a terrible past is sent to live with a Quaker family. There she finds acceptance (that was the good part) and becomes involved in protesting the war in Iraq.
All the students in favor of the war are mean bullies.
All the other characters are holding peace rallies.
Very little about the war is discussed, only that it's wrong to kill people.
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Read in August, 2007
Amazing book. Withdrawn girl sent to live with foster family who happen to be Quakers, she learns much about standing up for one's beliefs without being a bully. Learns to overcome bullying at her school where everyone is very scarily militant over how we should stay in Iraq and keep fighting this pointless war, and she learns to love her foster family too.
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Read in November, 2007
this was interesting because it had Quakers in it. it was interesting to learn a little bit about something that i knew nothing about. i also appreciated that the Quakers truly liked the main character without trying to change her (either by changing her clothes or by turning her into a Quaker). it was an enjoyable book.
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone who hates war
This is such a great book. Matt is a wonderful brave, survivor who learns so much about peace from her Quaker foster family. Uplifting, and hopeful, and yet gets you so mad at people like her History teacher who's arrogance and ignorance is part of the machine that is currently running and ruining this country!
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
EVERYONE
This is a fabulous book with lots of heart. While it is aimed at the YA market, it is essentially a book about finding peace and is a must read for any age, especially at this time of fruitless international conflict.
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2008 top ten quick picks for reluctant young adult readers
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