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Unraveling
by
Michelle Baldini,
Lynn Biederman (Goodreads Author)
THE SMART THING Is to Prepare for the Unexpected.
So reads the fortune cookie fortune that Amanda receives at the beginning of her family’s vacation to Florida. Amanda knows all about preparing for the unexpected—her mother, whom she calls The Captain, is always hard on Amanda, and it’s just when Amanda lets her guard down that the very worst comes through. Looking for acce...more
So reads the fortune cookie fortune that Amanda receives at the beginning of her family’s vacation to Florida. Amanda knows all about preparing for the unexpected—her mother, whom she calls The Captain, is always hard on Amanda, and it’s just when Amanda lets her guard down that the very worst comes through. Looking for acce...more
Mass Market Paperback, 240 pages
Published
January 12th 2010
by Laurel Leaf
(first published July 8th 2008)
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Baldini, Michelle and Lynn Biederman. 2008. Unraveling. [Poems by Gabrielle Biederman:]
The first Chinese fortune I collected the summer I hooked up with Paul--the guy some might consider my first--read: The smart thing is to prepare for the unexpected. I should have taken it more seriously. Fortunes can be like little instructions for life; they may not fit yours at that particular moment, after that particular meal of kung pao chicken, but eventually they will. Trust me on this.
...more
The first Chinese fortune I collected the summer I hooked up with Paul--the guy some might consider my first--read: The smart thing is to prepare for the unexpected. I should have taken it more seriously. Fortunes can be like little instructions for life; they may not fit yours at that particular moment, after that particular meal of kung pao chicken, but eventually they will. Trust me on this.
...more
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Wow!! I'm half-way through this book and am finding it totally realistic. Teens who find themselves contemplating giving it up for the first time need to read this. For a first time author, I think Baldini and Biederman have created a story that captures the reality of teenage choices and struggles. I hope the end follows through...
Now that I've finished, it did not disappoint!
Now that I've finished, it did not disappoint!
Love.It. I really connected with Manda and her problems - TMI, but I was there (20 years earlier, at least). One of the best books about being a teen and living through all that nonsense I've read in a very, very long time.
Martha
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
girls and their mothers/ mothers and their daughters
Recommended to Martha by:
recieved an advance copy
A terrific and heartbreaking read. Reminds you what was so great about being a teenager--- and what was so awful!
Fifteen-year-old Amanda can’t seem to live up to her mother’s– a.k.a. The Captain– standards. It doesn’t matter what she does or what she doesn’t do, it always lands her in hot water. She fights with her mother so often she has to give them names to keep them all straight. She’ll never measure up to her perfect little sister Malady and she resents The Captain for it.
Since Amanda doesn’t get the support she needs at home she often feels unwanted by her own mother. In retaliation Amand...more
Since Amanda doesn’t get the support she needs at home she often feels unwanted by her own mother. In retaliation Amand...more
I liked this story because of the perspective. I felt like I was in the head of Amanda--in the same way that Beverly Cleary could articulate Ramona's thought processes as a 4-8 yr old (the best Ramona years, IMHO). It was a bit harsh in places, watching the mom, and it wraps up pretty quickly, but the pressures & issues facing Amanda were very contemporary, and her pain felt very real.
I liked the main character in this teen novel. Amanda is not the typical popular beauty. She also has been having a lot of trouble with her mom lately, and basically she feels like she doesn't know who she is or how to please her demanding mom, who she calls "The Captain". Her character is very endearing because she is going through what most teenagers go through, awkwardness, the desire to fit in, to be wanted, to feel comfortable in your own skin. I thought the story and the plot...more
Just attended OELMA where she presented...and just finished reading it. It was really very good. Michelle Baldini talked about writing with someone else which I don't think I could do- but she and the other author pulled it off. Amanda Himmelfarb is a great character. I identified with her in many ways - a teen trying to fit in not only with her peers but in her family as well. I was heartbroken right along with Amanda as she makes right and wrong choices and as she weathers the stuff that ...more
I have not seen such raw and heartbreaking emotion in a book for a really long time now. While the storyline might be ordinary mother-daughter problems, the voice is extraordinary and powerful. It’s rare to find debut novels so pleasantly written, so trust me when I tell you you NEED to read this book.
1. I didn’t get it at first, but the title and the cover art stay true to the novel. Well, the Homecoming dress, anyway. The girl? Not so much. Not to be superficial or anything, but t...more
1. I didn’t get it at first, but the title and the cover art stay true to the novel. Well, the Homecoming dress, anyway. The girl? Not so much. Not to be superficial or anything, but t...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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At first, I hated this book. I picked the book up because of the cover and the summary looked kind of stupid. It was the only book I borrowed from the library, so I was like, "Okay, might as well read it." I read the beginning of the book and it was actually pretty bad. Anna was trying to lose her virginity just to gain popularity and The Boss (her mother) seemed to neglect her. I was thinking, "What the heck is she (The Boss) thinking?"
However, as I continued read...more
However, as I continued read...more
I found the jacket copy description of this book to be rather misleading. The summary makes it out to be a story of losing ones virginity and the consequences of decisions about sex, but the story really is much more about Amanda and her mother trying to understand each other. Neither story line felt entirely compelling to me, as the book was a very fast read and didn't spend as much time as it could have on either problem.
Amanda is a witty and chatty narrator, so that made it fun to...more
Amanda is a witty and chatty narrator, so that made it fun to...more
Like an updated version of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret because it tackles a girl's first period, her first sexual experiences and the awkwardness that goes along with adolescence. (Oh, and it was written by two librarians and the poetry interspersed throughout the book was written by a real teen!)
Super angsty. Amanda's family is fighting hardcore, but the worst battles happen between Amanda and her mother. I feel so bad for poor Amanda and her hurt feelings. Amanda also must deal with being used by 2 different asshole jerk "boyfriends." On the plus side, she writes some pretty great poems.
Unraveling was really honest, definitely not something geared towards the younger kids. I mean, I went in expecting something honest and came out with something that’s not only honest but extremely real as well. Unraveling talks a lot about the problems that we teens face today – sex, overbearing moms, drugs, self-image, etc.
Amanda is just like any other ordinary girl. She wants to be accepted especially with guys and she wants to find love. So when she makes this deal with Rick, the...more
Amanda is just like any other ordinary girl. She wants to be accepted especially with guys and she wants to find love. So when she makes this deal with Rick, the...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Since reading a starred review of Unraveling in Publishers Weekly, I have been dying to get my hands on this book. While I found the book to be entertaining, it fell short of my expectations.
I was far from impressed by the character development. Very simply put, Amanda lacked depth. While I was hoping Amanda would eventually become a strong, independent young woman, she remained spineless throughout the novel. Being a static character, she never quite mustered up enough courage to st...more
I was far from impressed by the character development. Very simply put, Amanda lacked depth. While I was hoping Amanda would eventually become a strong, independent young woman, she remained spineless throughout the novel. Being a static character, she never quite mustered up enough courage to st...more
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Amanda's life is unraveling.
She is excited for their family vacation to Myrtle Beach. She has been planning a rendezvous with Paul, a lifeguard that she met the previous summer. Paul is older and is expecting some excitement with Amanda this summer.
It's only after Amanda is alone with Paul that she realizes she's not ready to give him everything she wants. So after some experimentation, the two head back to their respec...more
Amanda's life is unraveling.
She is excited for their family vacation to Myrtle Beach. She has been planning a rendezvous with Paul, a lifeguard that she met the previous summer. Paul is older and is expecting some excitement with Amanda this summer.
It's only after Amanda is alone with Paul that she realizes she's not ready to give him everything she wants. So after some experimentation, the two head back to their respec...more
Unraveling is the story of Amanda, a very normal fifteen year old sophomore, who is struggling; struggling with her mother, her friends, her family, and her sexuality. At fifteen that’s status quo.
Amanda makes some poor choices and ends up losing her virginity to a guy (Rick) who doesn’t care about her and is only using her. Again, status quo. Well, maybe not status quo, but it happens more than it should.
Amanda is faced with moving on, repairing herself, and healing brok...more
Amanda makes some poor choices and ends up losing her virginity to a guy (Rick) who doesn’t care about her and is only using her. Again, status quo. Well, maybe not status quo, but it happens more than it should.
Amanda is faced with moving on, repairing herself, and healing brok...more
Christina
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
any girl who wants to understand her mom a little bit better
Shelves:
realistic
Excellent story of a mother and daughter relationship that is rocky but real. Sophomore Amanda Himmelfarb has a lot of issues with "The Captain," as she secretly calls her stern no-nonsense mother, who has 500 Rules to follow and who long ago stopped hugging her oldest daughter or showing much affection. Amanda has issues with her perfect younger sister, "Malady", too, and this summer everything seems to go from bad to worse. All Amanda really wants is close personal time wit...more
I couldn't put this book down. I needed to know how Amanda was going to turn out in the end, and unfortunatley it was just too pat of an ending. It wrapped up too nicely. But I loved the drama and intensity of the book. The anger, pain, and dysfuntion of the family was at times hard to take, but it also just pulled you in.
I didn't really like this book. It made me realize even more how much I love my mom because if I had her mom I would be dead, cause I would have killed myself. The girl in the book is really dumb too. I mean seriously? Lets just give a bj to every guy that says I look hot. I also feel a little bad for her too but not very...
Gabrielle
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Girls who like deep and gripping novels
A sharp, well put together and brutally honest novel. I absolutley loved reading this gripping novel by Michelle Baldini. It just shows popularity isn't all what it's made out to be. It was heartwarming and heart stopping! With fabulous discriptions of "the captin".
Pleasure to read!
Pleasure to read!
I wanted to strangle most of the characters in this book.
bit funny and weerd.
its okk.
its okk.
It was okay. Kind of funny, kinda sad.
a very sad ending
4.5 Stars
pg15+.. Great book for a mom/daughter discussion, but not for the weak of heart.
its slow so far...
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| Unraveling | 1 | 11 | Jul 22, 2008 06:15pm |
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Michelle Baldini is Project Coordinator for the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University where her main goal is to facilitate successful collaboration between the school library media specialist and classroom teacher. She graduated with her masters in library science, specializing in children’s literature, from Long Island University.
More about Michelle Baldini...
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