Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Aug 18, 2008

Kate rated it:

In many ways, Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning (Walker Books, August 2008) is a coming-of-age story, but here's the thing... Violet Raines is coming of age on her own terms and in her own sweet time.

Danette Haworth's debut middle grade novel is perfect for kids like Violet who aren't in a hurry to grow up, girls who are still more interested in mud pies than makeup. Violet faces her share of issues -- a long time boy friend whose really nice eyes she's suddenly noticin More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 06, 2008

Charles rated it:

I started and finished this book today. It's a quick read with enough interesting character interaction to keep you turning the pages. I'd call it basically a "tweener" book, not quite young adult but not quite a children's story either. The main characters are around the 11-13 age range. It reads like a good YA book, though.

Now, I'm 50 and a long way removed from those days, but I really liked the characters and really got involved with their "relatively" smal More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 07, 2008

Keli rated it:

Synopsis

For Violet, the summer before middle school is a tumultuous one. A new girl moves to town from Detroit and threatens to get between her and her best friend, lightning strikes her best friends house, and the relationship is changing with her friend Eddie. Coming of age is never an easy thing.

Review

Despite all the great reviews, this coming of age story is no Judy Blume. The country dialect seemed forced and the main character's voice was inconsistent More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 25, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com

When you've lived in the same sleepy town your whole life, you get real comfortable. As comfortable as a favorite pair of old shoes that you've broken in good. And that's just the way Violet Raines feels about Mitchell Hammock, Florida. What's the point in a new pair of shoes that'll just blister your feet?

It's the summer before junior high and Violet looks forward to spending lazy days with her best friend, Lottie, and fee More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 15, 2010

Courtney added it

This was one of those One More Chapter and Then I'll Put It Down type of books. Even though I had things to do, I couldn't stop reading it long enough to do them. I wasn't in a hurry to finish--I was just enjoying the book that much.

Violet Raines Almost Got Struck By Lightning is a really sweet story about a girl who is struggling with her evolving relationships and growing up as she and her friends edge closer and closer to Junior High. The arrival of a new girl, Melissa, has V More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 31, 2008

Anna rated it:

During the summer before juniro high Violet learns about friendship and self acceptance.

Although it's not amazing Haworth's first novel for children is a lovely easy read. Violet's life is interrupted when a new girl moves into town and tries to steal ger best friend away from her. Violet struggles w/ feelings of anger as her best friend appears to change but she soon realizes that people can change but still remain close.

Young girls will relate to Violets sensitivity wh More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 22, 2008

Linda rated it:

A really enjoyable book about friendship and those times in our life when we feel vulnerable and question whether or not our BFF relationship can withstand the inevitable changes that come our way.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 13, 2010

Cindy rated it:

Violet’s hometown of Mitchell Hammock, Florida, is a dangerous place full of alligators, coral snakes and lightening striking all over. But it’s also a place of adventure where net bridges swing over creeks, hollowed-out trees turn into secret hiding places, and kids feel safe exploring it all with friends.

Beneath the adventure lies a predictable routine for Violet. She goes to church on Sundays, helps her best-friend and next-door neighbor Lottie with a weekly fish fry afterwards, a More...

0 comments like

Aug 23, 2009

Eva rated it:

I think that if I hadn't suffered two ridiculously intense bouts of jealousy regarding best friends as a kid, I might not have liked this book as much. But knowing firsthand how irrational and yet how strong these feelings can be made me feel quite a bit of sympathy for 11-year-old Violet Raines (great name, isn't it?), whose initial antipathy towards newcomer Melissa grows stronger and stronger as it becomes clear that Violet's best friend Lottie likes Melissa very much.

Violet can More...

0 comments like

Jul 01, 2009

Treasa rated it:

I am not a huge fan of realistic fiction - I never have been. So I decided I should read more of it. This was a pretty good choice - chosen at random from our shelves of new books. The protagonist, Violet, is pretty realistic, and I found myself identifying with some of the issues she has to face, such as her best friend finding another friend and becoming interested in things that Violet doesn't care about, such as makeup and boys. It took me a while to figure out that Violet was about to e More...

0 comments like

Dec 22, 2010

Alex rated it:

This book is one of my favorites. I really liked it because it showed a lot of detail and emotion in the story. My least favorite part was when Melissa stole Violet's best friend Lotti because they were best friends since they were little and now Lotti thought that Violet was just jealous. My favorite part of the story was at the end of the story when Violet's friends and her were hanging out again and talking to each other instead of hating each other.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Aug 31, 2009

E. rated it:

In her small Florida town, Violet Raines is happy with the status quo. She's 11 and getting ready to start junior high in the fall with her best friend Lottie. But a new girl has just moved to town, threatening to disrupt everything Violet holds so dear. Melissa is from Detroit, a big city, and brings with her a love for fashion, make-up, movie stars, and gossip. Lottie is anxious to make Melissa her friend, and Violet can't stand the idea that a city girl could come between them. She does every More...

0 comments like

May 30, 2011

Theresa rated it:

When I was in junior high, I was also in a friendship triangle, so I can relate to those feelings of jealousy and insecurity. Sometimes I wasn't happy with the choices Violet made or the things she said, but it fit with her age, which is 11.

What I didn't understand was why she'd be 11 going into 7th-grade. She should be 12 or 13 going into 7th-grade. She acted young for what Melissa was like because she acted like a 5th-grader. Appropriate. And Melissa acted like a girl in 7th-g More...

0 comments like

Dec 23, 2008

babyhippoface rated it:

The reasons I didn't love this book sound kind of silly, but here they are: Violet had a tendency to be snotty (and so did Melissa), and she used bad grammar when no one else in the book really did. It made her sound less intelligent than the other characters, and that bothered me. I'm sure she was realistic, because girls can be snotty where best friends are concerned, and kids use bad grammar. Still, both bothered me.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 07, 2011

Erin rated it:

Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightening
by Danette Haworth
I'll admit it, sometimes I feel a bit jealous. Usually I'm envious of someone who has really great hair, a nice Coach bag, or is very pretty or smart. Maybe we all feel that way sometimes. Violet feels that way when a new girl named Melissa moves into her small town from Detroit. From the moment Melissa arrives, it seems like Melissa is out to steal Violet's very best friend—Lottie, even though Lottie and Violet have been More...

0 comments like

Jun 26, 2010

Michaela rated it:

This book is fantastic. Violet is an upbeat and positive 11 year old girl. Her best friend's are Lottie and Eddie. But this summer former Hollywood star Melissa moves in. Lottie starts hanging out with Melissa which makes Violet mad. When Lottie and her are fighting the decide to make pie's Lottie sence's right the storm is coming all of a sudden the storm hits the electric lines sending a shock thru the house and starting a fire. Lottie and her mother, father and sister have a marvelious oppert More...

0 comments like

Sep 14, 2008

Abby rated it:

Violet Raines likes things the way they are in her small town of Mitchell Hammock, FL. But when Melissa arrives from Detroit and befriends her best friend Lottie, Violet struggles with the realization that some things must change. A nice coming-of-age story about the summer before junior high. I'd hand this to fans of Shug, Heartbeat, and Just as Long as We're Together.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 14, 2011

Danielle rated it:

It's the summer before 7th grade. Spunky, headstrong Violet Raines plans to do what she always does; go to fish fries with her best friend Lottie, bike and explore with her friend Eddie, and watch the thunderstorms her sleepy town of Mitchell Hammock, Florida is famous for. But when new girl Melissa Gold shows up from Detroit, she threatens everything that Violet holds dear. Soon Lottie is more interested in soap operas and makeovers than swimming and alligator hunting. Despite Lottie's attempts More...

0 comments like

Dec 09, 2010

Elfiegirl rated it:

I loved it. I hated it. I loved it. I hated it. I loved it. I hated it.
I don't know if i liked it a ton or despised it. It's really confusing. I felt like Melissa was downright mean and Violet needed to confess her true feelings about that. But i also liked how she still tried to be nice.
I didn't understand if she liked Eddie a lot or just as a friend. I don't know a lot of things about this book. I do know, however, that Violet absolutely should have been much older.
I liked Vi More...

0 comments like

Mar 26, 2008

Big Apple Book Addict rated it:

This is a great debut novel. The friendships in this book reminded me of Bridge to Terabithia --- though the story was not as tragic.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 22, 2009

Robyn rated it:

Violet Raines and Lottie are best friends in small town Florida 1970. Then Melissa shows up with all her Detroit coolness, and encroaches on Violet and Lottie's friendship. Lottie embraces Melissa girly glam while Violet sees Melissa as an anoying priss. Things just get worse when Melissa teases Violet about her friendship with Eddie, Violet's other good 'guy' friend. But with a couple of lightning strikes they all kind of work out their issues, and grow up a little.

There some Dear More...

0 comments like

Oct 15, 2008

Megan rated it:

I am such a sucker for books with southern characters. Loved it. But I didn't give it a FIVE star until I got to the very end.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 23, 2010

Kirby rated it:

My friend, Barbara O'Connor, recommended this author to me. I thought this a sweet story with a great young girl's voice. I enjoyed the setting and the gentle quality of Violet's coming of age journey. I didn't feel very settled in the time period, however; at first, I thought it was set back in time but then references to paper towels and air conditioning appeared. Violet is an appealing character which made me want to know more about the other things she was thinking about, and not just her " More...

0 comments like

Jul 24, 2008

Tracie rated it:

The summer before they start jr. high foreshadows changes ahead for Violet and her friends.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 24, 2009

Brianna rated it:

I didn't really like this book all that much. I like, what's her name, the girly girl. Violet is so unaccepting. I mean, I don't go up to people and say, "You! I don't like you because you're not girly like me!" Violet is just like hating on that girl because she's different than she is, and she's supporting her hate with a false accusation of the girl trying to steal her best friend. I can kind of sympathize with Violet because it would be terrible if your BFF replaced you with someon More...

0 comments like

Apr 23, 2009

Edna rated it:

There is much to appreciate about Haworth's debut novel. At the beginning, I loved the MC's voice--Violet is a force to reckon with. I want to follow her everywhere. I also thoroughly enjoy Haworth's hand at descriptions. I experienced the dense, sticky atmosphere of Florida through the ever-energetic Violet. This story showed great promise.

The characters are likable and believable, especially Melissa. In fact, I was drawn in by the trouble brewing between her and Violet. However, th More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 11, 2009

Wendy rated it:

While I agree with the old adage "Don't judge a book by its cover," the same doesn't apply (at least for me) when it comes to titles. I am often drawn to books that have creative, interesting titles, and I like discovering how the title plays into the story. I picked this book up at our latest Scholastic Book Fair because I liked the title. It proved to be a sweet enjoyable story but it wasn't quite up to par with some of my other favorite children's novels.

0 comments like

May 16, 2011

Sammy rated it:

i thought it was a great book about friendship.the main character violet and her best friend are having a good summer when Melissa moves from Detroit and is hanging around allot with Lottie and violet gets a little mad cause she starts wearing makeup and different clothes, so then violet starts hanging out with Eddie Mellisa starts teasing her but in the end violet becomes nice and she knows she did the right thing

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 11, 2011

Dolores rated it:

It brought Kaye Gibbon's character Ellen Foster to mind because of the wittiness and intelligence. Violet Raines struggles with a threatened BFF relationship, the mystery of middle school, and exploring who she is as she prepares to enter middle school. As I think about my students entering middle school, I would imagine that they would relate well to this book, especially my girls.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 08, 2010

Patrice rated it:

This book was a "First Reads" win for me!

To know Violet Raines is to love her. I was drawn to her from page 1. She is spunky, sassy, honest, and so real. The story follows Violet's journey through the summer before she starts junior high. It is a story of friends old and new, troubled times, fun, adventure, hope, forgiveness and acceptance. It is fantastic. My 9 y/o daughter is going to love it!

0 comments like