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207th out of 226 books
—
160 voters
I, Emma Freke
"I, Emma Freke" is a charming search-for-identity story about Emma--the only "normal" member of her quirky family. While Emma desperately tries to find her niche, she discovers that perhaps its better to be her own "freak" than someone else's Freke.
Hardcover, 234 pages
Published
August 1st 2010
by Carolrhoda Books
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I really wanted to like this book and I did for the first third of the book. A few things annoyed me like the fact that Emma acknowledges the fact that she's not up on the latest "tweenage" cultural references. No kid I know between the ages of 10 and 12 would call themselves a tween and the cultural references didn't sound authentic to me either.
At one point Emma's mother decides that Emma no longer needs to attend school and when the school finds out they agree to let Emma "home study" with a...more
At one point Emma's mother decides that Emma no longer needs to attend school and when the school finds out they agree to let Emma "home study" with a...more
Review
Emma’s life is a bit freaky. Her mother refuses to be called “mom” and she is rarely around. In fact, Emma usually has to run her mother’s bead shop after school because her mother is nowhere to be found. Her best friend is an extremely outgoing neighbor girl who is the total opposite of shy and sensitive Emma. Oh, and don’t forget that Emma is nearly six feet tall even though she is only twelve. It is no wonder that Emma is insecure and feels as though she does not belong. She feels like...more
Emma’s life is a bit freaky. Her mother refuses to be called “mom” and she is rarely around. In fact, Emma usually has to run her mother’s bead shop after school because her mother is nowhere to be found. Her best friend is an extremely outgoing neighbor girl who is the total opposite of shy and sensitive Emma. Oh, and don’t forget that Emma is nearly six feet tall even though she is only twelve. It is no wonder that Emma is insecure and feels as though she does not belong. She feels like...more
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Emma was a 12-year-old, but her six feet tall figure gave her a hard time, her bright red hair made her stood out, while her name Emma Freke, if read slowly became "Am a Freak" only made matter worst. she was an outcast in school, often being laughed at. she was raised by her mother Donatella, a 47-year-old that dated more often than possible, leaving Emma behind to take care of her bead shop. one day, she received an invitation to attend the Frekes' family reunion. while she was too tall, too p...more
I rated this book 3 stars.
I,Emma Freke,is about a young, anti-social 12 year old who is extremely vertical and lives above her mother's bead shop with her VERY Italian grandfather, Nonno, his bulldog, Eggplant, and her mother Donnatella, in the state of Maine. At the beginning, Emma expresses her hatred of school, and/or anything to do with it, mostly because she only has one friend,Penelope. Besides Penelope being 2 grades below Emma, she is also 15 inches shorter. Emma sprouted 12 inches in o...more
'I, Emma Freke' by Elizabeth Atkinson is about a twelve year old girl named Emma. She doesn't think she can fit in anywhere at home, at school, or in her town. Her only friend is Penelope who is two years younger, and a lot of inches shorter than her. Emma is labeled a freak because she's almost 6 feet tall at her age. As she discoveries who she is, she goes on a short family reunion to her father's side of the family. There she learns who she's meant to be, and finds where she really belongs.
I...more
I...more
Emma wonders what her mother was thinking. Who could name a baby Emma Freke? Didn’t she say it outloud first? Emma feels that she is on oddball in every way. She’s super tall, exceptionally smart, & has bright red hair. She’s sure that even the adults in her life think she’s weird. Twice a week Emma leaves class to go to her “socialization” therapy sessions. Twice a week she doesn’t return to class when it is over, she just walks home early. Nobody notices. Nobody cares.
Emma’s Mom doesn’t pa...more
Emma’s Mom doesn’t pa...more
Overall Review:
We’ve all felt like we don’t fit in at some point, but for Emma Freke (who quips that her mom forgot to say her name out loud before she was born!), it’s a chronic problem. Taller than all of her junior high classmates and even some adults, Emma just can’t seem to fit in anywhere, until she meets her extended family and learns a thing or two about how to fit in—and that sometimes it might be better to stand out. I, Emma Freke is a sweet and relatable novel about the pain of being...more
We’ve all felt like we don’t fit in at some point, but for Emma Freke (who quips that her mom forgot to say her name out loud before she was born!), it’s a chronic problem. Taller than all of her junior high classmates and even some adults, Emma just can’t seem to fit in anywhere, until she meets her extended family and learns a thing or two about how to fit in—and that sometimes it might be better to stand out. I, Emma Freke is a sweet and relatable novel about the pain of being...more
Middle school is a time when many kids feel freakish. Though I looked more or less normal, I felt freakish on the inside. Emma, however, wears her freakishness on the outside. At 12 years old, she is almost 6 feet tall with bright red hair. It's sort of hard to pretend to be invisible with those sorts of looks. And then of course there's that name, which her mother didn't bother to say aloud before writing it on the birth certificate.
Emma's father is long gone, but she has always been curious ab...more
Emma's father is long gone, but she has always been curious ab...more
Emma Freke’s mother told her she never said her name aloud until after she signed the birth certificate. Emma is twelve and is almost six feet tall, has bright red hair and feels she has no friends. She notices the chasm in looks and personality between her mother and her. Mother is free spirited, short and dark-haired and never seems to be without a boyfriend, nor does she keep them long. Emma never knew her father and never asked about that side of the family. She works in her mother's bead sh...more
Description:
What's in a name? I, Emma Freke is a charming search-for-identity story about Emma―the only "normal" member of her quirky family. Her flighty, New Age mom seems to barely have time for a daughter, especially one who annoyingly spoils her mom's youthful façade. Emma's well-meaning grandpa is clueless. And her only friends are the local librarian and a precocious 10-year-old adopted by the two old ladies next door.
Smart, shy, and nearly six feet tall, Emma struggles to fit in at schoo...more
What's in a name? I, Emma Freke is a charming search-for-identity story about Emma―the only "normal" member of her quirky family. Her flighty, New Age mom seems to barely have time for a daughter, especially one who annoyingly spoils her mom's youthful façade. Emma's well-meaning grandpa is clueless. And her only friends are the local librarian and a precocious 10-year-old adopted by the two old ladies next door.
Smart, shy, and nearly six feet tall, Emma struggles to fit in at schoo...more
This book is absolutely wonderful! There were so many things I enjoyed about this book, so I'll get started with my favorite: Emma. Feeling completely out of place in the world and not fitting in with anyone in her life, including herself, she feels lost and frustrated. Being abruptly thrust from her New Age free spirit mom's guidance into her Stepford-esque family reunion allows her to carve her own existence in between the two. She is a very strong girl who doesn't realize how brave she is unt...more
Emma is a typical teenager…with a few exceptions of course. Her mother happens to openly admit not having said her full name, Emma Freke (pronounced “Freak”), at birth and seems to be much more interested in her love life than in Emma’s upbringing. Add that to the fact that Emma’s best friend is a confident out-spoken 10 year old and she spends most of their time together managing her mother’s bead store. Oh, and her father is no where to be seen, leaving her to wonder who she really is. Could s...more
Elizabeth Atkinson’s new book for middle readers, I, EMMA FREKE, is a charming story about smart, shy, nearly six-feet-tall, 12-year-old Emma, who feels like a misfit at school and at home.
It doesn’t help that her name said aloud sounds like Am a Freak.
Emma spends her time minding her mother’s bead store in a New England seaport, more comfortable with customers than with her peers. Her flighty single mom, Donatella, is too busy dating to make dinner and her grandpa is clueless. Her only friends...more
It doesn’t help that her name said aloud sounds like Am a Freak.
Emma spends her time minding her mother’s bead store in a New England seaport, more comfortable with customers than with her peers. Her flighty single mom, Donatella, is too busy dating to make dinner and her grandpa is clueless. Her only friends...more
Emma Freke
5/8/13
pages: 233
Realistic Fiction
The book I, Emma Freke is about 12 years old girl who is almost 6 feet tall with bright red hair. She thinks it's sort of hard to pretend to be invisible with those sorts of looks. Of course, there's her name, which her mother didn't bother to say aloud before writing it on the birth certificate. Also, Emma's father is gone, but she has always been curious about him. So, she goes to a surprise invitation to attend the annual Freke Family gathering in W...more
5/8/13
pages: 233
Realistic Fiction
The book I, Emma Freke is about 12 years old girl who is almost 6 feet tall with bright red hair. She thinks it's sort of hard to pretend to be invisible with those sorts of looks. Of course, there's her name, which her mother didn't bother to say aloud before writing it on the birth certificate. Also, Emma's father is gone, but she has always been curious about him. So, she goes to a surprise invitation to attend the annual Freke Family gathering in W...more
I, Emma Freke is about a 6th grade girl who desperately wants to fit in, however she has bright red hair, is really smart, and is almost six feet tall. Also, if her name is said slowly, it sounds like, ‘am a freak.’ Emma is very shy and has difficulty communicating with her peers. Her only friend, Penelope is a nine year old girl who lives down the street. Emma’s mother insists that her daughter call her Donatella and not mom. Her wacky and selfish mom owns a bead shop that Emma mostly runs. Emm...more
What a difference one three-day weekend can make in the life of a lonely, shunned twelve-year-old girl. Emma Freke is freakishly tall for her age with bright red hair and drooping ears. No one at school likes her or talks to her. Her only friend is Penelope, who lives across the street in an 'almost-mansion' with her two Gray moms.
Emma is being raised by her hippie, nearly-clueless mom Donatella who is man-crazy. Emma is free to do anything she wants, but chooses to do good in school and help o...more
Emma is being raised by her hippie, nearly-clueless mom Donatella who is man-crazy. Emma is free to do anything she wants, but chooses to do good in school and help o...more
12yr old Emma is the tallest girl in her school 5 ft 10 in, and her full name Emma Freke sounds like Am a freak. This was one of those books with funny characters and funnier moments that I love.
Emma lives with her mother Donatella, her grandfather Nonno and his old dog, eggplant. Donatella owns a bead shop but Emma does most of the work. Donatella believes in a lassisez - faire approach to parenting. Emma and Donatella are nothing alike and there isn't more of a resemblance. So when Emma's best...more
Emma lives with her mother Donatella, her grandfather Nonno and his old dog, eggplant. Donatella owns a bead shop but Emma does most of the work. Donatella believes in a lassisez - faire approach to parenting. Emma and Donatella are nothing alike and there isn't more of a resemblance. So when Emma's best...more
Dec 24, 2010
Kristin (Kritters Ramblings)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
kritter-reviewed-2010,
ebook
A cute little MG read that I absolutely enjoyed. From reading about her very unusual home life to taking a trip to meet the entire extended family, this book was a great little read.
Often, I don't read MG just because I don't think of myself as a great audience for it. But more often than not, I realize that I can still appreciate and remember the clicks in high school and the outsiders. Although, my family life was on the opposite spectrum of how Emma Freke grew up, it was great to read how one...more
Often, I don't read MG just because I don't think of myself as a great audience for it. But more often than not, I realize that I can still appreciate and remember the clicks in high school and the outsiders. Although, my family life was on the opposite spectrum of how Emma Freke grew up, it was great to read how one...more
I, Emma Freke follows the story of tweenage Emma, who has never quite in with her peers. She's too tall to blend, she's more comfortable with customers than those her own age, and she's certain that meeting the rest of her distant family will solidify her status as a freak forever. Along the way though, Emma learns that being a Freke doesn't mean she is actually a freak, and being her own person might be better than fitting in after all.
Remember those horrible in-between years where you wore gla...more
Remember those horrible in-between years where you wore gla...more
Apr 17, 2013
Hermione Granger
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2013,
young-adult
I, Emma Freke. It, apparently, is not pronounced,"Freak" but "Frecky" That, in itself, is quite odd, how they insisted on being called that, even though it's really pronounced "Freak". Anyhow, to the book. Emma hates her name, and no wonder why. Saying it properly would be I Am A Freak. She's a staggering height, almost 6 ft. at 12, I believe. Her dad left, her mom's a boyfriend addict. I'm not even going to talk about her grandfather. Completely odd. Once the book gets interesting, she gets sen...more
I loved this book. I really related to Emma's isolation. She was isolated from most of her school and family. Her mother is believe anld unbelieveable at the same time. The mother is really really flaky, to the point of me asking myself, "Why hasn't someone stepped in yet?" At one point the school board does and Emma gets on the right path. But the Mother is really just absolutley unconcerned that she is a mother, or with Emma. The mother (in retrospect) is a very interesting character. As a rea...more
Aug 26, 2011
Leslie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
middle-grade girls, especially the tall or oddly named or w/ strange families
Recommended to Leslie by:
a blogger, and then the daughter
It is not just her height that torments Emma Freke, and it isn’t just her name that embarrasses her. Elizabeth Atkinson packs her novel to the top with issues. If I had known, I might not have taken this read on, but now that I have survived it, I can assure you that it wasn’t as painful as I would have otherwise anticipated. It was actually quite good.
[...]
It is Atkinson’s sense of humor, her pragmatism, and her compassion that keeps this novel afloat. Atkinson also translates Emma’s youth quit...more
[...]
It is Atkinson’s sense of humor, her pragmatism, and her compassion that keeps this novel afloat. Atkinson also translates Emma’s youth quit...more
I really liked this book. It was a quick read started off a little slow at first, but then it really picked up. Emma doesn't fit in at her school and she is very different from her mother and grandfather from how she acts to how she looks. Then out of the blue she is invited to a family reunion with her father's side whom she has never met. She finally feels like she fits in some place but, notices that a boy cousin of hers being treated the same way she is at home. She stands up and some intere...more
Although a bit OTT at times, I, Emma Freke was an overall sweet read. It is a journey of self-realization in twelve-year-old Emma, who lives with her eccentric mother and nonno and hates her name because it sounds like "Am a Freak". When she meets up with her father's side of the family, the Frekes, Emma begins to feel like she belongs -- but begins to understand the importance of being true to yourself.
Although I really enjoyed the book and the message it was trying to convey, I couldn't connec...more
Although I really enjoyed the book and the message it was trying to convey, I couldn't connec...more
Jun 02, 2011
Sarah
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
grades 5-7
Shelves:
children-realistic,
audio
12-year-old Emma doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere—even her name is strange (‘Emma Freke’ sounds just like ‘I’m a freak’). She stands out in her mother’s side of the family because they tend to be short with dark hair, while Emma herself is tall with red hair. She thinks this probably has something to do with her father, whom she’s never met.
When she receives an invitation to a reunion for her father’s side of the family, she’s shocked. Although Emma’s mother tells her that her father will...more
When she receives an invitation to a reunion for her father’s side of the family, she’s shocked. Although Emma’s mother tells her that her father will...more
This book is all about finding out where one fits in - with family, friends, extended family and community. Emma Freke is a compelling, relatable character; spending years feeling completely invisible, and when she is noticed, people assume she is much older than she actually is because she is so tall for her age. Then to top it off, she is overly intelligent and her mother does not follow the traditional parental roles nor responsibilities. In fact, Emma feels like she is more of the mother fig...more
When Emma discovers that her mom (who seems to be more of a kid than Emma is) tells her she's going to be home schooled, she figures this will help her escape from the misery of being teased for being so tall, skinny, red-haired twelve-year-old with a name that describes her when spoken aloud (am-a-freak). Being so different from her mother, Emma wonders if she's adopted. When she's invited to attend a family reunion by the Freke side of the family, she thinks everything will be explained once s...more
I really enjoyed this book. It is written for middle schoolers but applies to any of us if we have ever felt like we didn't fit in.
It is a cleverly written story about a 12 year old girl that not only has a unique name, which she hates, she has a mother that is free spirited and seems to care more about her love life than she does about Emma. Emma struggles in school and people treat her as if she is invisible. She is invited to a Freke (said Freak) family reunion to meet her fathers side of the...more
It is a cleverly written story about a 12 year old girl that not only has a unique name, which she hates, she has a mother that is free spirited and seems to care more about her love life than she does about Emma. Emma struggles in school and people treat her as if she is invisible. She is invited to a Freke (said Freak) family reunion to meet her fathers side of the...more
Emma, who is just turning twelve, just doesn't fit in with kids her age. She is very tall and has bright red hair. To add to her humiliation is her last name, Freke, which is pronounced like freak. Her mother, Donatella, is a free spirit, and treats Emma as an equal rather than her daughter. Emma wishes for a family with structure and love. In fact, she desires the life of her neighbor and best friend Penelope, who is a couple years younger, adopted from Africa by two gray haired lesbian moms. W...more
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| Book Giveaways: Book Giveaway | 4 | 32 | Apr 08, 2012 04:25am | |
| Book Giveaways: Middle Grade Book Giveaway - I, Emma Freke | 1 | 4 | Apr 06, 2012 05:51pm |
Elizabeth Atkinson is the author of "From Alice to Zen and Everyone in Between" and "I, Emma Freke." She lives with her happy husband, two witty children, and amusing labradoodle on the north shore of Massachusetts and in the western mountains of Maine.
More about Elizabeth Atkinson...
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“How to Find Your Joylah
1. Try new things
2. Be open to new friends
3. Visit new places
4. Listen to new ideas
5. Remember each day is a new day
6. And it's really no big deal if beads get mixed up every once in a while”
—
5 people liked it
1. Try new things
2. Be open to new friends
3. Visit new places
4. Listen to new ideas
5. Remember each day is a new day
6. And it's really no big deal if beads get mixed up every once in a while”
“Just remember this, Emma -- not every Jell-O salad turns out perfect. But it can still taste real good.”
—
2 people liked it
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