Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
51st out of 139 books
—
1,239 voters
Zigzag
Robin can't believe it when her boyfriend, Chris, tells her that his parents have enrolled him in a summer program in Rome. It's their last summer together before he goes away to college, and now they won't even have that time together. It feels like the worst thing that's ever happened to her.
Since Chris is leaving, Robin agrees to join her aunt and cousins on a cross-cou...more
Since Chris is leaving, Robin agrees to join her aunt and cousins on a cross-cou...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
February 1st 2005
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
750)
An all expense paid road trip across the United States with your aunt and two cousins, how fun.Robin is taking this journey over the summer to stop thinking about her boyfriend. Chris is spending his last summer with her in Europe, Rome to be exact. He's going to college next year and she is left to fend for herself as a senior in high school without him. Zigzagging across the country with her two younger and annoying cousins should keep her mind off of him for the time being. Even though she ha...more
Robin’s world is in a bit of turmoil. Her to-die-for boyfriend, Chris, is going away to college on the East Coast at the end of the summer and she’s “nothing” without him. Suddenly, their last summer together gets cut to just about zero, as Chris says Yes to an opportunity to go to Rome for the most of the summer. Reeling from that blow, Robin watches her single-mother’s attention get diverted to a new boyfriend! Alone and feeling sorry for herself, Robin agrees to a cross-country trip with her...more
3.5/5
One of my favorite things in this book was that they traveled through what I will call as "the empty states." I don't mean this in a bad way, but because as a non-US person, I barely hear about these states. These are: Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming, northern Texas, and a few more. The book showed me the kind of people that live there as well as where they are in the US map. (I'll admit I know about half of the states' locations. A lot look similar, okay?) I like road trips, so at least half of t...more
One of my favorite things in this book was that they traveled through what I will call as "the empty states." I don't mean this in a bad way, but because as a non-US person, I barely hear about these states. These are: Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming, northern Texas, and a few more. The book showed me the kind of people that live there as well as where they are in the US map. (I'll admit I know about half of the states' locations. A lot look similar, okay?) I like road trips, so at least half of t...more
Zig Zag is a story of a girl named Robin who has just finished her Junior year of high school. Her boyfriend, Chris, is going to Rome for the summer and then to college afterward. Robin is devastated that they won't be able to spend their last summer together. Then Robin's aunt invited her to go on a zig-zagging cross country road trip with her and her kids, which Robin reluctantly accepts. Along the road, Robin learns more about her crazy aunt and cousins who have lots of emotional issues due t...more
I'm going to be more precise and say 2.5 stars, because I kind of liked this book, even though I hated every character in it. Except maybe Robin's mom. But Robin's cousins were insufferable, psychotic little shits, and even Robin grated on my nerves, the way she'd try to be mature, just to get into a bickering match with Iris.
I did like the story though, I love the whole idea of a road trip. The dude ranch sounded like fun, and I loved their stay in New Mexico - oh, there was another character...more
I did like the story though, I love the whole idea of a road trip. The dude ranch sounded like fun, and I loved their stay in New Mexico - oh, there was another character...more
Robin has just graduated from high school and hopes to spend the summer with her boyfriend before he leaves for college, that is, until Robin finds out he has to go on a summer program to Rome. Not wanting to spend the summer alone, Robin agrees to join her aunt and cousins on a road trip across the country. I enjoyed reading this book because of its vivid descriptions of many places in the West coast I have never traveled to. Robin's journey has made her more aware of the world, her family and...more
Jul 22, 2009
Kelly
added it
In this book, a girl goes on a trip with her aunt and two annoying cousins. At first she thinks her summer will be horrible because her boyfriend isn't with her, but during the trip she learns that it's good to meet new people and learn about new things. I find this book very interesting because a girl who used to stay at home finally goes out on an adventure that changes her life. I would've never guessed that one trip can change so many things about a person's point of view on the world. It e...more
Well, this book was not what I expected it to be. It started out with a winy girl complaining about her boyfriend going away, and I considered stopping there, but I'm glad I kept going.
Robin really grows up in this book and her cousins are horrible to her, but you can see them growing up by the end as well. I liked how this book ended as well. Lots of stories end abruptly or just get cut off in a too be continued kind of way. But in Zig-Zag, it ended well.
The reason I only gave this book 3 star...more
Robin really grows up in this book and her cousins are horrible to her, but you can see them growing up by the end as well. I liked how this book ended as well. Lots of stories end abruptly or just get cut off in a too be continued kind of way. But in Zig-Zag, it ended well.
The reason I only gave this book 3 star...more
Blah - too much teenage angst
Zig Zag has been sitting on my shelf for too long. I finally picked it up two days ago, expecting a nice little teenage story around a roadtrip. What I got was so much more. The story begins like your average love story where one part of the couple leaves for college. Seen before, read before, could easily turn into a stereotype-kind-of-thing. Only it didn't. I didn't actually like Robin much at the start but throughout the book, Wittlinger peels away layer upon layer of that whiny seventeen yea...more
A satisfying summer read. Characters I cared about, questions of identity and how to deal with things that seem to big to deal with. It addresses death, sex, sibling rivalry, parents re-marrying, and eating disorders, all without wrenching your heart out. This would be a good recommendation for reluctant youth readers. Feels honest and close to home, and doesn't perpetuate any of the myths about teen issues (IMO).
This book turned out to be a pretty good book. At first I was interested when I saw it here on goodreads, and then when I got it I lost interest, but I still read it nonetheless. I didn't care for it in the beginning really because of her boyfriend and her rather strong feelings and what-not, but then I thought about her situation and unknowingly gave her the benefit of the doubt. I kept reading and found that as she grew during the trip, I could identify with her little. Later in the book thoug...more
Apr 28, 2012
Amanda
added it
Good story about a girl and her boyfriend at the end of senior year. The road trip information was interesting, made me want to make a few side trips on my next cross country adventure. I didn't really like the ending, I felt like it ended abruptly and didn't tie some things together.
I really enjoyed Zigzag. I particularly liked how all of the main characters grow and change over the course of the book. I also liked Robin's changing relationship with her cousin as she grew up, too. Some parts were a little too angsty but I'll let it go. Robin needs to have some faults to be a realistic character.
Having been on a cross country trip I can definitely relate to the ups and downs of travelling and was pleased to recognize some of the places and experiences. I don't think it's po...more
Having been on a cross country trip I can definitely relate to the ups and downs of travelling and was pleased to recognize some of the places and experiences. I don't think it's po...more
Absolutely loved it!!!Really deserves a four star rating because of how amazing and spactacler it is!Ellen Wittlinger is such an terific author. She captures her readings just be the first sentence!!I recommend people read her books and zigzag.
The narrator of this book is so authentic, you are bound to see a teenager you know in her (and maybe a bit of yourself). While the plot is a bit lackluster, the characters are so well written I didn't really care.
Jan 05, 2013
Stephanie A.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contemporary-ya,
girl-protagonists
Fantastic coming-of-age story featuring family and an extended road trip across half the country (specifically, the awesome half). What could be better?
YA book - very good, about a teenager who grows and learns about herself on a roadtrip with her aunt and cousins.
Roadtrip coming-of-age helping-cousins-grieve novel. Perfectly nice but unremarkable.
Jul 19, 2012
K.k Michelle
added it
I wanted more to happen at the end but it was still a great story.
Was a really good book about family, Love, and Travel.
good book for someone who is into the adventure stuff.
I couldn't believe how unbelievably selfish (and stupid) Robin initially was. Chris, her boyfriend, is going to college abroad because it is a good opportunity and honestly, who wouldn't go? It has nothing to do with his parents hating her and "wanting them apart." Get ahold of yourself, Robin, and grow up.
And luckily, she does, when she goes on a road trip with her depressed aunt and her two cousins, one of which has serious anxiety issues and the other, a combination anorexia and bulimia. Robi...more
And luckily, she does, when she goes on a road trip with her depressed aunt and her two cousins, one of which has serious anxiety issues and the other, a combination anorexia and bulimia. Robi...more
For all her complaining about her boyfriend leaving her for the summer, Robin manages to suck it up for a cross country trip with her young cousins. Amazing how caring for somebody worse off than yourself can make a mature adult out of you. Actually, in Zig Zag, by Ellen Wittlinger, Robin's adventures at a dude ranch in Wyoming and with new friends in Santa Fe really aren't as bad as she expected. And because the trip didn't end up how anyone thought it would, she found that being flexible is a...more
Wittlinger is awesome, as always.
Like a lot of her books, it has a sort of slow start, but once the main character leaves on the road trip with her cousins, the real action begins.
I meant to read this as I was driving from LA to Chicago, but never got around to it until 3 months later. I wish I had read it during my trip, as it just made me have wanderlust again. It's a great book for armchair traveling!
Like a lot of her books, it has a sort of slow start, but once the main character leaves on the road trip with her cousins, the real action begins.
I meant to read this as I was driving from LA to Chicago, but never got around to it until 3 months later. I wish I had read it during my trip, as it just made me have wanderlust again. It's a great book for armchair traveling!
Its an amazing book.
She's a talented writer that creates a real story of growth in a young women.
Oct 12, 2008
Gina
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who enjoy relaitonal stories
Recommended to Gina by:
no one...I discovered it
I bought this book for a summer trip to California. part of the way was driving and I thought it would be fun to read a story that kind of went along with what i was doing.
Zig Zag gives a very interesting perspective on life and family. Relationships between parents, step-parents, aunts, cousins, significant partners, and random people create a plot that's twists at the end, creating a drama that I never anticipated.
Zig Zag gives a very interesting perspective on life and family. Relationships between parents, step-parents, aunts, cousins, significant partners, and random people create a plot that's twists at the end, creating a drama that I never anticipated.
The book starts out with a character who is entirely dependent on her boyfriend for self-worth. It's frustrating, but not as much as in the Twilight series, because it's not presented as the model to live by. Through a summer dealing with her messed-up aunt and cousins, protagonist Robin grows, which isn't a surprise but isn't cheesily done. (It's also refreshing in light of Twilight.)
I loved this book. It told a truly amazing story that made me feel as if I were on a road trip, too, zigzagging throughout the west and learning about love and life the entire time. It tells of a journey of necessity transformed into one of discovery.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Ellen Wittlinger is the critically acclaimed author of the teen novels Heart on My Sleeve, The Long Night of Leo and Bree, Razzle, What's in a Name, and Hard Love (an American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book, a Lambda Literary Award winner, and a Booklist Editors' Choice). She has a bachelor's degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and an M.F.A. from the University...more
More about Ellen Wittlinger...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“When people say they love you, you just have to decide to believe them, because you'll never know for sure.”
—
10 people liked it
More quotes…
