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226th out of 360 books
—
1,505 voters
Rosie and Skate
by
Beth Ann Bauman (Goodreads Author)
A wonderful YA debut full of drama for two very different sisters.
It's off-season at the Jersey shore, when the boardwalk belongs to the locals. Rosie is 15 and her sister Skate is 16. Their dad, an amiable drunk, is spending a few weeks in jail while their cousin Angie looks after them in their falling-down Victorian on the beach. Skate and her boyfriend Perry are madly i...more
It's off-season at the Jersey shore, when the boardwalk belongs to the locals. Rosie is 15 and her sister Skate is 16. Their dad, an amiable drunk, is spending a few weeks in jail while their cousin Angie looks after them in their falling-down Victorian on the beach. Skate and her boyfriend Perry are madly i...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
August 11th 2009
by Wendy Lamb Books
(first published August 6th 2009)
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Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Rosie and Skate are sisters. Rosie is a worrier, mostly concerned with holding things together at home and making a good impression. Skate is a free spirit, mostly interested in riding her skateboard down the boardwalk and spending as much time as possible with her boyfriend, Perry. The one thing Rosie and Skate have in common is their alcoholic father.
Rosie finds comfort in attending a support group for teens with alcoholic parents...more
Rosie and Skate are sisters. Rosie is a worrier, mostly concerned with holding things together at home and making a good impression. Skate is a free spirit, mostly interested in riding her skateboard down the boardwalk and spending as much time as possible with her boyfriend, Perry. The one thing Rosie and Skate have in common is their alcoholic father.
Rosie finds comfort in attending a support group for teens with alcoholic parents...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
It's autumn at the Jersey Shore, and teenage sisters Rosie and Skate are going through a difficult time.
Their alcoholic father has been arrested for drunken shoplifting and incarcerated for several months. In his absence, the sisters must grapple with strong, complicated feelings. Their mother cannot help them, because she died when they were very young.
Rosie finds solace attending meetings for families of problem drinkers, but Skate doesn't have patience for the "drama." Meanwhile, Rosie charts...more
Their alcoholic father has been arrested for drunken shoplifting and incarcerated for several months. In his absence, the sisters must grapple with strong, complicated feelings. Their mother cannot help them, because she died when they were very young.
Rosie finds solace attending meetings for families of problem drinkers, but Skate doesn't have patience for the "drama." Meanwhile, Rosie charts...more
Rosie and Skate are two teenager sisters that live in the Jersey Shore area. They have a hard life since their mother died while they were still babies, and their dad is an alcoholic and is now in jail. Rosie lives at her house with her cousin as her guardian, and Skate lives with her boyfriend’s mom. Both Rosie and Skate deal with many problems but they each have their own main conflict that they have to face. Rosie, starts hanging out with Nick, a boy in her support group to help deal with the...more
Rosie and Skate deals with two teenagers living in the shadow of their father's substance abuse. The Old Crow, as they call him, is an alcoholic and currently in jail, leaving Rosie and Skate in the care of their cousin. Rosie is the youngest, and at first is consumed with resolving the issues around her father's problems, while Skate, at seventeen is getting her feet wet with her first serious relationship, with a college boy. The girls orbit around the scattered home they've created for themse...more
I signed up for a YA reading challenge and chose this book because it sounded kind of interesting in the description on Amazon. Rosie and Skate are sisters who are living with a cousin in a dilapidated Victorian house in a tourist town on the New Jersey shore. Skate is in love with a college freshman and Rosie is angry with her father, in prison for crimes committed when he was drunk. Rosie attends alcholic anonymous meetings for family and friends of alcoholics. She struggles to understand and...more
Rosie and Skate are sisters. Their dad is in jail -- he is an alcoholic and does stupid things when he drinks too, too much. The chapters alternate between Rosie's and Skate's voices. The two young women view the world, their father, and their lives very differently. Rosie finds a new guy she likes, while Skate has problems with her great boyfriend being far away at college. Why is it that the only thing that stays the same is their father who can't get it together?
I like how this book flowed --...more
I like how this book flowed --...more
A perfectly serviceable, if unremarkable, YA novel about two sisters coming of age and dealing with their father's alcoholism and imprisonment. The alternating first person POV is something I was specifically studying to incorporate into my own writing, and it's done well here with two very distinct voices, even if the prose could be stronger in places. The setting (the Jersey Shore in the offseason) is described beautifully and realistically, and the alcoholism themes are handled deftly. But so...more
Thing I liked:
The characters, Drama Queen, The ending, FRANK, the puppies, the setting was rich and believable. I liked the strangeness and comfortableness of their whole situation, the way Skate lived in so many houses, and loved so many people and yet was virtually the hard sister compared to Rosie. I liked Nick and Rosie too, that they were lost together and yet completely seperated.
Things i didn't like:
I knew that perry was going to go. not because i didn't like him at first, i totally did,...more
The characters, Drama Queen, The ending, FRANK, the puppies, the setting was rich and believable. I liked the strangeness and comfortableness of their whole situation, the way Skate lived in so many houses, and loved so many people and yet was virtually the hard sister compared to Rosie. I liked Nick and Rosie too, that they were lost together and yet completely seperated.
Things i didn't like:
I knew that perry was going to go. not because i didn't like him at first, i totally did,...more
I picked up this YA title in the pursuit of reading some books from the collection that have gotten great reviews but haven't circulated much. I think the cause for this one is the cover. The inside of the book, however, is marvelous. It's a serious and engaging story of a pair of sisters who are a sophomore and junior in high school when their alcoholic father is sent to jail for stealing money from a drug story to buy booze. The chapters alternate back and forth between their very different pe...more
I loved this story of two high school-aged sisters in a New Jersey beach town over the winter. Bauman gets the setting and mood just right -- smooching boys amidst the dunes, biking down cold, windy streets, hanging out in nearly vacant arcades. The arc of the sisters' stories is entirely plausible, and wholly diverting. The only thing that kept me from falling fully into the world of "Rosie and Skate" was an inconsistent series of choices Bauman made about using Jersey Shore place names. They r...more
This book was simple. There wasn't anything wrong with it, you just knew where the book was going to go once the author gave you a slight clue.
Although the author lets you into the minds of the two sisters, I never really felt like I was completely in Skate's head. Instead, I could tell more about her from the description of the characters' actions and words around her.
I liked the switch in perspectives of their father by the end of the book. I felt like it helped develop Skate's character bett...more
Although the author lets you into the minds of the two sisters, I never really felt like I was completely in Skate's head. Instead, I could tell more about her from the description of the characters' actions and words around her.
I liked the switch in perspectives of their father by the end of the book. I felt like it helped develop Skate's character bett...more
Another interesting book is Rosie & Skate. It is set in New Jersey's beach and boardwalk area. Rosie and her older sister Skate (she always skateboards everywhere) have an alcoholic father who is in jail. Their mother died when they were very little and an aunt has come to care for them. Needless to say, they have difficult lives and share with us their feelings, since they don't really have anyone else to share with.
For anyone who has ever had to grow up all by themselves, especially with...more
For anyone who has ever had to grow up all by themselves, especially with...more
Rosie and Skate are sisters who live on the Jersey shore. Their mom is dead and their dad is in jail for shoplifting while drunk. His alcoholism has been a problem for their entire lives - Rosie, who is 15, wants to forgive and Skate, who is 16, is tired of forgiving. Their cousin has come from Miami to live with them while their dad is serving his sentence. Skate is in love with a boy who has gone away to college at Rutgers and has stopped answering his phone when she calls. Everyone else sees...more
Fast, easy read..too easy. Author really needed to flesh out the characters more, needed more pages and also the story would have been better had it only been told from one point of view. The whole each chapter flipping back and forth to another character thing is getting really old...it insults the reader. However, I did think the author described working class Jersey Shore people well...this book could be so much more! I liked Skate, thought she was realistic and wanted to know more about her....more
Rosie and Skate are teen aged sisters whose alcoholic, widowed father is in jail for petty theft. The sisters are close but very different. Rosie is shy and sweet and naively optimistic, and Skate is edgier, worldlier, and takes off at any sign of trouble. They think they are really doing okay in spite of everything, but then things begin to unravel, and each falters before beginning to come to terms with themselves and with their dad's disease.
The characters are so engaging and at times so fra...more
The characters are so engaging and at times so fra...more
You will love this book! It was a perfect summer read, I read it in one week while visiting the beach which is where the book takes place so it was even more fitting. A YA novel that any adult would easily enjoy and relate to, its a very well written coming of age story about two sisters who live at the Jersey Shore and have to figure out their teenage years alone while bogged down by an alcoholic father. With many small adventures it is a fun read even with the serious issues they are handling....more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
It wasn’t until Hurricane Sandy hit and I was sitting home watching the devasting pictures of the Jersey Shore I love so much that I remembered I had Rosie and Skate to read. I dug through my bookcase, pulled out my used copy, turned it over and spotted a familar sight: the Ferris Wheel at the center of so many aftermath photos all fine and dandy. It kind of threw me for a loop.
So I started Rosie and Skate in hopes of preserving some of my own me...more
It wasn’t until Hurricane Sandy hit and I was sitting home watching the devasting pictures of the Jersey Shore I love so much that I remembered I had Rosie and Skate to read. I dug through my bookcase, pulled out my used copy, turned it over and spotted a familar sight: the Ferris Wheel at the center of so many aftermath photos all fine and dandy. It kind of threw me for a loop.
So I started Rosie and Skate in hopes of preserving some of my own me...more
Realistic YA fiction just got another stellar book on its list with Rosie and Skate.
Rosie and Skate's alcoholic dad is in prison again and things are tough. Rosie's holding out hope for Dad to get better. Skate is trying to deal with her boyfriend going to Rutgers and starting a long distance relationship. Skate lives with her boyfriend's mom and Rosie is in their worn home, being looked after by her cousin. As life moves on, the girls' grow up.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. If I...more
Rosie and Skate's alcoholic dad is in prison again and things are tough. Rosie's holding out hope for Dad to get better. Skate is trying to deal with her boyfriend going to Rutgers and starting a long distance relationship. Skate lives with her boyfriend's mom and Rosie is in their worn home, being looked after by her cousin. As life moves on, the girls' grow up.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. If I...more
There mother is dead, their father a "nice drunk" who is currently doing time in jail, and Rosie and Skate are sisters trying to navigate life more or less on their own. It's a story about sisters, about relationships and boys, about alcoholic parents, first kisses, sex and love. Despite everything explored Bauman steers clear of drama and teen girls will find Rosie and Skate easy to relate to. It is an honest depiction of teen life wonderfully told. Give this to fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Calett...more
Sisters Rosie and Skate each deal with their father's alcoholism in different ways. Rosie tries to be the responsible daughter, attending a support group for teens with alcoholic parents. Skate is angry and rebellious and can't be bothered with the difficult issues she and her sister are facing--even when they smack her in the face. Mixed in is a bit of romance and a lot of life lessons.
It was a few chapters before I really "got into" this book, but the plot moved quickly once I did.
Highly reco...more
It was a few chapters before I really "got into" this book, but the plot moved quickly once I did.
Highly reco...more
This story of two sisters trying to lead normal lives after their alcoholic father is sent to prison is very realistic and honest. The characters are fully developed and believable. Even though not all readers may be able to relate to their experience with their alcoholic father, I think most readers will relate to their experiences with relationships, first loves, and developing their own identity. This is one story where the characters haunted me long after I finished the book.
This story is about two sisters with an alcoholic father. I seem to be on an alcoholic father theme because the last five books I've read, I think, have alcoholic fathers. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the sisters so struggling readers may have difficulty following the plot. The sisters are 15 and 16 respectively, on the East coast so life is much different than it is here in Reno, Nevada. I enjoyed the book and can book talk it will book talk it.
Jan 28, 2013
Eleanor
added it
I though overall, this was a good book. It kept me interested, without being to blatant about trying to be interesting. But i did not like the ending at all!! It left me with so many questions still unanswered. I felt like i was expecting another chapter, it didn't give me "closure" i guess. I still wondered about things, it just felt like the end to a chapter in the middle of the book to me.
This was at once both moving and entertaining, a story of two sisters dealing with their father's alcoholism in different ways, one by retreating into the world of her college-aged boyfriend and one by trying to work out her father's issues at a counseling group. Both characters were lovable and well-developed, which made the book a joy to read; I was absorbed from the first page! Looking forward to Bauman's next book already.
Another book that wasn't what I was expecting.
I love Jersey beaches/boardwalk. In fact, I just got back yesterday from a vacation in Wildwood, south of Jersey shore. I liked the idea of sisters that live there all year round. So I grabbed it.
I wasn't that impressed, though. It's a really short book, but I had a hard time reading it. It was slow. Not much seemed to happen besides the sisters having boy problems and avoiding each other. They only thing that really stood out was that Skate was melo...more
I love Jersey beaches/boardwalk. In fact, I just got back yesterday from a vacation in Wildwood, south of Jersey shore. I liked the idea of sisters that live there all year round. So I grabbed it.
I wasn't that impressed, though. It's a really short book, but I had a hard time reading it. It was slow. Not much seemed to happen besides the sisters having boy problems and avoiding each other. They only thing that really stood out was that Skate was melo...more
Nov 10, 2009
Karin
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Karin by:
starred reviews in booklist, kirkus
Two sisters experiences during the months that their alcoholic father spends in jail. Younger sis Rosie stays in family home with cousin Angie and attends Al-Anon meetings, while older sis Skate lives at her boyfriend's mom house and avoids dealing with her dad by working. Realistic portrayal of effects of alcoholism on a family. Maybe 3.5 stars.
I actually don't have anything to say about this one. Fast read, but..nothing really happened? I guess it was about emotional journeys and stuff, but I never felt like I knew the characters enough to care about them. I hope things work out for them, but they seem to think that the mostly crappy life they have is okay, so, well, yeah.
I would forgive a lot more of this book's faults if the cover weren't SO EFFING TERRIBLE.
In some ways, and if you take out the sex, this might not make a bad middle school book, but on the other hand, I feel like I only understand the characters' motivations as an adult.
Honestly, I expect to be weeding this one pretty soon.
In some ways, and if you take out the sex, this might not make a bad middle school book, but on the other hand, I feel like I only understand the characters' motivations as an adult.
Honestly, I expect to be weeding this one pretty soon.
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Beth Ann Bauman is the author of the acclaimed short-story collection Beautiful Girls and the young adult novel Rosie and Skate, which was a New York Times Editors' Choice and a Booklist Editors' Choice, as well as a Booklist Top Ten for Youth in two categories. Her newest book Jersey Angel hits the shelves on May 8, 2012. Beth is the recipient of fellowships from the Jerome Foundation and the New...more
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“If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got.”
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Aug 25, 2011 12:43pm