Here Today

Here Today

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75  ·  rating details  ·  728 ratings  ·  115 reviews
In 1963, Ellie's mother, Doris Day Dingman, was crowned the Bosetti Beauty at Mr. Bosetti's supermarket, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the Dingmans began to fall apart." So begins 11-yr-old Eleanor Roosevelt Dingman's story. Ellie, who is about to start 6th grade in the small town of Spectacle, NY, is the oldest child in her off-center family. Her father...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published May 1st 2006 by Scholastic (first published October 1st 2004)
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Sophia Chow
Here Today Scholastic, 2006, 336pp.
Ann. M. Martin ISBN: 0439856256

Being the eldest kid of the family isn't a easy job at all. Parents especially expect you to have full responsibility to you younger siblings, like you are the parent. Just, like Ellie, the eldest kid of 3 kids, basically takes care of her younger siblings. With two busy parents working non-stop, being the older sister isn't as easy after all.

In the book, Here Today , Ellie a typical girl, and the eldest kid in the family li...more
Sheryl
Apr 13, 2011 Sheryl added it
Shelves: kids-girls
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8–A poignant story set in the 1960s that tells of a girl coming to accept her mother's inability to parent and to realize her own strength and separateness. Ellie Dingman, 11, has a beautiful mother who is always looking for her big break into show business. She has renamed herself Doris Day Dingman and insists that her children call her "Doris" rather than "Mom." Her immature delusions of grandeur in their small Hudson River Valley town are a source of deep em...more
Morgan
1963 is a year of great change for 11-year-old Ellie Dingman. The assassination of JFK inspires Ellie's flamboyant mother to leave her family, move to New York City, and pursue a career in acting. With her mother in the Big Apple and her father working long hours, Ellie inherits the tasks of maintaining the household and caring for her younger brother and sister. School offers Ellie no respite; Ellie and her best friend, Holly, are designated “weirdos” and “misfits” by their sixth grade classmat...more
Josiah
Everything that I love most about reading is embodied in the novels of Ann M. Martin. She has become the master of the simple story, the type of tale made beautiful not by flashy language and shocking twists, but by the way it mimics the rhythms of real life with such haunting and undeniable truth. You're never going to see a pat ending to any of Ann M. Martin's novels, no feel-good finish contrived as a way of slapping on a happy end just to set the reader's mind at ease. I don't believe that...more
Stacy
The girl on the cover of this book looks like the girl who starred in the movie "Ellen Foster". This storyline was very much like the one in Glass Castles (was that the title, Julie?) I found myself just wanting to punch out the mother, Doris. Come ON! Maybe all women aren't meant to be mothers. That could spark a good discussion for a reader's group! Very likable main characters. I hate the bully part of the story. I've always had no patience for bullies. Ellie is stronger than she thinks, thou...more
Maureen
May 20, 2009 Maureen rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: girls ages 8-58
Recommended to Maureen by: ME
Well, I have to say that i am really impressed with this book.

There is no specific one plot. I like that. It's just about a girl in 1963. It's really good. I love the characters, too. They are so richly woven. The mother is a loser who is self centered. The father is trying to stay calm. Ellie is trying to save her social life and take care of her sibilings.

I really liked ellie's character. she goes with the flow when neccessary, but she sticks up for her friend. she tries to help keep her famil...more
Gretchen S.
HERE TODAY
Ann M. Martin
Realistic Fiction
308 pages

This book is about a girl named Eleanor and her ways to keep calm and trying to stay normal. Eleanor and her family and friends live on Witch Tree Lane. In Spectacle Witch Tree Lane is considered where the weird people live. When Eleanor’s mom gets crowned the Bosetti Beauty, things just get weirder. Eleanor, her siblings, and neighbors always get picked on when school starts, especially on the bus. Holly and Eleanor get slammed in the hallways at...more
Lisa
I truly enjoyed this book - it has a simple story line and I read it rather quickly. I felt that alot of people could relate to this because it has some real true family dynamics. I felt sorry for Ellie and was angry with her mother for "not being there" for her daughter - the motehr was so selfish and Dad always busy. Ellie having to take care of her siblings and doing the best she can for an 11 yr old girl is something I can relate to myself. My parents divorced when I was young and I was ofte...more
Hannah
always wanted to read and still have only been half way. i tried i failed. i wish i could have liked it but it just couldnt do it. i hade so many expectations and i was so ready to love it but i jsut couldnt.
Samantha
I thought that this book was almost like Women of The Silk, by Gail Tsukiyama. Ellie learns how to go through life with only the help of herself, and so does Pei, in Women of the Silk. They both learn how to adapt to changes in their life and they both hold courageous chracter traits. In this book, Ellie's mother leaves and leaves Ellie behind, but Ellie manages to keep her head up even with many devastations, like being treated differently in school. It makes me want to be more brave like her a...more
Sara
There was just something off about this book that made it not quite as interesting as Martin's other books. Part of it was that you could tell the mother was going to leave straight from the beginning... and maybe the rest has to do with how calm Ellie, the main character was. When things fall apart, you expect some amount of screaming and crying... but really there was none of that. She continued to be strong for her family. Which, you know, good for her, but really it made the book no fun to r...more
Lucia
A mother of three young kids can't seem to find happiness within. she fancies herself a grand theatrical dish treading water in a po-dunk town. So she ditches her family to find her fame and fortune in New York. . .. and leaves her kids wondering what's next. The father realizes they all might be better off without her after all and moves forward to make a better life for his kids.

Tough kids marching on and realizing early on that their mother, whom they are required to call Doris, really isn't...more
Megan Wong
I liked this book, however, it wasn't the best book I ever read. I felt like this book was okay and I would reccomend this book to anyone who's looking for a quick book to read, but if you want to read something exciting, I wouldn't reccomend this book for you. The plot of the story is very basic, the big challenge doesn't even come until you're about 200 pgs in the book. NOthing really happens that would excite you or surprise you in anyway. NOthing really happened in this book besides a girl t...more
Allegra
Ellie Dingman lives in Spectacle, New York with her mother, father, little sister, and little brother. It is the year 1963. Ellie's mother Doris is not like all the other mothers in Spectacle, Doris is the one who always stars in the community play's. Doris's passion is to be an actress so whenever there was an opportunity Doris always grabbed it. Doris realizes that she wants to leave her family and go to New York to pursue her dreams as an actress when on November 22nd 1963 J.F. Kennedy was as...more
Charlotte
Mar 02, 2008 Charlotte rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: younger readers, teenagers
Recommended to Charlotte by: Me, myself, and I
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Erin
Eleanor Roosevelt Dingman has an unusual family - she and her siblings were named after famous people, for starters. Her mother changed her own name to Doris Day Dingman, and continues to stand out in the community like a sore thumb. The year is 1963; Spectacle, a small town in New York, continues to look down upon the Dingmans and other residents of Witch Tree Lane, simply because they are different. Doris, who forces Ellie and her other children to call her by her first name, puts aside her re...more
Mackenzie
I remember reading this book a couple years ago, while I was staying at my great-grandmother's house. And she asked me about the plot, asking if it was like "here today, gone tomorrow?". And at the time, I wasn't even half-way through, and I said no, it wasn't anything like "here today, gone tomorrow". Upon finishing it, I realized I was wrong. Cause at the end something happened and it was just that "here today, gone tomorrow". I loved this book, and when I have time I hope to read it again :)
Linnae
Eleven-year-old Ellie takes care of her younger siblings, mostly because her Dad is always working, and Doris--her mother--is always busy pursuing her dream of becoming famous. As Ellie and her best friend Holly suffer through a painful 6th grade year, things at home on Witch Tree Lane aren't so great either. Slowly but surely, Doris slips away from them, until she's gone completely to New York, and Ellie's world changes forever.

A vivid snapshot of a family in distress, and how they survive the...more
Anna
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Martha
This is the second Ann Martin book I've read this year. I don't make the connections with the characters. The mom in this book reminded me of a number of stereotypes though she never materialized as a single character. The reader never learns why things were better after the mother left. I can book talk this book for historical fiction and community but I'm not enthusastic about it.
Mary Nicole
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Bridget R. Wilson
In 1960s era New York State, Ellie's life is far from perfect. Her dad works all the time. Her mom, who insists her children call her Doris, is always scheming to make something of herself. Doris' scheming and discontent with her current situation leads her to leave her family for the glamour of New York City. On top of these family problems, Ellie and her best friend Holly are being teased unmercifully and cruelly at school.

What I thought: Here Today is another great book by Ann M. Martin. She...more
Ashley
There's something very comforting about reading a book by Ann M Martin. All her books have the same feel, and I say that with an abundance of love. I don't think I will ever read a book by her that I don't enjoy.

(view spoiler)[I thought Doris was a complete self-centered cow, I hated the kids at Ellie's school, and I really felt bad for Ellie because she was a good kid. (hide spoiler)]
Dawn Samsel
In 1963, Ellie's mother, Doris Day Dingman, was crowned the Bosetti Beauty at Mr. Bosetti's supermarket, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the Dingmans began to fall apart." So begins 11-yr-old Eleanor Roosevelt Dingman's story. Ellie, who is about to start 6th grade in the small town of Spectacle, NY, is the oldest child in her off-center family.
Ginny
This book is set in the 1960's and portrays the life of Ellie's family around the time of the Kennedy assassination. The book is packed full of great discussion-enticing themes such as familial relations, divorce, friends, homosexuality, bullying, and social alienation. The characters are well-developed, especially Ellie, her mother(Doris), and her father. I was especially impressed by the father's character. Though he remains nameless he plays a very big role in the book and in the kid's lives,...more
Jessa
I like the book and its accurate retelling of historic events, but Ellie's responsibility (basically raising her younger siblings) doesn't seem like something a sixth grader could ever handle, especially while doing well in school. I actually like the character of Doris - I think she's well-developed and interesting to examine, even if I don't condone her behavior.
Brinlie Clark
You shouldn't settle down unless you are ready to and have chosen the right person. Once you have you've made a commitment to that person and also any kids you might have. This book was sad because even though ellie offered to do all the work she still went away to N.Y. It was also really sad when she wouldn't forgive her mom and was treating her the same way her mom had treaeted her(occasionally).
Andrea
I kept trying to keep in mind that the author was writing from a 12ish-year-old's point of view when reading this book and in thinking about it after. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. At times, I was annoyed by this book...Ellie's character was endearing, some of the other characters were believable, some not.
Kami Cheung
One theme this book had was about peer pressure. Everyone was going to try to hurt Holly and Tammy was trying to get Ellie to do the same. Tammy said, "Because she's weird. And if you don't go along with the rest of us, everyone will think you're weird, too" (155). Ellie didn't do what everyone was doing even though Tammy was trying to make her fall into peer pressure and do it. Ellie knew it was mean to do that and she would rather be called weird than be cruel.
The book was not interesting to m...more
Rachel
ooh, i lubs it. a girl's mother is a star-wannabe, everyone is against her at school, except her best friend, and she's the one who has to take care of the family because her mom's doing NOTHING. through drama, tears, and huge changes to her life, she figures out growing up isn't as hard as she thought...
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Here Today (Hardcover)
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Here Today (Hardcover)
Here Today

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Ann Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer.

Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood me...more
More about Ann M. Martin...
Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club, #1) A Corner of the Universe A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray The Doll People The Truth About Stacey (The Baby-Sitters Club, #3)

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