Breakfast at Sadie's

by weatherly-lee

A young girl is left in charge of a bed and breakfast when her mother becomes ill - and chaos ensues! Sadie is fourteen years old and unhappy at school. Her dad died four years ago, and she lives alone with her mum in their seaside bed and breakfast. Her mum thinks Sadie doesn't try hard enough at anything she does, and her teachers think she's bone idle. As for Sadie herself - she can't believe that she's any good at anything, even though she tries SO hard.Suddenly her mum becomes seriously ill and has to go into hospital. Sadie's Aunt Leona is supposed to take care of the business until she's well, but it doesn't quite work out that way... and before she knows it, Sadie is left on her own in charge. How will she cope without her school finding out? Or her mum realising that something is wrong? Marcus, the techno-geek from next door, tries to help, as does her clever best friend Milly, but ultimately it is Sadie who is put to the test as she copes with more than she ever thought possible.Hilarious, moving and poignant, this is a wonderful story about a girl who overcomes all odds and achieves success in more ways than one.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Family, Childrens, Contemporary

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 6, 2006

Reviews

[Kalilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Lee Weatherly's style of writing, takes me back to my childhood/early teens.
This book in particular appeals to my inner kid, who always wanted to "run" something, either a magazine or a club, or a theatre -- or even a B&B. Throw in a survivalist element like being home alone with no responsible adult about, and you have what used to be my favourite kinds of stories. As I still have a fascination for documentaries and books about "running things", I really enjoyed this story.

[Elia A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid. I remember it being exciting and fun and having a positive character arch that really appealed to me. The setting of a seaside B&B is also very interesting - kind of quaint a cozy.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie is an underachieving cut-up in Breakfast at Sadie's. Her mom is always bugging her to get her grades up, telling her she'd do better if she just worked harder. Her friends automatically hand over their homework for her to copy and make cracks about how dumb she is. When Sadie's mom is diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and has to spend several months in the hospital, unable to move, Sadie is left in the care of her young aunt. When Aunt Leona flits off on vacation, leaving Sadie by herself, Sadie takes over the bed & breakfast and quickly learns that she's hard-working and creative. She knows she can handle it, but she's afraid of what might happen if the authorities find out she's on her own, so she has to keep it a secret that she's the one running things. It's a fast-paced story and I kept turning the pages to find out if Sadie could really pull it off. Recommend this one to young entrepreneurs and for further reading about take-charge girls, hand them Joan Bauer's Hope Was Here and Catherine Murdock's Dairy Queen.

[Greengirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really good book. Although, it did seem to me as if it wasn't very realistic. It was about a girl who's mom becomes ill and has to stay in the hospital. Then when her aunt promises to take care of the Bed & Breakfast that the family owns and suddenly she just leaves. That leaves this poor teenager running a B&B all by herself. Can she do it? Or does she have to tell her mother that her aunt has left her and risk getting taken into child care? Read the book to find out!!!!

[Samantha Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book always keeps me in suspense for the ending. This book only one BIG problem: A girl has to run a Bed and Breakfast at the same time as she has to deal with her own, personal problems at school. But there's a catch; nobody can find out what she's up to, or her aunt will be imprisoned for abandoning her when Sadie's mother is in the hospital, and Sadie will be taken into care. I am always held on to the book, because I am always wondering if she will be discovered...

[Avi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! The plot was amazing as was the characters and the way that the conflict was solved. The character of Sadie was ingenious. I wished there was a sequel to this. Probably one of the reasons that I loved this book was because it was a British book (I have a thing for those for some reason).

[Katelyn Krattiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is from my childhood and it has stayed with me all these years. I read it when I want to remember that you can be strong and run a business. That strength comes from having a horrible situation forced upon you. Sadie is resilient. She runs her business with all the efficiency of her mom and knows exactly how to fix problems. I love this book with my whole heart

[Samantha Hastings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadie's mum owns a B&B in England and when she get's hospitalized, Sadie's aunt bails and Sadie runs the B&B on her own for a while. I liked Sadie's spunkiness and the message that you can be good at different (non-academic) things.

[Claudia Choi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadie is an unlucky girl. Her mom is ill in the hospital. Here dad is dead. Her aunt left her alone. Now Sadie was to go to school at the same time run a business. Sadie is trying to keep up. It's just to hard. Will she keep the business going? Will her mom get better?

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a younger YA then a lot I've read but very good. It's all about Sadie and her family and her struggles--no boys anywhere except for the younger dweeb-ish kid from next door who helps her as part of a school project. This would make a cute movie, actually. I enjoyed it.

[Sarahfina · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book shows you that DUMB BLONDES ARE SMART!!!!!!!!!
and that girl's CAN do anything!

[Nuts about Friends · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroly enjoyed this book

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it was also very intense.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story for the young/pre teen girl. After playing the dumb blonde role, through a series of strange circumstances, Sadie gets to find out just how capable she is.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice to read something different for a change.

[Staff Favorites · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and fast read -- Jolene

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this is an amazing book.
It really shows the outstanding points of this boook!!!!!
I highly recommend this book.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

It a very funny book on things that can go wrong while running a B&B

[Luisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, likable characters. Also kind of heart breaking, but an enjoyable read.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick read... couldn't put it down.