Gadis Mobil Van

by Janet Lee Carey

Dunia Zoe serasa runtuh. Semuanya berawal ketika usaha ayahnya bangkrut. Mereka sekeluarga terpaksa angkat kaki dari rumah yang selama ini mereka tempati, meninggalkan kota tempat tinggal mereka dengan van butut--satu-satunya harta yang bisa mereka bawa.
Seolah belum cukup semua masalah itu, di kota yang baru, keluarga Zoe harus menyembunyikan keberadaan diri mereka. Belum lagi teman-teman Zoe, yang menganggapnya sebagai gadis penuh kebohongan karena selalu menutup rapat kehidupannya, terutama tentang pekerjaan ibunya. Zoe bahkan merahasiakan hal ini dari sahabat barunya, Aliya, gadis muslim asal Pakistan yang punya kakak keren.
Akankah segala rahasia Zoe terbongkar? Dan ada misteri apa dengan Opsir Bergstrom, polisi yang selalu membuntutinya? Akankah Zoe menemukan kembali kehidupannya yang dulu?

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade, Poverty, Realistic Fiction

380 pages, Soft cover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

~Things are never what they seem. Find the lost inside the dream ~
Janet Lee Carey is the award-winning author of nine Children's and YA novels. Her YA fantasy is critically acclaimed: "Verdict: This is quite simply fantasy at its best–original, beautiful, amazing, and deeply moving.” School Library Journal starred review. Janet links each new book with a charitable organization empowering readers to make a difference in the world. She tours in US and abroad presenting at schools, children’s book festivals, and conferences.

my website
Visit my blogs:
dreamwalks
Library Lions Roar
Book Party photos:
litartphotography

Reviews

[Haryadi Yansyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coba bayangkan jika suatu hari kita harus meninggalkan rumah yang sudah kita tempati sejak lama, rumah yang penuh kenangan, rumah yang penuh kehangatan. Tentu sedih, bukan? Inilah yang dialami Zoe Flynn yang harus meninggalkan rumah, dimana semua hal-hal menyenangkan ada di sana (termasuk Merlin anjing kesayangannya). Itu semua dikarenakan usaha toko buku Ayahnya bangkrut.

Bersama Ayah, Ibu dan adik yang sekaligus teman bertengkar -Juke, Zoe melakukan perjalanan dari kota Tillerman, California ke kota River Scout. Mereka melakukan perjalanan menggunakan Mobil Van tua mereka (jadi inget film RV dan Little Miss Shunshine) . Tentu bukan hal yang mudah untuk mereka, berbagi tempat tidur di sebuah mobil yang sempit. Apalagi Juke sering mengambil tempat favorit Zoe.

Di kota River Scout, untuk sementara, dikarenakan keuangan yang semakin menipis, mereka sekeluarga harus tinggal di dalam mobil Van dan bersembunyi di area pemakaman kota. Betul-betul masa sulit bagi mereka, terutama Zoe yang selalu teringat kamarnya yang nyaman di rumah yang lama. Untuk mandi saja mereka harus menumpang di kamar mandi umum.

Di sekolah yang baru, Zoe berkenalan dengan Aliya yang beragama Islam. Mereka cepat akrab dan langsung bersahabat. Tetapi, masalah muncul ketika Mallory (anak paling keren di sekolah) menuduh Zoe memanipulasi tugas sekolah ”Penyelamatan Diri” sehingga mendapatkan nilai paling tinggi. Mallory menduduh Zoe berbohong mengenai denah rumah dan gambar jalur penyelamatan jika terjadi kebakaran, karena Mallory tahu Zoe tidak punya rumah (tentu yang digambar Zoe adalah rumahnya yang lama). Aliya, sebagai sahabat, tentu berusaha membela Zoe (apalagi Mallory memang menyebalkan), tapi Aliya tidak bisa maksimal membela, karena Aliya tidak pernah di ajak main ke rumah Zoe. Setiap Aliya meminta, Zoe selalu menolak.

”Pasti karena aku orang Islam, kan?” Tanya Aliya.
”Apa?” kata Zoe. ”Apa hubungannya?”
”Ada orang di keluargamu yang nggak memperbolehkan orang islam seperti aku main ke rumah kalian, ya kan?” Hal.238.

Sebuah buku yang mengesankan. Buku ini bersaing ketat dengan Matilda, Totto Chan dan Keluarga Penderwick sebagai buku anak favoritku. Aku suka sekali buku ini (sejauh bulan Juli tahun 2009, buku ini paling keren ^^ ). Banyak sekali pelajaran beharga yang ada. Zoe yang berusaha mendapatkan rumahnya kembali dengan cara mengikuti undian uang 1 juta dolar. Zoe yang kangen berat sehingga nekat kembali ke Tillerman seorang diri, mengendap-endap di gudang bawah tanah dan melihat rumahnya kebakaran. Zoe yang harus kucing-kucingan dengan Opsir Bergstrom karena menempati tanah pemakaman (namun ada alasan lain ternyata soal ini). Zoe yang harus bekerja menjaga anjing agar mendapatkan uang. Aih, sebuah kisah yang kompleks dan indah.

Aku sempat takut ending buku ini berakhir ’ceroboh’, untungnya itu tak terbukti. Terima kasih Janet Lee Carey.

[Stella_bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memang aku agak "lemah" dengan genre middle grade, jadi dengan mudahnya ngasih 5*😁😁
Bacaan yang menarik, tidak ringan2 amat namun menghibur dan cukup meninggalkan kesan mendalam

[Hwhyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoe Flynn was a girl who had to leave a place that she had been for her entire life. Her parents gave up everything that they owned to live in a van. Zoe thinks of ways to leave her new life and go back to her old. Then one day she thinks of this awesome idea to spend all of her work money and travel a day or so back to her home. When she gets there everything has changed. Her best friend finds a new friend that she promised she wouldn't make friends with. Zoe decides to hide in their backyard so that she wouldn't be seen.

I thought that Zoe Flynn was overall a good book. It wasn't really that exciting because Zoe didn't really do that much action. The author could have added more details about her old life instead of just going into her new life. Zoe is just a common girl who can get away with almost anything, which makes me believe that her parents do not really care that much about her.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for kids who think they have it rough. Tells of a family struggling with unemployment and forced to leave their home in search of employment. A down to Earth read for the brats among us...

[Hanazahrah bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Kristin Hermanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Change is hard, but letting go of the past thoughts helps you grow into the future

[Karima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read it in elementary school, and now I read it again as a 20-year-old student – I still cry at certain parts of the story and still can relate deeply to Zoe's journey of finding home. Children often have no idea the complexities of difficult moments and thus have hard time processing them, and I can clearly see it through Zoe's story of grief and (finally) acceptance. I knew as a kid back then, I learned a lot from Zoe – now, I want to thank her and hug her for being so brave and strong.

One part I just understand now that I reread it again, is when Zoe reflected back on her glass door handle and her grandmothers saying 'find the door,' only to find out that there are more than just one door in the world.

Thank you, Zoe. Your story has accompanied me for more than seven years, and for more years in the future. Here is to finding our doors.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because her father has lost his job and the landlord is selling their house, 6th grader Zoe and her family must move from California to Oregon. Along the way and when they first arrive in Scout River, Zoe and her family must live in their van. Fear of her classmates finding out her living situation nearly causes Zoe to lose her chance at friendship. She finds it hard to accept her new life and really misses her old house, friends and town.
A believable story about a young girl whose world is turned upside down at a very challenging time in her life. Zoe is a character whose thoughts and actions will ring true with 4th - 6th grade readers. Similar to "How to Steal a Dog" for a slighty older audience.

[Raffa yusniah · Rating 3 out of 5]

because I was very young when I first saw you ... 06/06/2007 right! i finished read this book at senior high school, i know this book from Mr.simple :) This book made ​​me dream of such zoe, not with family but with Mr.simple .. dreams that disturb me a whole week until I returned the book to him, "u like?" I just nodded, and ran after say thank you. I throw all my dreams and I never want to deal with he ​​again, I feel so stupid at the time, always been met with the wrong people all of it because I was young.and now I see this book again, after four years , what I feel now? impressive even though I have forgotten him and I dont want to remember. picture on the cover of this novel has a special meaning for me, and story in novel.. hhhmmm THUMB UP FOR CAREY!!

[J L's Bibliomania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely done realistic fiction/issue novel. The Double Life of Zoe Flynn touches on the problems and feelings of homelessness in a manner appropriate for the targeted audience of middle-grade readers. Perhaps because it is set in a small-town, the book succeeds in focusing on the uncertainty of being homeless without having to simultaneously address the horrors of drugs, gangs and violence that typically would be present in an urban setting. Zoe's Dad is not a bad person, he's just down on his luck, and while the ending is not all feel good, there are indications of hope by the end of the book.

[Caroline (Cary) · Rating 4 out of 5]

11-year-old Zoe Flynn's family loses their home and goes on the road, living out of their van, in search of a new one. Zoe's father has trouble finding a new job, and the family struggles to make their way out of homelessness. Zoe struggles with moving, finding new friends, and having to keep her family's circumstances a secret. The family's problems are well-addressed in the book, both from the children's perspective and from the adults'. The story is chronological and the plot progressive, with a somewhat predictable outcome, but this book is a realistic depiction of a current problem and gives the reader a new perspective. Recommended purchase. Ages 9-12.

[Indah W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terkadang.. hidup itu berjalan ga sesuai dengan yang kita inginkan.. di kala angin perubahan menerpa kehidupan kita, bagaimana respon kita dalam menyikapinya?

Mari bertemu dengan Zoe yang merasa kehidupannya yang nyaman dijungkirbalikkan di kala orangtuanya memutuskan untuk pindah dari kota tempat mereka tinggal selama ini. Tak hanya harus meninggalkan sahabat, teman2 sekolah dan segala kenyamanan, Zoe menjalani kehidupan baru dengan tinggal dalam mobil van!!

Review selengkapnya :

http://books-parade4indah.blogspot.co...

[dearlittledeer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will come dangerously close to (quietly) breaking your heart. But in a good way. After Zoe's dad loses his job, the family moves north to Oregon but ends up living in their van until mom and dad can save up enough money for first and last month's rent. She misses her old house like crazy and is too embarrassed to tell her new friend the real reason she can't invite her over. Great writing. Really liked it.

[Lois Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two disclaimers. First, I know the the author. Secondly, this book touches a subject near and dear to my heart. Zoe's family, like so other American families, must leave their home and travel to find new jobs and a place to live. The writing is beautiful and the plot unpredictable and intriguing. I found myself worrying during the day about what was going to happen to Zoe. How could she ever make friends and still keep her secret?

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe's father loses his job and they are really struggling. They lose their house and have to live in a van in a new town. Zoe trys to hide it but because of that she is having a hard time fitting in and making friends.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing little book about a 14 year old girl who has just moved in a new town. Ahe struggles to fit in, and ends up learnning an awful lot about herself, friendships, and her family, or simply families in general, along the way.

[Partridge Public]

Carey, Janet Lee

[Kimberlayy º · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It is so realistic and down to earth. It's about this girl named Zoe and she moves and becomes homeless. Janet Lee Carey is my favorite author!!

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good so far. I'm about half way through. I f you going to read it the begging is kinda boring.

[Susan Dermond · Rating 4 out of 5]

good young adult book. shows homelessness without despair. a very sympathetic protagonist and a loving family.

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really remember much about this book. I read it about two years ago.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was good because it had an interesting plot and a interesting characters.

[Titik Musyarofah · Rating 4 out of 5]

di mana pun rumah, dan apapun bentuknya, tetap yang terindah, selama itu berisi "keluarga".... dan sahabat

[Arisbethe]

So is book was good and sdoemof the parts i didint like

[miss hfan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setelah menutup buku ini, air mataku ga mau berhenti. Sungguh bersyukur dg apa yg kupunya.

[Purple_koco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read this book a loong time ago. I think it is because of the doorknob...

[lingga ambarita · Rating 4 out of 5]

How lucky i am to find you Zoe...

[Jessica Bos]

CHOICE NOVEL

[Cathy]

Very timely in this economy: a young girl and her family become homeless.

[Ardani Subagio · Rating 4 out of 5]

New lessons from a simple story.

Temukan pintunya.