My Wicked Stepmother

by Karen Langtree (Artist)

This is a poignant tale of family break up, love and pain, but ultimately the power of kindness and forgiveness.



Lou and her sister Nat wake up one morning to the shock that their dad is leaving them. He is moving in with another woman called Eve. The girls don't know how to take this. What will she be like? Through many twists and turns Lou discovers the truth about Eve and also about another member of her family.



Note from the This is a great book for the 9+ age group. It is a gritty tale of life as it really is. It is full of humour and sadness, giving the reader plenty to think about.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Karen writes children's fiction and musicals for children to perform. She has been a primary school teacher for over 20 years and now has the privilege of writing full time. She continues to visit schools doing creative writing and musical workshops. She loves combining her passion for music and story with her desire to inspire children to be creative.

Karen's website contains details of her books, musicals and work in schools. To book her or buy a book go to:
http://www.karenlangtree.com

Reviews

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me confess right away , I am an adult who bought the book for my 12 year old daughter and decided to read it myself . The parent's divorce is narrated in diary form (as seen through the eyes of a 12 year old girl ) though this book is serious in tone without any popular cultural references a la Princess Diaries . It's very realistic in the way it portrays life after the breakdown of a marriage and the home which will never again be the same secure ,loving world it was for the children involved . Here also it affects the two daughters of the family who have to come to terms with the seperation ,how they badly want to mend the relationship between the adults and above all - want to be heard and articulate their own feelings and fears . It also discusses how the personal equation between divorced parents affect the children . Full marks here for telling it like it really is and not glossing over the unsavory facts .
What I didn't like about the book was the Dad cheating on the Mom and leaving her for a much younger woman called Eve . Under the circumstances , usually children will feel a natural resentment towards the step mom and the father . Here they do dislike Eve in the beginning but the animosity is toned down a lot . We don't really get to know the step mom much as a character except by her interaction with the girls on a weekend . The author should have found a way to explain that Eve gets to do all the fun things only without the main responsibility and bother of actual motherhood . A cheating spouse can be devastating , it explains much of the mother's behavior when she seems to "lose" her daughters to the fun stepmom . Nor do we see the mum moving on in her life , she's just stuck in motherly jealousy !
There is a BFF who is chief adviser to the older girl and her own group of friends .Together they get to use all those texting abbreviations , chatting about crushes , rebellious moods and all which will be appreciated by young readers . My own 12 year old liked the book , so I guess most children will enjoy the book themselves .

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good, I didn’t give it 5 stars because there was lots of arguing in it but I thought Nat and Eve were really nice in the end. Lou was nice I liked it when they did the welcome party at the end and when they sorted it out about the letter it turned out the mum had wrote.