What do you think?
Rate this book
Sarah Simpson's Rules for Living
Family changes bring plenty to dislike — and a chance to grow into acceptance — as a spirited girl speaks her mind with honesty and wit.Sarah Simpson’s Rules for Don’t lie.2. Don’t trust anybody but cats.3. Don’t expect happy endings.4. Drink skim milk.5. Avoid blondes.Sarah Simpson loves to make lists. She has lists of the things she doesn’t like about her father’s new wife and her mother’s new boyfriend, and reasons why life is just plain unfair. But through new friendships, a school play, and adjusted relationships, Sarah begins to realize that change might not be such a horrible thing — and that families come in all shapes and sizes. Is it time for Sarah Simpson’s REVISED Rules for Living?
97 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2008
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Rupp
27 books36 followersRebecca Rupp is the author of SARAH SIMPSON'S RULES FOR LIVING, JOURNEY TO THE BLUE MOON, THE DRAGON OF LONELY ISLAND and THE RETURN OF THE DRAGON. She lives in Swanton, Vermont.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 18, 2008
12-year-old Sarah is often sour and cranky, a girl after my own heart. However, she isn't able to totally resist the subtle (very subtle) charms of lanky, smart, and very opinionated classmate Horace, who she eventually has to admit is a pretty nice guy. She never does come close to warming to her dad's new bimbette wife, although Sarah does learn the value of civility - thank goodness New Wife lives across the country. Filled with lists and journal entries, this is a short, quick, and breezy read, full of odd characters and humor. Great for 8 - 12 year olds.
March 28, 2008
A good alternative title for this one might be "Diary of a Pessimistic 12-Year-Old." Well, maybe that doesn't have the right flair, but it's very accurate.
Sarah Simpson is an outspoken list-maker with flaming red hair who describes herself as fat and very ugly. She's also a harsh critic of everyone around her, which is understandable considering the fact that her parents have been divorced for less than a year, her mother has a fat and balding new boyfriend (who comes with a strange 5-year-old named George), and her father is already remarried, to dippy Kim--who is young enough to be his daughter, no less. Sarah is one unhappy, unhappy kid. Her world is falling apart and no one cares.
She adds new lists to her diary regularly, both hilarious and heart-breaking. Several times I laughed out loud, then by the bottom of the page an audible "aww" would escape.
When she is cast as Persephone ("the brainless drip who eats the pomegranate seeds") in a class play, she is forced to spend time with class geek Horace, who regularly starts petitions and protests against world hunger, global warming, and the shrinking territory of the snowy owl.
I liked this one, and I think kids will like it, too. It's a very quick read, probably an hour or less, which will also boost its popularity in the library.
Sarah Simpson is an outspoken list-maker with flaming red hair who describes herself as fat and very ugly. She's also a harsh critic of everyone around her, which is understandable considering the fact that her parents have been divorced for less than a year, her mother has a fat and balding new boyfriend (who comes with a strange 5-year-old named George), and her father is already remarried, to dippy Kim--who is young enough to be his daughter, no less. Sarah is one unhappy, unhappy kid. Her world is falling apart and no one cares.
She adds new lists to her diary regularly, both hilarious and heart-breaking. Several times I laughed out loud, then by the bottom of the page an audible "aww" would escape.
When she is cast as Persephone ("the brainless drip who eats the pomegranate seeds") in a class play, she is forced to spend time with class geek Horace, who regularly starts petitions and protests against world hunger, global warming, and the shrinking territory of the snowy owl.
I liked this one, and I think kids will like it, too. It's a very quick read, probably an hour or less, which will also boost its popularity in the library.
December 12, 2008
I read this book over a month ago. I really injoyed this books text, and how they made the dialog in a teenagers perspective. When I was reading I was noticeing that I could really relate my life to saras life. Sara Simpson is just a normal girl going through life thinking that she is out of place and isnt living to her full potential. She finds all the flaws to herself and doesnt look on the bright side. Her parents fight and she doesnt get along with her step-dad to be. I think that all teenage girls can get enjoyment out of this book. It helped me in a way by showing how life could be when you have divorced parents that fight all the time. This will be a book that i will always remember. I really enjoyed reading it.
June 28, 2012
Reasons to enjoy this book:
1. Sarah Simpson is a quirky heroine with a wonderfully dry sense of humor.
2. The journal-style allows readers to unearth pieces of her story, bit by bit, as a journal should. Each journal entry is like another piece of buried treasure, just waiting to be discovered.
3. Rebecca Rupp's clever inner dialogue allows readers to not only empathize with Sarah but with all of the other characters in the book, too...even her absent dad and Kim, his new wife.
4. Reading this is like eating a piece of turtle fudge cheesecake. Don't let its slim size fool you -- it is delightfully rich with humor and poignancy.
1. Sarah Simpson is a quirky heroine with a wonderfully dry sense of humor.
2. The journal-style allows readers to unearth pieces of her story, bit by bit, as a journal should. Each journal entry is like another piece of buried treasure, just waiting to be discovered.
3. Rebecca Rupp's clever inner dialogue allows readers to not only empathize with Sarah but with all of the other characters in the book, too...even her absent dad and Kim, his new wife.
4. Reading this is like eating a piece of turtle fudge cheesecake. Don't let its slim size fool you -- it is delightfully rich with humor and poignancy.
March 22, 2008
Characters are a little flat. Story has some holes...(for example, one of sarah's rules is to trust only cats--there's a picture of a cat on the book's back...but I don't think there's a cat throughout the whole book)
but for a simple book that deals with divorce without mixing it up with other big issues or giant drama, it's worthwhile.
but for a simple book that deals with divorce without mixing it up with other big issues or giant drama, it's worthwhile.
March 17, 2010
Sarah's life has bottomed out: her father has moved to California with his new wife, a blond bimbo named Kim; her mother's new boyfriend is fat and balding. Her ill-temper over her parents' divorce and her tactlessness discourage friends and frustrate her mother. Written in journal format, readers will clearly hear the voice of a cynical twelve-year-old coping with life as she now knows it.
July 9, 2010
I’m not sure if it’s just so close to Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls or what, but this book didn’t do it for me at all. A kids book about a child working her way through, it just felt kind of stilted and empty, especially compared to Allie Finkle’s vibrancy or the endearing quirks of A Crooked Kind of Perfect. Too many threads left unresolved, and it just didn’t work for me.
July 28, 2014
I love, love, LOVE this book. I read it in about forty-five minutes, and I bought it for less than $5 at Five Below. It's perfect because it handles some pretty heavy topics with the levity of a cynical twelve-year-old's voice, which often reminds me a lot of my own. Sarah's lists make this a quick, humorous, and heartfelt read that may make you rethink your own rules for living.
May 2, 2009
This is the diary of 12-year-old Sarah Simpson, whose parents have just divorced. She's upset about it, but she learns to accept it. Sounds cliche, but it's actually a pretty cute book, and very short (only 84 pages). Sarah's voice rings true.
December 18, 2010
Thought I ought to read a children's book once in a while... Nothing new or fresh about this story, but it was still a very quick read that I think my girls would enjoy. Will recommend to 4th and 5th graders.
April 15, 2008
Short but satisfying. I wished the book was longer! Realistic fiction with a touch of humor and some solid characters.
Want to read
December 20, 2008This looks really good :]
My friend Michelle read it.
My friend Michelle read it.
March 27, 2011
Very above average teen angst book. I enjoyed it and I'm way past that stage. Thankfully! But it did bring back memories of that stage...
October 8, 2014
I thought it was quiet on target and had a VERY realistic touch.For a moment I thought it was non-fiction.I would recommend this to any girl between 11-13
June 1, 2016
This book was short and sweet. It was a cute little story about a tween girl dealing with a changing family.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews