Six Impossible Things

Sep 19, 2011 Janina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, contemporary, from-down-under, male-pov, on-my-shelf, comfort-reads, favourite-characters, just-hilarious, read-in-2011, titles-i-love, unputdownable, books-to-hug

Six Impossible Things …

1. Not find Dan utterly charming and adorable and not cheer him on towards his well deserved happy ending.

2. Not laugh out loud at his musings.

3. Not like Howard, the psychic dog.

4. Not wish for Dan's mom to find happiness again.

5. Put the book down.

6. Not want to hug the book after having finished.

#8 Aussie YA Challenge 2011

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Sep 25, 2011 Lisa O. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian, favorites, ya-lit

It is not exactly pleasant to wake up one day and find out that:
- your father has declared himself gay and ditched you and your mother;
- your dad's business has gone bankrupt and you and your mother are on your own without a penny to your names;

Add to that the fact that your house has been taken over by creditors along with furniture, clothes, personal belongings, EVERYTHING. You have to leave your good, private school, your friends, and swallow the bitter humiliation.

This is what happens to Da...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Arlene rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Arlene by: Street Corner Bookers - The Aussies

Shelves: aussie-books, read-2011, ya-contemporary, young-adult

Something large and happy has unfolded in my chest, erupting in a smile that won’t quit. I can’t remember ever feeling so light-hearted. Or is my heart full? Or bursting? Not aching, that’s for sure.

Wow! Have I ever wanted to tackle hug a protag! I have to say hands down Dan from Six Impossible Things has hijacked my heart! It’s not too often we get the luxury of reading a YA Contemporary in a guy’s POV, and this book is a perfect example of how awesome they can be. This story pulled at my hea...more

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Oct 08, 2011 Jasprit rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, aussie-2011, contemporary, ya

I’ve been on a Aussie book binge as of late, the last couple of books I read were full of awesomeness, but they have also been quite intense The Piper’s Son and Raw Blue, so I needed something light and easy going, a couple of my great Goodreads friends suggested Six Impossible Things and it was exactly what I needed.

Dan’s life has quickly been turned upside down, from living with his parents and attending a private school with his friend Fred, he’s just found out his dad’s gay, their family b...more I’ve been on a Aussie book binge as of late, the last couple of books I read were full of awesomeness, but they have also been quite intense The Piper’s Son and Raw Blue, so I needed something light and easy going, a couple of my great Goodreads friends suggested Six Impossible Things and it was exactly what I needed.

Dan’s life has quickly been turned upside down, from living with his parents and attending a private school with his friend Fred, he’s just found out his dad’s gay, their family business has gone bankrupt and consequently their house and most of their possessions have been re-possessed. He and his mum have been forced to move into his mum’s great aunt Adelaide’s house, he has to find a job as they have hardly any money and are just managing to scrape by. On top of that he has to try and get his mum out of the slump she’s in and cheer her up somehow, try and keep a low profile at the new school he will be attending and he also has a crush on his next door neighbour Estelle, the “unattainable one!”

Some of the situations and mishaps Dan found himself in were absolutely hysterical, from trying to keep a low profile at school and responding to when someone called him “dickhead” on the first day, to fainting in front of the girl he liked, snooping through Estelle’s things and organising the school social. Also the lists he kept, I absolutely adored them!

I’m grateful to my Goodreads friends for pushing me to read this book, as it was a really quick and easy book to get into, the characters were amusing and funny and it was basically one of the funniest books I’ve read in a while!

Favourite quotes
“The only things anyone could possibly know about me are: tall, sometimes answers to ‘dickhead’, silent in class, frowns, slouches, surname pronounced ‘surreal’ not ‘cereal’, chews with mouth shut.
Might be easier to get loser/loner tattooed on my forehead and be done with it!”

“You’re a dickhead Cereal”, Jayzo says
“It’s Cereill”, I manage.
“Cyril next time you’re feeling faint, please sit down with
your head between your knees or go out for some fresh air”
“Okay?” Ms. Peale says
“It’s Dan, not Cyril”
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Nov 01, 2011 Ariana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Ariana by: JoJo - JJJ (Jo Anna)

Shelves: aussie, favorites, great-books, laugh-aloud

Rating: 5 shiny stars from the midnight sky and a litlle moon :)

Now six Impossible facts about me:
✔ not to want to read an Aussie book
✔ not to love a witty main character
✔ not to enjoy sarcasm and good humor
✔ not to love young love stories that make me ~~smile~~ laught until my cheeks hurt
✔ not to LOVE this story
✔ not to give a big thanks to my book fairy for bringing this piece of joy into my life
✔ not to realize that this is the seventh item on my list.

Dan put the cute into the cuteness and if I h...more

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Jan 10, 2011 oliviasbooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to oliviasbooks by: Nic

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-contemporary, aussie-ya-challenge-2011, read-2011, swapped-or-given-away, author-from-down-under, high-expectations, laugh-a-little, male-point-of-view, love-story-romance

This fulfilling story of friendship, loneliness, loyalty and love has two important ingredients going for it:

1. Awfully sweet, but realistic characters (There is no need to emphasize his unquestionably cute infatuation with his next door neighbor Estelle, because I loved 15-years-old hero Dan for caring so much about his inherited and footsore dog Harold and for trying to pull his freshly divorced and impoverished mom out of her misery and her imagined talks to her idol Thom Yorke anyway. Said m...more This fulfilling story of friendship, loneliness, loyalty and love has two important ingredients going for it:

1. Awfully sweet, but realistic characters (There is no need to emphasize his unquestionably cute infatuation with his next door neighbor Estelle, because I loved 15-years-old hero Dan for caring so much about his inherited and footsore dog Harold and for trying to pull his freshly divorced and impoverished mom out of her misery and her imagined talks to her idol Thom Yorke anyway. Said mom gets over her ex-husband's confession to be broke and gay by unintentionally talking all the bridal customers of her recently started wedding cake business "I Do Cakes" out of wanting to marry at all. A whole army of exceptional minor characters - sweet, funny, excentric, true-to-life - compose the wholesome filling.)
2. On-the-spot, humorous, crafty and perceptive language that melts on your tongue but is still not unlikely for a nerdy, funny and considerate teenaged boy. Before I hand this book over to the next in line I have to save a few quotes, like for instance:
"Stress level: extreme. It's like she was a jar with the lid screwed on too tight, and inside the jar were pickles, angry pickles, and they were fermenting, and about to explode."
or
"Fred is staying with his mother these holidays. She's living in London for six months, in Chelsea, studying Georgian underwear at the National Art Library. It's a thesis, not a fetish."
or
"'... you cow,' Estelle added. 'I heard that.' 'Give the woman the geriatric audiology medal,' Estelle said. 'I heard that, too', her mother said, from the other side of the door."

I really enjoyed "Six Impossible Things" (it grew on me from chapter to chapter) and I hope I have been making that sufficiently clear, but I think you have to wait for my friend Janina's (I'm counting on you, Janina!) review to put her finger onto the exact spot which makes this book just right.

Thank you so much, lovely Nic, for being our Corner's Australian Book Angel!

One book down for the Aussie Book Challenge 2011! It's not too late to sign up, Goodreaders.(less)

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Mar 31, 2013 Maggie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Maggie by: Cath Crowley

Shelves: aussie-aussie-aussie-oi-oi-oi, debut-novels, 2011, oi-with-the-poodles, i-ve-just-read-you-and-i-love-you, reviewed

Meet Dan Cereill.

Fourteen, smart, and totally adorkable. He’s also dealing with:

1. His parents’ divorce
2. ...on account of his father being gay.
3. Having to move and start a new school
4. ...because dad lost their savings.
5. Trying to shed his loser image and impress the girl next door
6. ...as he ends up answering to ‘dickhead’ in front of her on the first day of school.

Needless to say, things aren’t going well. After moving into his deceased aunt's house, the person he talks to the most is Howar...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Watermelon Daisy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Six Impossible Things is a funny, quirky book.

The main character is likeable, especially with his creepy-stalker intentions with his crush, Estelle. It just adds an endearing side of his character. I also loved his thoughts and how he reacted to certain things. Overall, the plot was really creative and had a good way of balancing itself out.

However, I couldn’t find myself to give it more than 3 stars. Sure, it was original, unique and laugh-aloud funny, but there was just something missing. Mayb...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Joy (joyous reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, aussie

If there ever was a teenager who should get a lifetime pass for rebellion, I think Dan Cereille was a prime candidate.

He’s barely fifteen.

His parents are separating.

His father just announced he’s gay.

New school. New life. New house. New sets of problems for this socially inept nerd-boy.

You say upheaval, I say understatement.

Most of the time, I found myself hugging this book, imagining that I was hugging Dan. No, I’m not a pervert. I’m just saying that NO ONE, I mean, NO ONE deserved a hug m...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Shirley Marr rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya

Six Impossible Things is about the Top 6 List that Dan Cereill (that's surreal and not cereal) has started inside his diary since his dad turned gay and his broke & charmingly-unhinged Mum moved them into their now dead aunt's house. Number 1 on the list being what he deems the most impossible: Kissing Estelle, his dream girl-next-door.

Let me begin by saying that I love the tone of this book. It is quirky and unusual in that it is written from a teenage boy's point-of-view, but instead of be...more Six Impossible Things is about the Top 6 List that Dan Cereill (that's surreal and not cereal) has started inside his diary since his dad turned gay and his broke & charmingly-unhinged Mum moved them into their now dead aunt's house. Number 1 on the list being what he deems the most impossible: Kissing Estelle, his dream girl-next-door.

Let me begin by saying that I love the tone of this book. It is quirky and unusual in that it is written from a teenage boy's point-of-view, but instead of being "testosterone-orientated" with the growing pains usually associated with a male protagonist novel... it is a book about a boy that is FOR girls (if I can be as bold to say). It's about a boy that is geeky, cute and which every girl in turn wished was their boy-next-door. And I like this angle. It is like a dream story within a dream world and it is everything I would expect of such a whimsical and delicate concoction - the book is funny, witty and heart-warming and I really adored the style of it.

The problem of course is me. It's a question of taste and maybe I am too jaded, but I found the novel a bit "Aussie soapy" for me at times. Is that even a word? You know, sometimes it felt a little too Neighbours or Home & Away. Not the whole thing mind you and I enjoyed 2/3 of the novel before the feeling crept up on me... but certain things would happen and things would go wrong... but then miraculously something will appear to fix the problem and everything is happy again. I won't give any spoilers, but things like Howard the lovable-emotion-detector dog needing money for an operation and then... viola...

But the biggest problem for me was that I never attached myself to the crush - Estelle. I really tried to like her, but something about her was too perfect. I know she's supposed to be quirky and cool, but in too measured a way. I didn't feel she was a real girl and deserving of lovable Dan's affections. In fact, the first time we meet Estelle for real, she's throwing a tantrum and calling her mum a cow and I thought hey! The Number One Impossible Thing is really going to be impossible cos Dan's gonna realise that it's not about achievement.... ahhhh...well. Maybe it's because Estelle says she likes Kings of Leon's earlier stuff than their later stuff. This is not a real girl! Real Girl's like their latter stuff (like me)! J/K. Estelle to me is like one of those beautiful (But I don't like them!) girls on H&A who have names like Gypsy or Rose or Indigo.

Anyway, I also felt that the plot progression stopped a few chapters earlier than the actual end of the book (view spoiler), which then relied on reader connection to want to know the happy ending and because of the above, it wasn't enough for me. Although the last 1/3 was nice and lovely... I just felt for me personally, that the primary hook was gone.

But on the positive, this books is filled with a gorgeous main character, gorgeous supporting characters who are very lovable and is an uplifting read. I did laugh and smile along. With the underdog main character, an understanding dog and a list, at times this reminded me an inward-looking and clean, fluffy version of The Messenger (I mean that as a compliment).

This book probably deserves a 4 but a 3 from me for my taste. Sorry Fiona Wood, crikey, you could write rings around me!

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Apr 27, 2013 Mandee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie, aussieya2012, aww2012, ya-lit, favourite-authors, favourites, library, contemporary-fiction, realistic-fiction, high-school, swoony, gave-me-a-toothache

Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood is set in Melbourne, Australia. Dan and his mum have just moved into his recently deceased great aunt's house after his father came out to them and left them to go on a retreat. Due to some bad financial decisions they also have no money and his mum starts up a wedding cake business and Dan tries to find a part time job.

I think Dan took all of this rather well, he was never whiny, he if he did complain to his mum a few times, I think most teenagers would have...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-fiction, 2012

A good read.
14/15 year old Dan deals with his parents separation due to the father being gay, having to move schools, falling for the girl next door and having no money.

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Dec 29, 2010 Janelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya-reading-challenge-2011, young-adult-fiction, aussie-author

This was my choice for my annual Boxing Day read-a-book-whilst-hubby-watches-cricket.

I truly loved this book. Fiona Wood has channelled the 15 year old male psyche beautifully, and has crafted a tale of loss - and being found again.

She's going to be making wedding cakes. It wouldn't occur to everyone in the throes of a marriage breakdown, but we do irony in the house in addition to sarcasm

We look at each other with shy relief. It's the look two odd socks give when they recognise each other...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: finding-myself, keep-holding-on, keeping-it-real, keeping-the-romance-pg, totally-mesmerised-by-it

It must be the fact that I've been reading okay-pretty good types of books only or something but I am so glad that a good, AUSSIE book came onto the scene (OK, it came onto the scene a while ago but I hadn't got around to reading it yet). Wow, and it's the point of view from a nerdy guy! Haha. Refreshing that it's not another girly book.

I actually think this should be more of a 4.5 but the fact that it's quite unique from most books I've read, with the whole 'this guy is actually quite nerdy - h...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Steve lovell rated it 4 of 5 stars

On my imminent retirement, after thirty-five plus years teaching, my daughter asked if I’d now cease reading YA novels. Being a writer in that genre herself, the question came somewhat as a surprise as I so enjoy the authorship of practitioners in that field. I realise there are some commentators who look down on writing for young people from a great height to consider it unworthy of their prognosis, but the best of it, in my view, takes a special talent. For this demographic a special language...more
On my imminent retirement, after thirty-five plus years teaching, my daughter asked if I’d now cease reading YA novels. Being a writer in that genre herself, the question came somewhat as a surprise as I so enjoy the authorship of practitioners in that field. I realise there are some commentators who look down on writing for young people from a great height to consider it unworthy of their prognosis, but the best of it, in my view, takes a special talent. For this demographic a special language needs to be produced, the inner-teenager in yourself found, and some credence must be given to digitally induced reduced attention spans. To-be adults are fickle and demanding of their authors. The reader must be hooked from the get-go, often by cover, and it is of utmost assistance if something of themselves, present or future, can be ascertained in the main characters. Not easy I would think – therefore that special gift.

Fiona Wood’s ‘Six Impossible Things’ was shortlisted for last year’s prestigious Australian Children’s Book Council Awards and it would have been a worthy winner of its section. It is a great example of what I wrote of above, of why I won’t be giving up the reading of the best for this age group.

Wood comes from a script-writing background with the sublime ‘Secret Life of Us amongst her credits, and I can just see a television series centred on her ‘absolute sweetheart’ of a main protagonist. Dan Cereill is a magic creation. I suspect this tome will appeal mostly to young ladies, but boys could learn much from the way he goes about life. I loved his gentleness and the way his relationship develops with the beauteous, feisty Estelle. The novel contains all the prerequisite clichés – nerd wins heart of school beauty, nerd outwits and ‘turns’ the school bully, nerd saves family from financial penury – all perhaps implausible but the sort of fluff that the intended audience laps up. It is Wood’s deftness – a couple of clinkers apart – with language that places this above the generic. It is her ability to get to the nub of delightfully devious teenage minds, in how they go about justifying their actions, that wins it for this reader. The ‘heart’ in this novel is how in all her characters there is the underlying goodness that I have perceived in the vast majority of students I have taught over the years. The book is a blast!

I know that my beloved daughter, now that I’m about to lose my immediate connection with that age-group, will keep pushing the best of young adult fiction my way, and if any of these are half as good as Wood’s debut, they’ll be a joy to consume. I hope there is much to come!

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Sep 17, 2011 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Dan Cereill (pronounced ‘surreal’, not ‘cereal’) has undergone a rude awakening. At the same time that his mother inherited a heritage-listed house from her dead great-aunt Adelaide, she discovered that her husband was both gay and bankrupt and they would have to move into said heritage-listed abode because the bank was repossessing everything else.

And so, Dan finds himself living in a piss-smelling, run-down relic, not talking to his ‘out’ dad, about to start on the bottom rung at a new high sc...more Dan Cereill (pronounced ‘surreal’, not ‘cereal’) has undergone a rude awakening. At the same time that his mother inherited a heritage-listed house from her dead great-aunt Adelaide, she discovered that her husband was both gay and bankrupt and they would have to move into said heritage-listed abode because the bank was repossessing everything else.

And so, Dan finds himself living in a piss-smelling, run-down relic, not talking to his ‘out’ dad, about to start on the bottom rung at a new high school.

The only thing getting him through this teenage mid-life crisis is the girl next door, Estelle, a hidden doorway leading into her attic, and a list of six impossible things;

The List:

1. Kiss Estelle. I know. I haven’t met her yet. Technically. But it gets top spot regardless.
2. Get a job. We’re in a complete mess financially. It’s down to me to tide us over money-wise if my mother’s new business crashes.
3. Cheer my mother up. Better chance of business not crashing if she’s half okay.
4. It’s not like I expect to be cool or popular at the new school, but I’m going to try not to be a complete nerd/loser.
5. Should talk to my father when he calls. But how, when the only thing I want to ask is something I can’t bear to hear the answer to: How could you leave us like this?
6. The existential one. Figure out how to be good. I don’t want to end up the sort of person who up and leaves his family out of the blue.

‘Six Impossible Things’ is a stand-alone YA novel from Australian author, Fiona Wood.

I loved this book for its simplicity. On the surface there’s a lot of things happening in Dan’s life – his gay dad, bankrupt family, new school and first real crush. The book could have buckled under the weight of so many issues – but Wood handles them with a deft hand and earnest male perspective.

Dan is our narrator, and it’s lovely to get a male perspective in Aussie YA, for a change. He’s starting year nine when all his familial issues implode – he’s a sensitive soul who has spent the holidays crying under his doona and avoiding his dad’s phone calls. Perhaps to distract himself from the things he can’t change – no money, divorced parents, gay dad – he becomes a teensy bit consumed with his crush on the girl next door, Estelle.

This was a great and realistic way For Wood to explore such catastrophic issues. His mum’s coping mechanisms creep into the story, as does his avoidance of his dad’s olive branches and monetary decline. But for Dan, Estelle is centre stage in his new life.

I loved Dan. He’s a smart and sensitive young man, with a cracking wit that especially shines through when he observes the social structure of his new public school. Like his nick-naming of the transposable bracket girls (omigod).

‘Six Impossible Things’ was a wonderful Australian young adult novel exploring cutting-edge issues through a voice of lovable innocence.
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Jul 22, 2011 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie, young-adult, contemporary

Fourteen-year-old Dan Cereil’s life couldn’t be more upside down. Not only has his father come out of the closet but he’s left Dan and his mum to move house and find another source of income after his company folded and he’s moved out. Luckily it would seem Dan’s great aunt Adelaide has just so conveniently died leaving them her historic home. Unfortunately it’s in various states of disrepair and needs to be refitted for his mother’s new wedding cake business. Compounded by Dan’s geeky and shy t...more Fourteen-year-old Dan Cereil’s life couldn’t be more upside down. Not only has his father come out of the closet but he’s left Dan and his mum to move house and find another source of income after his company folded and he’s moved out. Luckily it would seem Dan’s great aunt Adelaide has just so conveniently died leaving them her historic home. Unfortunately it’s in various states of disrepair and needs to be refitted for his mother’s new wedding cake business. Compounded by Dan’s geeky and shy tendencies and his hopeless crush on the girl next door, Dan is doomed to never fit in at his new school. Being the straight, honest yet hopeful guy that he is, Dan has boiled down his life to six impossible things that may or may not turn out to be so impossible to achieve after all.

Loosely based on the story of Cinderella, Six Impossible Things is a cute, fun, lighthearted and readable novel. It was not only Dan’s witty, dry sarcasm and his bullet-pointed lists that made it likable and easy to fall into but also Fiona Wood’s concise, popping prose. The writing stood out as both effortless and striking, read with ease until you come across one of the many witty one-liners that stops and strikes you with its brilliance. As an experienced TV scriptwriter, Wood pens these so well. Some of my favorites from early on:

“Guys, please, one life-changing shock at a time.”

'She’s going to be making wedding cakes. It wouldn’t occur to everyone in the throes of a marriage breakdown, but we do irony in this house in addition to sarcasm.”

"My mother didn’t obviously hear my agonized moaning over Radiohead’s agonized moaning or I’m sure she would have been upstairs in a flash."

Further on I began to notice that many of these lines ended a chapter or started a new one and I looked forward to them with pleasure. From the get-go Dan is hard not to like. He’s geeky and kind and thoughtless and unexpected. His hopeful self-deprecation is endearing and makes his awkward encounters at school and his struggles to make his mom happy ever entertaining. A laugh-out-loud passage between Dan and the bully Jayzo:

He sits down groaning. We’re both panting and drenched in sweat.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

A sound escapes his blood covered lips. It couldn’t be, could it? A snort of laughter?

“You wimp, you don’t ask the guy you’re bashing if he’s ‘okay’,” he says.

“Not really, no.” I say.

I take off my shirt and hand it to him. He balls it up and sticks it under his nose.

“I’d keep going, only I’m a bleeder,” he says.

“That’s fine,” I say. I’m alive, and it feels like a miracle.

“That was a lucky punch for a loser like you,” he says. “You can’t fight for shit.”

“I know.”

As you can tell Wood also has a knack for writing dialogue that just shines. Dan makes light of absolutely everything, especially the fortune reversal that is his life. While this makes the novel easy to read, mid-way through I didn’t feel a real urgency to finish the book, I wanted him to take his problems more seriously at times. But Dan is 14 years old so his reaction to weighty topics such as his dad’s sexuality, his divorced mother’s mental state, and their lack of income is natural and appropriate. I’m glad I kept on reading because the ending was sweet and just as it should be. Six Impossible Things is recommended for fans of quirky writing, younger YA, modern happily ever afters and retellings.

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Sep 11, 2010 YA Reads Book Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christina

It always seems to be that when one thing goes wrong in your life, other things like to join in and make it even worse. When it rains it pours right? It’s under these circumstances that we meet fourteen year old Dan Cereill.

After his father’s business goes broke, he announces that he’s bankrupt, gay and moving out. Dan and his mother are left to face the liquidators as Dan’s whole life is literally taken away from him. At the same time, his mother’s great Aunt Adelaide has passed away and left t...more It always seems to be that when one thing goes wrong in your life, other things like to join in and make it even worse. When it rains it pours right? It’s under these circumstances that we meet fourteen year old Dan Cereill.

After his father’s business goes broke, he announces that he’s bankrupt, gay and moving out. Dan and his mother are left to face the liquidators as Dan’s whole life is literally taken away from him. At the same time, his mother’s great Aunt Adelaide has passed away and left the house to Dan’s mother. The family collects their few belonging and tries to start again.

Not long after they move in, Dan meets his next door neighbor (and soon to be new classmate), Estelle. Needless to say he is head over heels in 5 seconds flat. He also meets his new roommate, Howard, Aunt Adelaide’s dog, and the very cool Oliver, who lives in the stable house. With a new house, school, friends and a new lifestyle, can Dan and his mother cope to make this new life work?

Six Impossible Things is quite a remarkable book. Loosely based on Cinderella (Dan Cereill is an anagram for Cinderella), the story also has a touch of Lewis Caroll’s Through The Looking Glass as well as a bit of the Ugly Duckling. Though it references these stories the book itself is still quite unique and makes these connections without being obvious.

Dan himself is a total sweetheart, so many times I felt like reaching into the book and giving this kid a hug. I thought he was really an amazing character who steps up to the plate despite the unfortunate situation around him. Even though he’s young, he displays maturity, yet still stays true to his age. It was great to see him grow and see how he was dealing with things (while not dealing with others).

His crush on Estelle is also quite cute. Unlike other books where there’s a love interest just because the girl is super super gorgeous, Dan likes her for more than that. He stumbles around a bit but really works at making her see him for what he really is. It was very sweet, and always maintained the feeling of it being real.

Dan’s mother was a very human character. As a kid in this situation you’d probably look to your mother to stay strong and pick up the pieces but in this story, I was pretty disappointed by her behavior. She’d be moody, sad, and sometimes even neglectful of Dan, often she sabotaged her own business and chance at income and failed to recognize just how much Dan was trying to make her happy. You’re not always going to like a character and though I didn’t like her, she was still very real. It’s realistically how many people would cope (or not cope) in the situation.

This book is skillfully written, with not only great characters (both main and minor) who each had their own defining personality, great dialogue, but also by adding just the right amount of humor so that this book doesn’t come off as depressing. It seems with so much heartache this book would be much sadder, but it was instead a very sweet and heartwarming novel that I really enjoyed.(less)

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Jan 03, 2013 cait rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, young-adult

Any novel that’s title spins off Lewis Carroll is an immediate magnet for me. Is it funny? Bonus. Is it well written? Double bonus. Is it set in Australia where jargon and quips and calamities are relatable? Triple bonus.

Besides the quirky writing, Dan Cereill (pronounced: surreal, not cereal) is my favourite part. He’s 14 and awkward and nerdy and basically a round character in a square world. And he’s funny. I like strong protagonists, not shadowed by overly-funky-best-friends or exciting cir...more Any novel that’s title spins off Lewis Carroll is an immediate magnet for me. Is it funny? Bonus. Is it well written? Double bonus. Is it set in Australia where jargon and quips and calamities are relatable? Triple bonus.

Besides the quirky writing, Dan Cereill (pronounced: surreal, not cereal) is my favourite part. He’s 14 and awkward and nerdy and basically a round character in a square world. And he’s funny. I like strong protagonists, not shadowed by overly-funky-best-friends or exciting circumstances. I like a character who can stand hold the story on their shoulders and make it special. Dan does just that. Besides having a dry sense of humour, being slightly sarcastic, and not fitting in (anywhere at all), he’s also extremely awkward. He tries so hard but things have a happen of turning fishy in his face.

Like when he gets a job to help the non-existent family income, and applies at the…op-shop (also translated as thrift store.) Or when he tries to work out (improved physique will definitely get the girl’s attention) with dumbbells from the op-shop, he ends up dropping one on his face.

Of course, the genre is romance and contemporary, a combination I'm not naturally fond of. I’ll sacrifice preferences for a good book, though, and I was happily contented after finishing Six Impossible Things. Dan’s crush on the impossibly wonderful (I still don’t know why) girl next door, Estelle, is funny and hopeless. She’s a snob. He’ll do anything for her. Of course, this is true and life-long love (naturally. He is fourteen.) and the obstacles are nothing compared to destiny. Maybe I'm getting to old, but I found it funny.

The plot is fresh and never stagnates, the dialogue is zappy, and the characters have special edges to them that make them leap off the page. Dan’s best friend, Fred, is a scream. And then, there’s the list to mention. The list of six impossible things. I love lists. There are lists all through the book and not only do they give you an insight into Dan’s life, they’re original, unusual, and give the story the unique angle it needs.

Quirky, fun, and a blast of fresh energy, Six Impossible Things is a novel I won’t forget. (less)

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Sep 24, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: stonnington-litfest, young-adult, 21st-century, australia

I’ve had the pleasure of attending my son’s wedding this weekend, so it was an interesting experience for my bedtime reading to be a comic YA tale of 15 y.o. frustrated love and anguish. In Six Impossible Things Fiona Wood has captured the internal voice of the angst-ridden teenage male so well, it was like a revelation, making me wonder if my son, now grown up with his beautiful bride by his side, had felt similar torments. I say this because The Adolescent Male is not renowned for sharing his...more I’ve had the pleasure of attending my son’s wedding this weekend, so it was an interesting experience for my bedtime reading to be a comic YA tale of 15 y.o. frustrated love and anguish. In Six Impossible Things Fiona Wood has captured the internal voice of the angst-ridden teenage male so well, it was like a revelation, making me wonder if my son, now grown up with his beautiful bride by his side, had felt similar torments. I say this because The Adolescent Male is not renowned for sharing his feelings and even the most sensitive of mothers can have some difficulty in interpreting The Adolescent Male Enigmatic Grunt, the Adolescent Male Laconic Shrug or The Adolescent Male Scornful Lift-of-the-Eyebrow. These three elements form the basis of communication with young men during their teenage years, and this is why the teenage male narrator is a rarity in novels …

Mind you, my son would not have felt exactly the same torments. For Dan Cereill it’s a perfect storm of disasters: his father suddenly announces (a) that he’s gay (b) that the family business is bankrupt, and (c) that he’s leaving, and this abrupt change of circumstances means that Dan and his mother have to move house and Dan has to leave his posh private school. Mum – oblivious to the irony – sets up a wedding-cake business because they have no money at all, and Dan has to deal with being The New Boy in Year Nine.

But there’s nothing unusual today about dealing with the fallout of parental marriage breakup. Many young people have to take on the role of the ‘other adult in the house’ and find themselves overwhelmed by the responsibility it brings. Many adolescents have the experience of seeing family fortunes collapse for one reason or another, and find themselves concerned about family finances. Part of growing up in any kind of family is learning to see parents as flawed individuals with their own lives rather than just parents.

To read the rest of my review please visit
http://anzlitlovers.com/2012/10/01/si...(less)

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Jun 24, 2011 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya, best-of-ya, read-in-2011, favourites, i-want-to-hug-the-author, prose-envy, awesome-title, books-i-own, funny-stuff, characters-i-love, so-much-fun

There's this book I like.

Well, like might be a bit of an understatement. I LOVE Fiona Wood's Six Impossible Things with a fiery passion. If, in some sort of unforeseeable situation, I needed to take a bullet for this book? Well it was great knowing you guys.

This is a book full of not-so-secret diaries, wedding cakes, ancient houses, hidden attics, pretty shoes and pretty girls, Radiohead (with an unhealthy Thom Yorke obsession thrown in), sneaking out and a loveable dog named Howard.

In a not-...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Jess - The Tales Compendium rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, debut, aussie, favourites

I have had a really hard time trying to review this book. I loved it and I was pretty sure I would as I had read so many fantastic reviews of it. But my mind is in holiday mode and words are not working for me right now so here is the jist of what I think...

Six things I loved about it:

*It was very funny with plenty of irony and sarcasm
*All the characters were developed fantastically and there was someone for everyone to identify with
* Dan's situation is common in real-life but not common in the...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Carla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-ya

This book is, in a word, HILARIOUS.

Y’know, I’m one of those people that has a really weird and skew-wiff sense of humor so when a book really makes me full belly laugh out loud, well, we’re onto a winner folks. Basically, Dan is the kind of protagonist I open a LOT of books looking for and never find. He is srsly uncool, what with the being kicked out of private school because he’s not rich anymore. Sucks right? Well, throw in a just out of the closet dad, a mother that is obsessed with Radiohea...more This book is, in a word, HILARIOUS.

Y’know, I’m one of those people that has a really weird and skew-wiff sense of humor so when a book really makes me full belly laugh out loud, well, we’re onto a winner folks. Basically, Dan is the kind of protagonist I open a LOT of books looking for and never find. He is srsly uncool, what with the being kicked out of private school because he’s not rich anymore. Sucks right? Well, throw in a just out of the closet dad, a mother that is obsessed with Radiohead, a house full of weird crazy old stuff because old aunt Adelaide has bit the dust and a crush to end all crushes on your new next door neighbor, and YAY! You just got initiated into Dan’s new life! My new fictional little brother!

Male protagonist out to steal my heart!! Gosh, do I love a good book told from a male POV, they always end up worming their way into my heart and staying for good.

Okay, so the writing is like a cold cocktail on a srsly scorching day! It’s refreshing and goes down real nice and you get that warm fuzzy feeling inside. It’s quirky and weird and FUNNY. Like, I spent most of my time laughing AT Dan and the insane situations he found himself in, like the whole attic scenario is basically the best thing ever. And something that I would probably have done as a teenager. When I crushed, I crushed really hard. And this is why Dan needs to be my brother, because I can steer him in the right direction. Plus, his mum owns a wedding cake business, which means FREE CAKE SAMPLES. It’s like Wood thought of all the best things you could ever include in a book and then she did. So, Wood is like a ninja at dialogue. It snaps and strikes and makes you realise just how important dialogue is, and how one whip smart comment can propell a story so fast, it's one of those blink-and-you-miss-it things. The writing was just pure genius, like so -

“We look at each other with shy relief. It's the look two odd socks give when they recognise each other in the wild.” AHHHHHHHHHHH!

“REVISITING THE LIST
1. Kiss Estelle
Okay, at least I've met her. She thinks I'm a creep. And that's withought her knowing I've read her diaries. Unless we somehow fall over, exactly aligned, lip to lip, and gravity causes the pressure, or we find ourselves in a darkened room and through a series of Shakespearian ID muddles she thinks she's kissing someone else, I can't say how this is ever going to happen.” I am completely charmed. By a geeky 14 year old guy, WHO SHOULD BE MY BROTHER TNX.

I couldn’t put it down. There is so so much to love about this book. And that’s down to the impeccable loveliness that is Dan. I swear, this kid is so super cute and super fab it’s not even REAL. And the teen angst was hysterical, and made me all nostalgic for times when I thought the whole world had had this big meeting without me and they were plotting against me! When everything wasn’t fair! Like Dan (yes my first crush was called Dan, coincidence?!) and the fact that he got with my best friend and it was like THE END OF THE WORRRRRLLLLDDDD OMGGG!!!

This is a book about a boy who is desperately hopeful and full of big dreams and a even bigger heart. Properly endearing. I just want you ALL to read it!

Awkwardness is in my soul. I just plain loved the quirky kookyness of it all. Get on it now. You won’t regret it. (less)

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Sep 13, 2011 Choco rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 0-loved, signed

I enjoy YA books, but hardly ever have I swooned over male love interests in them (because I'm older?). Having finished Six Impossible Things, I so wish I were a teenager because I would have obsessed with Dan the main character. He is my kind of guy. Just LOVED him. To tell you the truth I may have even swooned a little bit.

Another thing I loved about the book is tiny details, like Estelle the girl next-door's preference for banana milkshakes with syrup rather than actual bananas. I don't know...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Greenbreak rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well, I have to say that I have just read one of the best Young Adult novels to have crossed my path EVER! I can write this with the knowledge that out of the hundreds of books I get through each year this is a total standout.
Thank you, Fiona Wood for creating such skillful, clever and extremely witty dialogue which is delivered by the most unique, accessible and fascinating characters.
Dan is the adorable lead, in this rolling ball of family and social calamities as he throws his loveable unas...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Kirsten rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-books, young-adult, aussie-author-challenge2011

Dan is a kid whose world is falling apart around him. His family goes broke; his dad announces that he’s gay; Dan and his mother move into an old house left to her by a great-aunt with very little to eat.

It wouldn’t be so hard starting again except Dan’s mum decides to start a wedding cake business … and she keeps talking the clients out of their weddings.

Dan is an angry fifteen-year-old who nevertheless maintains his sweetness. He wants to kiss Estelle, the pretty and enigmatic girl-next-door;...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Janice (Janicu) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Review from my book blog (wordpress / livejournal)

The Premise: I love the one already on the back blurb: “Fourteen year old nerd-boy Dan Ceriell is not quite coping with a reversal of family fortune, moving house, new school hell, a mother with a failing wedding cake business, a just-out gay dad, and an impossible crush on the girl next door. His life is a mess, but for now he’s narrowed it down to just six impossible things… “

My Thoughts: Poor Dan.Things do not begin well for him in this story....more

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Aug 12, 2010 Romy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, realistic-contemporary-fiction, books-i-read-in-2010

Congratulations are in order for Fiona Wood she has written a thoroughly entertaining debut YA novel which I devoured in only a couple of days. Six Impossible Things is a funny and poignant coming of age novel with a nerdy yet loveable protagonist who I have to say I have a bit of a soft spot for.

Dan’s had a bad couple of months, his mother is broke due to his fathers bankruptcy, his father just ‘came out of the closet’, he’s moved with his mother into an old house that’s cold and smells like ur...more Congratulations are in order for Fiona Wood she has written a thoroughly entertaining debut YA novel which I devoured in only a couple of days. Six Impossible Things is a funny and poignant coming of age novel with a nerdy yet loveable protagonist who I have to say I have a bit of a soft spot for.

Dan’s had a bad couple of months, his mother is broke due to his fathers bankruptcy, his father just ‘came out of the closet’, he’s moved with his mother into an old house that’s cold and smells like urine, his mother’s new wedding cake business is not going too well especially when she’s talking all the brides out of marriage and to top it off Dan’s had to move from his private school to the local secondary school. It’s during this upheaval when Dan meets Estelle, does some morally questionable activities in her attic and comes up with his list of Six Impossible Things, but are they really impossible?

I just have to say that I adored this book, Dan was such a loveable character. It was really amazing seeing his transformation throughout the novel from a socially awkward teenage boy trying to make sense of his current situation to a confident and happy teenager. Dan never felt sorry for himself and he cared for the people around him, when he realised the financial black hole his mother was in he took it on himself to find a part time job, when his mother wanted him to hand flyers out at school for her cake business he did even though he knew it would be social suicide if he got caught. I found myself laughing out loud a number of times throughout the book at many of the things Dan did or said. My personal favourite was when walking to school for his first day, Jayzo, the school bully who takes a particular shine to Dan, calls out dickhead to get Dan’s attention and big mistake Dan responds by turning around, hmm now that I’m writing this down it doesn’t sound as funny but trust me it is I’m just not conveying it very well.

Whilst we only get Dan’s point of view we were introduced to a fabulous cast of supporting characters, who I loved just as much as Dan, including Estelle, Dan’s dream girl, Jazyo the school bully, Fred, Dan’s best friend and my particular favourite Howard, the dog who came with the house. I loved Dan and Howard’s interactions, it put a smile on my face when Dan would talk to him this really endeared Dan to me, I’ll admit I too talk to my dog sometimes.

Also, I just have to say that I loved that this book was set in Melbourne, my home town, I actually knew where some of the places were.

The Good

* Dan’s voice, caring and self deprecating with a really sharp wit = hilarious
* Supporting characters
* The setting *go Melbourne!*

The Not So Good

* Too short!
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Sep 01, 2011 Reynje rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian, read-2011, young-adult, books-to-be-hugged, contemp-or-realistic

Guys, I kind of want to hug this book.

Funny and endearing, Fiona Wood’s loose interpretation of Cinderella has just the right balance of quirk and emotion. Narrated by fourteen year old nerd-boy Dan Cereill (anagrams FTW!), from the intriguing prologue to the grin-inducing last line, Six Impossible Things is a charming little novel.

It’s a light read, in the sense that the prose flows smoothly and the dialogue is snappy (Wood’s experience as a television scriptwriter shows), but it also has a t...more
Guys, I kind of want to hug this book.

Funny and endearing, Fiona Wood’s loose interpretation of Cinderella has just the right balance of quirk and emotion. Narrated by fourteen year old nerd-boy Dan Cereill (anagrams FTW!), from the intriguing prologue to the grin-inducing last line, Six Impossible Things is a charming little novel.

It’s a light read, in the sense that the prose flows smoothly and the dialogue is snappy (Wood’s experience as a television scriptwriter shows), but it also has a tremendous amount of heart. Dealing with family, first love, fitting in, finding yourself, the story is quite sweet and hopeful but also grounded in the realism of everyday life as a teenager.

I found myself connecting to Dan as he traverses the awkwardness of adolescence and the all consuming sensation of being overwhelmed by his problems:

I’m drowning. Everything feels so relentless and impossible. It’s like trying to run with no traction. There’s no one to depend on, no one solving problems, no one picking up the tab, no one to pass the buck to.

There’s a slightly whimsical feeling to the story as well, especially in the structure and the list writing and vague fairytale connection.

There’s this girl I know. I know her by heart. I know her in every way but one: actuality.

Like Dan himself, it’s a bit of an odd sock, a unique take on not uncommon events, related in Dan’s equally witty and touching voice.

For me, the characters are the highlight of this story: they’re relatable, ridiculous, real. Wood has a way of writing that makes each of her characters shine, from Dan’s Radiohead-loving Mum, the school bully I wanted to punch on Dan’s behalf, the elusive Estelle to the wise and all round winsome dog, Howard. (I want a Howard. Please.)

Six Impossible Things made me laugh. It made me cringe (in a ‘memories of Year 9’ kind of way). It made me want to cheer. It felt achingly familiar at times.

Suffice to say, I was delighted with this book.

(Except when I read that Dan ran from Fitzroy to the Tan and around. That just made me feel incredibly unfit.)
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Dec 12, 2011 Samantha-Ellen Bound rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's cute and cool, most definitely. Funny and awkward in the most endearing of ways. It never quite felt 'real' to me - though, and by this I mean every problem seems to have a happy, convenient resolution, and the emotional heart of it doesn't quite ring true. It's very entertaining and I can't fault the writing; it's one of those books where I can't actually find anything wrong, but it just didn't quite suit my tastes. I love quirky and awkward and silly-funny, but I like there to be a little...more

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