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Ten Miles Past Normal
Janie Gorman wants to be normal. The problem with she’s not. She’s smart and creative and a little bit funky. She’s also an unwilling player in her parents’ modern-hippy, let’s-live-on-a-goat-farm experiment (regretfully, instigated by a younger, much more enthusiastic Janie). This, to put it simply, is not helping Janie reach that “normal target.” She has to milk goats every day…and endure her mother’s pseudo celebrity in the homemade-life, crunchy mom blogosphere. Goodbye the days of frozen lasagna and suburban living, hello crazy long bus ride to high school and total isolation--and hovering embarrassments of all kinds. The fresh baked bread is good…the threat of homemade jeans, not so much.
It would be nice to go back to that old suburban life…or some grown up, high school version of it, complete with nice, normal boyfriends who wear crew neck sweaters and like social studies. So, what’s wrong with normal? Well, kind of everything. She knows that, of course, why else would she learn bass and join Jam Band, how else would she know to idolize infamous wild-child and high school senior Emma (her best friend Sarah’s older sister), why else would she get arrested while doing a school project on a local freedom school (jail was not part of the assignment). And, why else would she kind of be falling in "like" with a boy named Monster—yes, that is his real name. Janie was going for normal, but she missed her mark by about ten miles…and we mean that as a compliment.
Frances O’Roark Dowell’s fierce humor and keen eye make her YA debut literary and wise. In the spirit of John Green and E. Lockhart, Dowell’s relatable, quirky characters and clever, fluid writing prove that growing up gets complicated…and normal is WAY overrated.
It would be nice to go back to that old suburban life…or some grown up, high school version of it, complete with nice, normal boyfriends who wear crew neck sweaters and like social studies. So, what’s wrong with normal? Well, kind of everything. She knows that, of course, why else would she learn bass and join Jam Band, how else would she know to idolize infamous wild-child and high school senior Emma (her best friend Sarah’s older sister), why else would she get arrested while doing a school project on a local freedom school (jail was not part of the assignment). And, why else would she kind of be falling in "like" with a boy named Monster—yes, that is his real name. Janie was going for normal, but she missed her mark by about ten miles…and we mean that as a compliment.
Frances O’Roark Dowell’s fierce humor and keen eye make her YA debut literary and wise. In the spirit of John Green and E. Lockhart, Dowell’s relatable, quirky characters and clever, fluid writing prove that growing up gets complicated…and normal is WAY overrated.
211 pages, Hardcover
First published March 22, 2011
55 people are currently reading
2870 people want to read
About the author
Frances O'Roark Dowell
44 books402 followersWhile Frances O'Roark Dowell (Dovey Coe, The Secret Language of Girls, Trouble the Water) is best known for her award-winning novels, she also hosts the popular "Off-Kilter Quilt" podcast, where she talks about her latest quilt projects with friends and fellow quilters around the globe. Her own little corner of the globe is Durham, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, two sons, and a dog named Travis. Connect with her online at FrancesDowell.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 562 reviews
May 13, 2011
If I had to use one word to summarize Ten Miles Past Normal, it would be boring.
I'll admit it: I wanted to read this because of the cute cover and because the male protagonist is named "Monster". I happen to have a penchant for guys with unusual names, and so I thought this might be worth reading. Wrong.
I thought that maybe this would be a self-discovery story, or something of the like, but it's basically just Janie prattling on about how horrible her life has been since her parents decided to live on a farm. There is no real story.
I quickly tired of Janie's inner monologue of how horrific her life is and how her mother is so incompetent in virtually everything she does. I kept thinking, Cut your mother some slack! She's only trying to be nice.
For some reason, it really bothered me the way Janie portrays her mother. Now, I'm not so naïve as to think that teens don't have quarrels with their parents, but something about the way Janie treats her mother, and the way she views her mother just rankled me. And it isn't just Janie that acts this way.
Later, Janie has a conversation with a friend, Verbena, and the subject comes up about how Verbena hates that she's had to relocate so many times:
"Moving so much when I was little didn't matter. [. . .] But it gets harder every year. In fact, I'm thinking about divorcing my parents, just so I can stop moving. The damage it's done to my social life is overwhelming."
Somehow, the author implying that a person's social status is more important than their family didn't sit well with me. I realize that it was probably meant to be sarcastic rather than literal, but it bothered me nonetheless.
And it doesn't end there! Monster tells Janie that his parents are crazy (oh, but his gram is okay - thank goodness for gram!), and so he has moved out of their house and into his own.
I began to wonder if the author had some sort of personal vendetta against parents. It seemed like every character had a horrible relationship with one, if not both of their parents. I don't know - perhaps I made too much of it.
But all of this did get me wondering: Is this sort of thing the norm in a lot of YA fiction? Have I been somehow overlooking it until now?
The following quote was the best part of the whole novel:
"I think it's time Janie rejoined the family," my dad says. "I'm tired of her acting like we're not good enough for her anymore. [. . .] "She's fourteen, for Pete's sake," my mom says to my dad. "Don't you know anything about fourteen-year-old girls?"
"Not much," my dad admits. "But I don't think being fourteen excuses you from having a nice word for your mother from time to time."
I actually sat the book down and clapped after reading that sentence. Definitely the highlight of the novel.
I've read quite a few novels with practically no plot and they were just fine. But they had interesting characters and witty dialogue to compensate for the less than stellar plot. Ten Miles Past Normal has none of that. The characters are all flatter than a fritter (as my grandma would say) and held no interest for me whatsoever.
What follows is how the author describes Monster's character:
"Standing in front of us - no, make that looming over us - is a Mack truck of a guy, six-two at the very least, in overalls and a tie-dyed T-shirt, his long red hair pulled into a ponytail."
That is a walking cliché if I ever read one. I'm surprised she didn't write that he's chewing on a piece of hay and he has buck teeth. It is clear that the author wrote Monster's character to fit the stereotypical farm boy. Personally, I thought it was overkill.
While I can't say from personal experience, based on most of my GR friends' opinions I'd recommend that you read Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and skip Ten Miles Past Normal if you're looking for a good novel featuring life on the farm.
P.S. Am I the only one that thinks the font on the cover makes this look like a verse novel?
I'll admit it: I wanted to read this because of the cute cover and because the male protagonist is named "Monster". I happen to have a penchant for guys with unusual names, and so I thought this might be worth reading. Wrong.
I thought that maybe this would be a self-discovery story, or something of the like, but it's basically just Janie prattling on about how horrible her life has been since her parents decided to live on a farm. There is no real story.
I quickly tired of Janie's inner monologue of how horrific her life is and how her mother is so incompetent in virtually everything she does. I kept thinking, Cut your mother some slack! She's only trying to be nice.
For some reason, it really bothered me the way Janie portrays her mother. Now, I'm not so naïve as to think that teens don't have quarrels with their parents, but something about the way Janie treats her mother, and the way she views her mother just rankled me. And it isn't just Janie that acts this way.
Later, Janie has a conversation with a friend, Verbena, and the subject comes up about how Verbena hates that she's had to relocate so many times:
"Moving so much when I was little didn't matter. [. . .] But it gets harder every year. In fact, I'm thinking about divorcing my parents, just so I can stop moving. The damage it's done to my social life is overwhelming."
Somehow, the author implying that a person's social status is more important than their family didn't sit well with me. I realize that it was probably meant to be sarcastic rather than literal, but it bothered me nonetheless.
And it doesn't end there! Monster tells Janie that his parents are crazy (oh, but his gram is okay - thank goodness for gram!), and so he has moved out of their house and into his own.
I began to wonder if the author had some sort of personal vendetta against parents. It seemed like every character had a horrible relationship with one, if not both of their parents. I don't know - perhaps I made too much of it.
But all of this did get me wondering: Is this sort of thing the norm in a lot of YA fiction? Have I been somehow overlooking it until now?
The following quote was the best part of the whole novel:
"I think it's time Janie rejoined the family," my dad says. "I'm tired of her acting like we're not good enough for her anymore. [. . .] "She's fourteen, for Pete's sake," my mom says to my dad. "Don't you know anything about fourteen-year-old girls?"
"Not much," my dad admits. "But I don't think being fourteen excuses you from having a nice word for your mother from time to time."
I actually sat the book down and clapped after reading that sentence. Definitely the highlight of the novel.
I've read quite a few novels with practically no plot and they were just fine. But they had interesting characters and witty dialogue to compensate for the less than stellar plot. Ten Miles Past Normal has none of that. The characters are all flatter than a fritter (as my grandma would say) and held no interest for me whatsoever.
What follows is how the author describes Monster's character:
"Standing in front of us - no, make that looming over us - is a Mack truck of a guy, six-two at the very least, in overalls and a tie-dyed T-shirt, his long red hair pulled into a ponytail."
That is a walking cliché if I ever read one. I'm surprised she didn't write that he's chewing on a piece of hay and he has buck teeth. It is clear that the author wrote Monster's character to fit the stereotypical farm boy. Personally, I thought it was overkill.
While I can't say from personal experience, based on most of my GR friends' opinions I'd recommend that you read Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and skip Ten Miles Past Normal if you're looking for a good novel featuring life on the farm.
P.S. Am I the only one that thinks the font on the cover makes this look like a verse novel?
March 31, 2011
Janie's first few weeks of high school haven't exactly lived up to her dreams. All of her friends have different classes, and she has been marked as an outcast ever since she came to school with goat poo on her shoes. Janie wants to be "normal", which is hard when your parents are hippy-esque farmers. On her journey to get to the magical land of boyfriends, football games, and parties, Janie gets a little....lost. She learns to play the bass, is arrested for trespassing, steals a giant wooden cross, and befriends a rather large boy named Monster (thats his real name). Pretty soon Janie is so past normal, she may actually be where she is meant to be.
Do not assume too much from this book. It's clean, quirky, and perfect for younger teens. It was delightful, easy, and light.
But it was nothing more than that. It was not hysterical. It was not ridiculous. It was not so truthful that it ached. It was like a water-downed Stargirl, or an unfunny Dairy Queen.
It was fine. Nothing was blatantly wrong or flawed with it, but if you compare it to other books in the same vein, it just doesn't hold up.
However, I do think middle school girls would like it. Perhaps it will give them insight on what to expect in the next few years. It's not really scandalous enough to be enjoyable for high school kids, I think, who want some more dirty drama.
Thank you, S&S Galleygrab for providing me with a copy.
Do not assume too much from this book. It's clean, quirky, and perfect for younger teens. It was delightful, easy, and light.
But it was nothing more than that. It was not hysterical. It was not ridiculous. It was not so truthful that it ached. It was like a water-downed Stargirl, or an unfunny Dairy Queen.
It was fine. Nothing was blatantly wrong or flawed with it, but if you compare it to other books in the same vein, it just doesn't hold up.
However, I do think middle school girls would like it. Perhaps it will give them insight on what to expect in the next few years. It's not really scandalous enough to be enjoyable for high school kids, I think, who want some more dirty drama.
Thank you, S&S Galleygrab for providing me with a copy.
January 26, 2016
This is definitely one of those books wherein I think it's totally not for everyone but I personally really, really like it. Maybe even kinda love, but I don't know if I'm feeling that expansive this afternoon. It reminded me a bit of "Into the Wild Nerd Yonder" - but shooting a little younger, i.e. there are no images that will make you momentarily question your affection for Krispy Kremes. It's an ideal candidate for a "clean" books list, although I cannot express my hate for the term "clean reads" enough. (end librarian mini-rant). And it also reminds me a wee bit of "My So-Called Life" a bit, although I have to admit that Angela Chase is not a character who has stood up so well in my memory.
But anyway. Girl enters high school and flounders about finding her place. A wee bit of best friend drama, although handled pretty deftly and in a way that doesn't conform to expectations (i.e. sterotype). Her Dad is a slight presence, her mom a huge in, thanks in part to her devotion to back-to-the-farm blogging. There's a boy. He's kind of jerk. There's another boy. He's kind of awesome. There's lunchtimes spent hiding out in the library with a girl who draws on herself with Sharpies. There's a bass guitar. There's a mini-Civil Rights lesson that doesn't feel didactic. And thus, and thus, and thus.
It's all quiet and maybe a little niche, but I am won over. The fact that I liked pretty much every single character and probably saw myself in them too much probably helped. And on that note, it gave me one of those weird-for-adults-who-read-kids-and-teen-novel moments wherein I identified w/both our protagonist and her mom.
I'm down with it.
But anyway. Girl enters high school and flounders about finding her place. A wee bit of best friend drama, although handled pretty deftly and in a way that doesn't conform to expectations (i.e. sterotype). Her Dad is a slight presence, her mom a huge in, thanks in part to her devotion to back-to-the-farm blogging. There's a boy. He's kind of jerk. There's another boy. He's kind of awesome. There's lunchtimes spent hiding out in the library with a girl who draws on herself with Sharpies. There's a bass guitar. There's a mini-Civil Rights lesson that doesn't feel didactic. And thus, and thus, and thus.
It's all quiet and maybe a little niche, but I am won over. The fact that I liked pretty much every single character and probably saw myself in them too much probably helped. And on that note, it gave me one of those weird-for-adults-who-read-kids-and-teen-novel moments wherein I identified w/both our protagonist and her mom.
I'm down with it.
March 23, 2011
Ten Miles Past Normal is a heartwarming and funny coming of age story!
Initially I was not very impressed with the story. I didn't really care for Janie and her insistent complaining about every aspect of her life. BUT then the story started growing on me.... as did Janie. I loved watching her start to discover herself and the person that she wanted to be. And I loved the other characters in this novel. They were all quirky and unique in their own way. Sarah, Janie's best friend, and her older sister Emma were totally not what I was expecting! In a good way. And I can't fail to mention MONSTER! I loved Monster... what an out of the box character!
I also really enjoyed was the historical component that the author added. The project that Sarah and Janie worked on was so fascinating! I loved hearing about the Civil Rights Movement! I'm not sure if the instance that was in the novel was factual, but I'm sure that something similar happened somewhere during that time.
Besides the story, I really enjoyed the humor in this novel. It was a short, quick entertaining read that I was able to read and enjoy in one afternoon. I wish the story would have meshed together a little better, but overall it was a good read!
Initially I was not very impressed with the story. I didn't really care for Janie and her insistent complaining about every aspect of her life. BUT then the story started growing on me.... as did Janie. I loved watching her start to discover herself and the person that she wanted to be. And I loved the other characters in this novel. They were all quirky and unique in their own way. Sarah, Janie's best friend, and her older sister Emma were totally not what I was expecting! In a good way. And I can't fail to mention MONSTER! I loved Monster... what an out of the box character!
I also really enjoyed was the historical component that the author added. The project that Sarah and Janie worked on was so fascinating! I loved hearing about the Civil Rights Movement! I'm not sure if the instance that was in the novel was factual, but I'm sure that something similar happened somewhere during that time.
Besides the story, I really enjoyed the humor in this novel. It was a short, quick entertaining read that I was able to read and enjoy in one afternoon. I wish the story would have meshed together a little better, but overall it was a good read!
August 10, 2016
A lighthearted story about learning to live large, doing away with normalcy and embracing the extraordinary. Janie, although on the younger side of YA at fourteen, had an adorable voice. I imagine her narrative would be relatable for teens just entering high school and struggling to fit in.
March 7, 2017
Janie is just beginning her freshman year of high school and has really high hopes for the next four years. That is, until she comes to school with hay in her hair, walks around school all day with goat poop stuck to the bottom of her shoe, and is given the nickname "skunk girl". On top of all that, her and her best friend have started to drift apart, and she ends up with no one to sit with at lunch. Ten Miles Past Normal is many different things to many different people, but to me, it was a book about learning to love and respect yourself, regardless of what others say about you or how they treat you.
I actually really liked this book because I could really relate to the main character, Janie. I've always felt different and outcast (even by the girl who I had thought was my best friend for so many years, which is also the case for Janie). Or at least, that was until I learned to respect myself and remind myself that if I try to make friends with others, and if they reject me, that it's not the end of the world, because I'm not a freak or anything, so eventually someone will want to befriend me. Thanks to that mindset that I have developed over many, many years, I now have friends that respect and love me even more than I respect and love myself. That's also pretty much the exact same thing that was happening to Janie throughout the story.
I really enjoyed this book, and I'm sorry I gave it three stars, but it wasn't absolutely life-changing or anything , so I don't think it deserves a four or a five.
I actually really liked this book because I could really relate to the main character, Janie. I've always felt different and outcast (even by the girl who I had thought was my best friend for so many years, which is also the case for Janie). Or at least, that was until I learned to respect myself and remind myself that if I try to make friends with others, and if they reject me, that it's not the end of the world, because I'm not a freak or anything, so eventually someone will want to befriend me. Thanks to that mindset that I have developed over many, many years, I now have friends that respect and love me even more than I respect and love myself. That's also pretty much the exact same thing that was happening to Janie throughout the story.
I really enjoyed this book, and I'm sorry I gave it three stars, but it wasn't absolutely life-changing or anything , so I don't think it deserves a four or a five.
January 7, 2011
Sure, it was Janie's idea to live on a farm and raise goats, but seriously, who listens to a life altering suggestion from a nine year old? Janie's nine year old self loved the idea of being Anna of green gables and Little house on the prairie. Her 14 year old self...not so much. But to be fair, the kids at school mainly have to do with that. To them she's weird girl, weird smelly girl who lives on a farm and who comes to school with feces on her shoes. Eww. All Janie wants to be is normal, but soon enough, she realizes that normal may be overrated after all.
10 Miles Past Normal is a quirky and cute book, it's about growing up and finding who you are and what your made of.
Janie is a great character but I think she dwells on her home life a little to much and is focused on wanting to be normal, wanting to be cool. Sure this may not of been the life every teenager wants, but you role with the punches and make the best of it, a lesson Janie learns eventually and it was good to see her come into her own.
I also really got a kick out of Monster (yes, that's his real name) he was very cool, very sweet.
The writing style has a easy flow pace and I really liked the chapter titles, I have a thing for those.
Overall, this was an okay book, it had a good story but not much plot and the characters were interesting and realistic enough to enjoy.
All in all, a decent read.
(Arc provided by S&S Galley Grab)
10 Miles Past Normal is a quirky and cute book, it's about growing up and finding who you are and what your made of.
Janie is a great character but I think she dwells on her home life a little to much and is focused on wanting to be normal, wanting to be cool. Sure this may not of been the life every teenager wants, but you role with the punches and make the best of it, a lesson Janie learns eventually and it was good to see her come into her own.
I also really got a kick out of Monster (yes, that's his real name) he was very cool, very sweet.
The writing style has a easy flow pace and I really liked the chapter titles, I have a thing for those.
Overall, this was an okay book, it had a good story but not much plot and the characters were interesting and realistic enough to enjoy.
All in all, a decent read.
(Arc provided by S&S Galley Grab)
April 1, 2017
Really, three and a half stars. Ten Miles Past Normal is about a high school freshman, Janie. In her short months in high school, Janie has become known for stinking up the school bus with the rank aroma of goat poo stuck to her shoe, and a weird rash that she contracted from contact with hay and the farming process. Janie hid out in the library at lunchtime, and spent the day waiting for the one class she had with her best friend Sarah. Janie JUST wants to be like the other kids....Gradually however, Janie's world begins to stretch. She joins jam band and begins learning to play the bass with the help of (my favorite character) Monster Monroe (that is in fact his real...fictional name.) Janie makes a friend in the library and ventures into the cafeteria, she spends time with an elderly man and his friends who were active in the Civil Rights Movement...and she begins to appreciate that "normal" is overrated. That blending in would keep her from living a remarkable life.
I listened to this book on cd and really enjoyed the character voices the narrator employed. My one complaint of Ten Miles Past Normal, is that the ending felt like a huge dissatisfying rush to tidy up.
I listened to this book on cd and really enjoyed the character voices the narrator employed. My one complaint of Ten Miles Past Normal, is that the ending felt like a huge dissatisfying rush to tidy up.
January 28, 2025
Took a bit to get into, but definitely grew on me by the end. I liked the storyline with Mr. Pritchard and Mrs. Brown, and I liked the ending. The beginning was a bit slow and hard to get in to, but I enjoyed it well enough.
There were some parts that I definitely rolled my eyes at, but I’ll chalk that up to this being published in 2011.
There were some parts that I definitely rolled my eyes at, but I’ll chalk that up to this being published in 2011.
March 25, 2011
Hey you. Yes, you...the one holding the copy if 10 Miles Past Normal. Before you make a beeline for your library's check-out desk (or the register at your favorite bookstore), I have a couple questions for you:
1. Are you now or were you ever a member of a clique/group/organization that demanded absolute conformation as payment for membership? And did you conform to fit in?
2. Do you now or did you ever scoff at people who march to the beat of their own drummer?
3. True or False: It's more important to be popular than to be myself.
4. Do you now or did you ever give up something you love because the popular crowd/your boyfriend (or girlfriend)/best friend said it was uncool.
If you answered "Yes" (or "True") to three or more of these questions, please put down the copy of 10 Miles Past Normal, step away from the shelf on which you found it, and head on over to the section containing books about Mean Girls, It Girls, Cliques, and Celebrity Gossip.
If you answered "No" (or "False"), congratulations! You have found a book you're sure to enjoy as much as one can enjoy a book. I know I loved it and would recommend highly.
I'm sure if you're considering reading this book, you've read the summary--perhaps many times--so I'll skip what's been said of what this book is about. What I will elaborate on is the complexity and life-like-ness (is that a word?) of the character author Frances O'Roark Dowell creates in Janie. For all her quirkiness, she's really just your average teenager. All she wants is to fit in at her new school, a place where she couldn't feel more out of place. At first, Janie comes across as shallow and self-obsessed. She complains endlessly about how embarassing her family is, how her group of friends got split up in the transition from middle to high school, how different she is from everyone (and of course "different" is "bad"). But then we start to see some changes in Janie. She begins to make friends with people who don't fit her narrow vision of "normal". She tries some new activities and finds she loves them. She becomes involved with her community and her community's history. She learns to embrace the differences around her and to see the beauty in them. And, in doing so, she becomes accepting of herself. By the final pages, Janie's character has undergone exceptional growth. Sure, she's as flawed as anyone, but she's likable. She's relatable. Teens looking for their place in life will sympathize with Janie's plight to fit in and, hopefully, pick up on the message that to truly be liked one has only to be herself (or himself). Adults will remember the pain of their teenage years and appreciate how far they've come when it comes to how they see themselves and the world around them.
A wonderful story with a wonderful message.
I believe I smell an award nomination...
1. Are you now or were you ever a member of a clique/group/organization that demanded absolute conformation as payment for membership? And did you conform to fit in?
2. Do you now or did you ever scoff at people who march to the beat of their own drummer?
3. True or False: It's more important to be popular than to be myself.
4. Do you now or did you ever give up something you love because the popular crowd/your boyfriend (or girlfriend)/best friend said it was uncool.
If you answered "Yes" (or "True") to three or more of these questions, please put down the copy of 10 Miles Past Normal, step away from the shelf on which you found it, and head on over to the section containing books about Mean Girls, It Girls, Cliques, and Celebrity Gossip.
If you answered "No" (or "False"), congratulations! You have found a book you're sure to enjoy as much as one can enjoy a book. I know I loved it and would recommend highly.
I'm sure if you're considering reading this book, you've read the summary--perhaps many times--so I'll skip what's been said of what this book is about. What I will elaborate on is the complexity and life-like-ness (is that a word?) of the character author Frances O'Roark Dowell creates in Janie. For all her quirkiness, she's really just your average teenager. All she wants is to fit in at her new school, a place where she couldn't feel more out of place. At first, Janie comes across as shallow and self-obsessed. She complains endlessly about how embarassing her family is, how her group of friends got split up in the transition from middle to high school, how different she is from everyone (and of course "different" is "bad"). But then we start to see some changes in Janie. She begins to make friends with people who don't fit her narrow vision of "normal". She tries some new activities and finds she loves them. She becomes involved with her community and her community's history. She learns to embrace the differences around her and to see the beauty in them. And, in doing so, she becomes accepting of herself. By the final pages, Janie's character has undergone exceptional growth. Sure, she's as flawed as anyone, but she's likable. She's relatable. Teens looking for their place in life will sympathize with Janie's plight to fit in and, hopefully, pick up on the message that to truly be liked one has only to be herself (or himself). Adults will remember the pain of their teenage years and appreciate how far they've come when it comes to how they see themselves and the world around them.
A wonderful story with a wonderful message.
I believe I smell an award nomination...
December 27, 2022
What was that?
Started out intriguing, but Janie complained way too much and kept being that kid who rolls their eyes at everything (when she's got involved, kind, and kind of cool parents who let her get away with a lot). She was a jerk to her mom, and first mistake was probably making her 14 to begin with. Second mistake? Baiting readers with a YA contemporary romance hook and there be very little romance, if any. Then the only potential love interest being on the higher end of highschool so they believe they should study friends. The true relationship is the relationship with herself. Which could be a great plot, if done well.
Also: this became a civil rights awareness story which felt so odd in this story. It was nice, always is. But it was out of tune with the premise of the story. Is it not normal to have an interest in civil rights and history?
Lastly, Janie was confusing. Was she shy and embarrassed with her farm life? Or was she the quick witty comeback girl who speaks her mind?
Overall it felt like a book intent on teaching a teenage daughter to be the unique version of herself who doesn't need a relationship and can be involved in deep things. Which is great, but I'd rather read a story then a lesson/letter.
Also, what does "crazy" actually mean in this book? Because i don't get it.
Started out intriguing, but Janie complained way too much and kept being that kid who rolls their eyes at everything (when she's got involved, kind, and kind of cool parents who let her get away with a lot). She was a jerk to her mom, and first mistake was probably making her 14 to begin with. Second mistake? Baiting readers with a YA contemporary romance hook and there be very little romance, if any. Then the only potential love interest being on the higher end of highschool so they believe they should study friends. The true relationship is the relationship with herself. Which could be a great plot, if done well.
Also: this became a civil rights awareness story which felt so odd in this story. It was nice, always is. But it was out of tune with the premise of the story. Is it not normal to have an interest in civil rights and history?
Lastly, Janie was confusing. Was she shy and embarrassed with her farm life? Or was she the quick witty comeback girl who speaks her mind?
Overall it felt like a book intent on teaching a teenage daughter to be the unique version of herself who doesn't need a relationship and can be involved in deep things. Which is great, but I'd rather read a story then a lesson/letter.
Also, what does "crazy" actually mean in this book? Because i don't get it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2016
Ten Miles Past Normal started out interesting, but it lost my interest around halfway through. It was just hard to concentrate on the story and I got to where I just wanted the book to be done. The premise was cute, but unfortunately it just wasn't that great (at least to me).
July 29, 2019
So overall, I thought this was cute and really good portrait of entering high school and all those challenges of fitting in, finding your place, being true to yourself, seeing other people for who they are . . . it probably won't stay with me, but it was a nice book.
March 23, 2011
Original post at One More Page
I am a city girl, and I am sort of proud of it. Sort of, because I know sometimes I imagine myself living somewhere remote, away from the rush and hustle and pollution of the city. However, I don't think I can stay in the province too long -- I kind of like the rush, and most of my friends live in the city, too, so staying away from them is kind of torture.
I think Janie Gorman from Ten Miles Past Normal would be able to relate to my sentiments pretty well. Fourteen-year-old Janie experiences a withdrawal from the city soon after she steps into high school, five years after she convinced her family to move to their own farm. Nine year old Janie was so excited to live in a farm after one field trip, and to her surprise, her parents agreed and they moved, making Janie the coolest kid in middle school. High school was a different story, though and she knew it the moment she went to school with hay stuck in her hair.
Janie just wants to be normal, but it's hard when everything in her life pushes her to the "different" zone. As if her Farmville-like life wasn't enough, her celebrity blogger mom tries to attempts to bond with her, she joins the Jam Band even if she knows little about singing, and she has to make a project about an influential woman -- something that her best friend knows more than she does. And as if that wasn't enough, her mom has to go and plan a hootenanny. Hoote-what? Exactly. Who's normal? Janie isn't.
The blurb gives away most of the plot, but don't worry, it isn't really spoilery. What makes Ten Miles Past Normal such a fun read is Janie. She's a fun, creative and often cynical girl who just really wants to be normal and be noticed, but not in the way she often is. Janie's far from being an outcast though -- she's just very different, and that difference is what makes other people wary about her. Her voice was absolutely delightful. I love her quips and her observations, and I find myself cheering for her as she discovers more of herself. The book goes from a flashback to the present time every now and then, but the author wrote it so well that you wouldn't get mixed up in it. The other characters were hilarious, too, especially Janie's mom (I kind of wished there was more shown to her blogger side), her new-found Sharpie-tattooed library friend Verbana, ultimate crush Jeremy Fitch and of course, Monster Monroe! Together, they all make a wacky cast of characters that I could picture very well -- I think they'd all work very well on TV, too. :)
The lesson shared by Ten Miles Past Normal isn't really new, but it's nice to be reminded of it every now and then. Sometimes, you find yourself looking for other things you think you can't find at home. But once you go back, you realize that they were just there, and you just couldn't appreciate it in the first place. Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell is a fun, coming-of-age story that is really suited for early teens but will entertain adults my age too.
Oh, and one more thing about me and the city: I just realized that where I live is already considered a rural area in reference to Metro Manila. Goes to show that maybe I'm already where I'm supposed to be. :D
I am a city girl, and I am sort of proud of it. Sort of, because I know sometimes I imagine myself living somewhere remote, away from the rush and hustle and pollution of the city. However, I don't think I can stay in the province too long -- I kind of like the rush, and most of my friends live in the city, too, so staying away from them is kind of torture.
I think Janie Gorman from Ten Miles Past Normal would be able to relate to my sentiments pretty well. Fourteen-year-old Janie experiences a withdrawal from the city soon after she steps into high school, five years after she convinced her family to move to their own farm. Nine year old Janie was so excited to live in a farm after one field trip, and to her surprise, her parents agreed and they moved, making Janie the coolest kid in middle school. High school was a different story, though and she knew it the moment she went to school with hay stuck in her hair.
Janie just wants to be normal, but it's hard when everything in her life pushes her to the "different" zone. As if her Farmville-like life wasn't enough, her celebrity blogger mom tries to attempts to bond with her, she joins the Jam Band even if she knows little about singing, and she has to make a project about an influential woman -- something that her best friend knows more than she does. And as if that wasn't enough, her mom has to go and plan a hootenanny. Hoote-what? Exactly. Who's normal? Janie isn't.
The blurb gives away most of the plot, but don't worry, it isn't really spoilery. What makes Ten Miles Past Normal such a fun read is Janie. She's a fun, creative and often cynical girl who just really wants to be normal and be noticed, but not in the way she often is. Janie's far from being an outcast though -- she's just very different, and that difference is what makes other people wary about her. Her voice was absolutely delightful. I love her quips and her observations, and I find myself cheering for her as she discovers more of herself. The book goes from a flashback to the present time every now and then, but the author wrote it so well that you wouldn't get mixed up in it. The other characters were hilarious, too, especially Janie's mom (I kind of wished there was more shown to her blogger side), her new-found Sharpie-tattooed library friend Verbana, ultimate crush Jeremy Fitch and of course, Monster Monroe! Together, they all make a wacky cast of characters that I could picture very well -- I think they'd all work very well on TV, too. :)
The lesson shared by Ten Miles Past Normal isn't really new, but it's nice to be reminded of it every now and then. Sometimes, you find yourself looking for other things you think you can't find at home. But once you go back, you realize that they were just there, and you just couldn't appreciate it in the first place. Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell is a fun, coming-of-age story that is really suited for early teens but will entertain adults my age too.
Oh, and one more thing about me and the city: I just realized that where I live is already considered a rural area in reference to Metro Manila. Goes to show that maybe I'm already where I'm supposed to be. :D
Read
April 11, 2011I kept going back and forth debating with myself if I should read this book. The story didn’t seem that interesting to me, but I kept hearing some really good things about it. I finally decided to just read it!. It’s only 210 pages, so if I hated it, I wouldn’t waste that much time on it. Well, I loved it! I had it finished in a few hours. I thought it was such a great, cute, coming if age story, and I’m really glad I decided to read it!
Ten Miles Past Normal is about Janie, who, when she was younger convinced her parents to move to the countryside and start a goat farm. Now she’s a freshman is high school, and living on a farm, with the possibility of going to school with goat poop on your shoe (Yes, that has happened to her!) just isn’t cool. All Janie wants in life is to be a normal teenage girl. It’s hard to be normal when you’re the only one is your school who lives on farm and your mom is mini-celebrity because she blogs about farm and family life. My favorite character would have to be Monster. He was sweet, fun, and just so real! I loved the scenes that Monster was in. I would have liked to learn more about him though.
There was also a historical component to the book which I loved. Janie and her best friend Sarah had to do a class project and choose The Civil Right Movement. The girls learn that there town played a large part in the movement and taught local men and women how to read and write. Some of the locals were even arrested and attacked by the Klan because of it. Through this assignment, the girls learned a lot about themselves. I liked watching Janie grow as a character. She realizes that being normal is overrated (It totally is!) which is something that, I think, is very hard for teenagers to grasp.
Ten Miles Past Normal is a short, entertaining read and I would highly recommend it!
Ten Miles Past Normal is about Janie, who, when she was younger convinced her parents to move to the countryside and start a goat farm. Now she’s a freshman is high school, and living on a farm, with the possibility of going to school with goat poop on your shoe (Yes, that has happened to her!) just isn’t cool. All Janie wants in life is to be a normal teenage girl. It’s hard to be normal when you’re the only one is your school who lives on farm and your mom is mini-celebrity because she blogs about farm and family life. My favorite character would have to be Monster. He was sweet, fun, and just so real! I loved the scenes that Monster was in. I would have liked to learn more about him though.
There was also a historical component to the book which I loved. Janie and her best friend Sarah had to do a class project and choose The Civil Right Movement. The girls learn that there town played a large part in the movement and taught local men and women how to read and write. Some of the locals were even arrested and attacked by the Klan because of it. Through this assignment, the girls learned a lot about themselves. I liked watching Janie grow as a character. She realizes that being normal is overrated (It totally is!) which is something that, I think, is very hard for teenagers to grasp.
Ten Miles Past Normal is a short, entertaining read and I would highly recommend it!
October 3, 2014
I liked the book Ten Miles Past Normal because I really like girl drama and high school stories. This book is one of my favorites because it was high school drama and it was a book filled with regret and alienation. This book focuses on one point of view, Janie’s. If I had to pick a favorite character aside from Janie it would be her new daring friend, Monster. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading about high school stories and how some girls feel alienated because of what their parent’s work at and where they live. All in all, I really liked this book and recommend reading it. I thought that the writing was powerful and beautiful because the language used was effective. The strengths of this book are the climax because it was very strongly edited. I would put this in the intermediate library because it was very beautiful.
July 24, 2013
Ten Miles Past Normal brought me a sense of joy that I haven't felt since reading The Fault In Our Stars. The story lines are completely different but the way the authors express themselves and write are very similar. This was a quick and very fun read about a girl that just wants to blend in and be normal. I feel like a lot of us feel like we need to be normal and be like everybody else, but hey guess what? You don't have to be. I learned a great lesson from this book and found myself comparing myself to the main character more and more. I learned that I don't have to be normal and I like being different from others! I encourage all to read this marvelous book!
March 18, 2016
Really cute story. If I had a barn I would totally want to host a hootenanny.
Read
May 29, 2019First, Janie was on the bus and the girls said it smells in here. Janie realized she had goat poop on her shoes. Janie took off her shoe and ran to the bathroom. She washed the goat poop off of her shoe. There were girls in the bathroom. They laughed at her. She saw her crush and started talking to him. Janie and her best friend stalk him. What do you think will happen next? Do you like this book? What do you rate this book?
April 11, 2011
Frances O'Roark Dowell's Ten Miles Past Normal is a funny and insightful novel overflowing with charmingly quirky characters. When Janie was nine years old her class took a field trip to an organic farm. She loved it so much that she suggested to her parents that their whole family would be happier living on a farm, raising goats, and baking fresh bread. Janie had no idea that the concept would appeal to her parents so much, and she could never have predicted that five years later that perfect-sounding farm life would leave her feeling completely ostracized during her freshman year of high school. Part of her is desperate to fit in and feel like a normal girl, but perhaps life truly is better at ten miles past normal ...
What I Liked:
- This book had me laughing aloud from start to finish. Janie is a very funny narrator with a self-deprecating sense of humor and a wry wit.
- I loved that civil rights played such an important role in this novel. The teens admire and are inspired by courageous individuals who worked toward equality and justice when that was an unpopular and dangerous choice.
- This is a book in which the teenage girls are more excited about changing the world than chasing after the hottest boy in school. Of course, there is a bit of boy-chasing too, but that plays out in a hilariously satisfying way.
- I thoroughly enjoyed the mommy-blogger angle of the story. Since moving to the country, Janie's mother has taken up blogging to document her family's farm-life adventures. In fact, she has become a bit of a local celebrity because of her blog, and I liked hearing about that whole experience from Janie's perspective.
- I enjoyed the quirky collection of characters, from Monster to Emma to Mr. Pritchard. We should all be lucky enough to encounter memorably awesome people like that in our lives. There are also characters like Jeremy Fitch, who bear a striking resemblance to people most of us probably knew (or still know) in high school. I was thrilled that Janie has the good sense to recognize the reality that isn't always obvious when you are distracted by a handsome face and flirtatious banter.
- Janie has loving parents and they play a vital role in the story, so that sets Ten Miles Past Normal apart from the bulk of YA novels in which parents are absent/evil/negligent.
- I loved seeing Janie mature as she realizes that being normal is overrated and starts embracing life at ten miles past normal.
What I Wished:
- I wanted this book to be longer. Honestly, the author chose the perfect time and place for the story to end. I just enjoyed the characters so much that I wanted the story to go on for another hundred pages or so.
Ten Miles Past Normal is a sweet coming-of-age tale with a funny, intelligent narrator. Fans of Deb Caletti's Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, John Green's An Abundance of Katherines, Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl or Adriana Trigani's Viola in Reel Life will want to pick up Ten Miles Past Normal. It is also a very clean read, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to fans of middle-grade novels like Lisa Schroeder's It's Raining Cupcakes. I look forward to reading more of Frances O'Roark Dowell's books.
What I Liked:
- This book had me laughing aloud from start to finish. Janie is a very funny narrator with a self-deprecating sense of humor and a wry wit.
- I loved that civil rights played such an important role in this novel. The teens admire and are inspired by courageous individuals who worked toward equality and justice when that was an unpopular and dangerous choice.
- This is a book in which the teenage girls are more excited about changing the world than chasing after the hottest boy in school. Of course, there is a bit of boy-chasing too, but that plays out in a hilariously satisfying way.
- I thoroughly enjoyed the mommy-blogger angle of the story. Since moving to the country, Janie's mother has taken up blogging to document her family's farm-life adventures. In fact, she has become a bit of a local celebrity because of her blog, and I liked hearing about that whole experience from Janie's perspective.
- I enjoyed the quirky collection of characters, from Monster to Emma to Mr. Pritchard. We should all be lucky enough to encounter memorably awesome people like that in our lives. There are also characters like Jeremy Fitch, who bear a striking resemblance to people most of us probably knew (or still know) in high school. I was thrilled that Janie has the good sense to recognize the reality that isn't always obvious when you are distracted by a handsome face and flirtatious banter.
- Janie has loving parents and they play a vital role in the story, so that sets Ten Miles Past Normal apart from the bulk of YA novels in which parents are absent/evil/negligent.
- I loved seeing Janie mature as she realizes that being normal is overrated and starts embracing life at ten miles past normal.
What I Wished:
- I wanted this book to be longer. Honestly, the author chose the perfect time and place for the story to end. I just enjoyed the characters so much that I wanted the story to go on for another hundred pages or so.
Ten Miles Past Normal is a sweet coming-of-age tale with a funny, intelligent narrator. Fans of Deb Caletti's Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, John Green's An Abundance of Katherines, Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl or Adriana Trigani's Viola in Reel Life will want to pick up Ten Miles Past Normal. It is also a very clean read, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to fans of middle-grade novels like Lisa Schroeder's It's Raining Cupcakes. I look forward to reading more of Frances O'Roark Dowell's books.
May 1, 2011
I am Janie. Or, rather, I'd have liked to have been as cool as Janie when I was in high school. Like Janie, my parents moved from city to farm, although I was four at the time and started kindergarten in a new town after the move--so I didn't have to adjust from pre-farm to post-farm with my peer group. I was just "farm." (I'm the youngest of five kids, however; my elder sibs all have different perspectives on what that move meant in their lives.)
That being said, I now refer to myself as a child of the back-to-nature movement and didn't realize as I was living them what great fodder for later stories my childhood experiences would make. Chasing obstinate cows back into the pasture. Learning to shuck sunflower seeds. Living in a steamy house for days on end while my dad boiled maple sap into syrup in the basement. Now I joke that my Dad mowed the back yard and we got it for dinner: cattails, milkweed, lambs-quarters; put enough butter on it and it all tastes the same. Like Janie, I occasionally went to school smelling of farm life, mostly our sulfur-odored well-water. Reading Janie's tale of going to school with goat droppings on her shoes made me cringe. How well I remember the mortification when, on a particularly bad well-water day, one of the popular girls walked near me, clearly sniffed, wrinkled her nose, and moved away. Unlike Janie, I wasn't nearly as funny or cool about it. It didn't matter that my father was a college professor and only a part-time farmer. What mattered in the high school social scene was that I didn't have the right clothes (preppie), the right hairstyle (Farrah Fawcett), or the right perfume (Love's Baby Soft). Rather, I wore jeans and t-shirts, had a practical, short haircut that required minimal upkeep, and my perfume...well, see above comments. I could feel Janie.
I enjoyed this book, mostly due to being able to resonate with the childhood I think. But Frances Dowell does a great job with characters and, as always, the characters in this book are enjoyable, believable, and living out high school life in a way that I could certainly also resonate with. I was able to see myself and my friends in some of the characters as much as I was able to see my daughter and some of her friends in them. Janie suffers the pain of high school but doesn't dwell in it; rather, she finds ways to cope, stumbles into new friendships that sustain her, weathers a changing friendship that has been with her since her young childhood, and struggles in her perception of her mother--"is she cool or lame?"--as many of us do at that age. I really enjoyed the touch of contemporary reality in that Janie's mother is a blogger. Janie is concerned about how much of her life might be put on public display but also knows it's unlikely that most of her peer group reads blogs. (Blogging moms, take note.)
Yes, it's a young adult book and the target audience hovers around middle school or young high school age. But as an adult woman, as a mother--even though my kids are older than that now, and as a blogger myself, I enjoyed reading it as well.
That being said, I now refer to myself as a child of the back-to-nature movement and didn't realize as I was living them what great fodder for later stories my childhood experiences would make. Chasing obstinate cows back into the pasture. Learning to shuck sunflower seeds. Living in a steamy house for days on end while my dad boiled maple sap into syrup in the basement. Now I joke that my Dad mowed the back yard and we got it for dinner: cattails, milkweed, lambs-quarters; put enough butter on it and it all tastes the same. Like Janie, I occasionally went to school smelling of farm life, mostly our sulfur-odored well-water. Reading Janie's tale of going to school with goat droppings on her shoes made me cringe. How well I remember the mortification when, on a particularly bad well-water day, one of the popular girls walked near me, clearly sniffed, wrinkled her nose, and moved away. Unlike Janie, I wasn't nearly as funny or cool about it. It didn't matter that my father was a college professor and only a part-time farmer. What mattered in the high school social scene was that I didn't have the right clothes (preppie), the right hairstyle (Farrah Fawcett), or the right perfume (Love's Baby Soft). Rather, I wore jeans and t-shirts, had a practical, short haircut that required minimal upkeep, and my perfume...well, see above comments. I could feel Janie.
I enjoyed this book, mostly due to being able to resonate with the childhood I think. But Frances Dowell does a great job with characters and, as always, the characters in this book are enjoyable, believable, and living out high school life in a way that I could certainly also resonate with. I was able to see myself and my friends in some of the characters as much as I was able to see my daughter and some of her friends in them. Janie suffers the pain of high school but doesn't dwell in it; rather, she finds ways to cope, stumbles into new friendships that sustain her, weathers a changing friendship that has been with her since her young childhood, and struggles in her perception of her mother--"is she cool or lame?"--as many of us do at that age. I really enjoyed the touch of contemporary reality in that Janie's mother is a blogger. Janie is concerned about how much of her life might be put on public display but also knows it's unlikely that most of her peer group reads blogs. (Blogging moms, take note.)
Yes, it's a young adult book and the target audience hovers around middle school or young high school age. But as an adult woman, as a mother--even though my kids are older than that now, and as a blogger myself, I enjoyed reading it as well.
April 6, 2011
I've only read two of Dowell's middle grade novels and loved both. Shooting the Moon and The Secret Language of Girls. This is the authors first YA novel. 14 yr old Janie lives on a farm, which was cool when she was younger not so much in high school. The kids on the bus call her farm girl. When Janie accidentally get on the bus with goat poop on her shoe, she has a very bad day. Janie's high school is large, Sarah the best friend, is the only friend from middle school she sees everyday. Janie spends her lunch period in the library. All of her old friends have lunch at a different time.
"Once in a while someone appears who gives you hope a cute boy reading the latest Sports Illustrated or a girl of the normal looking variety thumbing through the book on the This just in cart. Are they cafeteria refugees too? But they never show up two days in a row, and my hopes for finding friendship in the library are dashed yet again. That's my dream, of course. That some regular, everyday people will show up and recognize me as someone who is basically normal, in spite of my Farm Girl mishaps but whose soul is too sensitive to deal with the cafeteria alone."
With some work Janie goes from one friend to three. One is a boy named Monster who teaches her how to play bass. Bass playing Janie doesn't care what other people think of her.
This was a very easy story to fall into. I loved Janie's voice. She's simply trying to find where she fits in. Dowell excels at creating believable and realistic characters you want to cheer for. Ten Miles Past Normal is a very entertaining and fun read.
It's on the younger end of YA spectrum. Perfectly fine for fans of Dowell's middle grade novels. Also highly recommanded for fans of Joan Bauer. Ages 11up. 3.5 out of 5 stars
"Once in a while someone appears who gives you hope a cute boy reading the latest Sports Illustrated or a girl of the normal looking variety thumbing through the book on the This just in cart. Are they cafeteria refugees too? But they never show up two days in a row, and my hopes for finding friendship in the library are dashed yet again. That's my dream, of course. That some regular, everyday people will show up and recognize me as someone who is basically normal, in spite of my Farm Girl mishaps but whose soul is too sensitive to deal with the cafeteria alone."
With some work Janie goes from one friend to three. One is a boy named Monster who teaches her how to play bass. Bass playing Janie doesn't care what other people think of her.
This was a very easy story to fall into. I loved Janie's voice. She's simply trying to find where she fits in. Dowell excels at creating believable and realistic characters you want to cheer for. Ten Miles Past Normal is a very entertaining and fun read.
It's on the younger end of YA spectrum. Perfectly fine for fans of Dowell's middle grade novels. Also highly recommanded for fans of Joan Bauer. Ages 11up. 3.5 out of 5 stars
January 7, 2013
Heather Mozzani
1-7-13
Mrs. McDonnell-Jones
Period 3
The book that i read was Ten Miles Past Normal. The Author is Frances O'Roark Dowell. The book was first published in 2011 and it is a fictional book. The main character is Janie, she is in middle school and who the book is about. Another important character is her mother. Janies mom makes a big deicision in this book. A third important character is her dad and he is helpful to her through the whole book.This book starts off about a girl who lives on a farm. It tells us how she gets up early to work on the farm before its time for her to go to school. The kids at her school all make fun of her because she stinks every morning. All Janie is trying to do is fit in with all of the other girls in that school, but it does not work. She wish she had never moved like she wanted too. The book also explains how it was Janie's idea to move on a farm and the family did not want to move at first. Then one morning her mother decided that it is a good idea, so the family ended up moving. So then Janie was all excited to move, until she found out how this is. One of the best passages from this occurs on page 13 when Janie says "I am doing my best to be a normal teenage girl here". This part is important because it tells us that she gets picked on and made fun of. If you like action books then you will like this book because there is action through the whole book. This book reminds me of charlot web because Janie lives on the farm.
1-7-13
Mrs. McDonnell-Jones
Period 3
The book that i read was Ten Miles Past Normal. The Author is Frances O'Roark Dowell. The book was first published in 2011 and it is a fictional book. The main character is Janie, she is in middle school and who the book is about. Another important character is her mother. Janies mom makes a big deicision in this book. A third important character is her dad and he is helpful to her through the whole book.This book starts off about a girl who lives on a farm. It tells us how she gets up early to work on the farm before its time for her to go to school. The kids at her school all make fun of her because she stinks every morning. All Janie is trying to do is fit in with all of the other girls in that school, but it does not work. She wish she had never moved like she wanted too. The book also explains how it was Janie's idea to move on a farm and the family did not want to move at first. Then one morning her mother decided that it is a good idea, so the family ended up moving. So then Janie was all excited to move, until she found out how this is. One of the best passages from this occurs on page 13 when Janie says "I am doing my best to be a normal teenage girl here". This part is important because it tells us that she gets picked on and made fun of. If you like action books then you will like this book because there is action through the whole book. This book reminds me of charlot web because Janie lives on the farm.
June 16, 2016
Janie’s family moved to a farm when she was in 5th grade and she loved it, but now that she’s a freshman in high school, everything is embarrassing and awkward – particularly the smells associated with farm living (goat poop on your shoe can really pollute the school bus atmosphere). And Janie spends the first weeks of school all alone for the most part – her friends from middle school have different schedules and she and her best friend, Sarah, only have one class together. So, she can’t really be blamed for having a bad attitude and being a moody teenager. Then, about 2 months later, everything is looking up. Janie’s made some new friends – Verbena from the library (who has also hiding from the lunchtime hordes) and Monster (seriously, that’s his real name) from Jam Band – she and Sarah have a topic for their Great Girls and Women of American History class (they’re interviewing a local woman who was involved in the Civil Rights movement), and she’s learning to play the bass! Even her family isn’t that awful anymore…except that her mom has planned a huge sing-a-long at the farm (a hootenanny) and EVERYONE in town is invited. Janie just might survive.
This short and funny realistic novel is a fast read (clocking in at just over 200 pages) with smart, interesting characters who will appeal to anyone who has ever had a tough transition into a new school or in finding their way/path in life. Janie’s struggle is real!
This short and funny realistic novel is a fast read (clocking in at just over 200 pages) with smart, interesting characters who will appeal to anyone who has ever had a tough transition into a new school or in finding their way/path in life. Janie’s struggle is real!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2011
I am not generally a slice-of-life novel kind of guy. I want to be. I try to be. It's just that slice-of-life novels are completely dependent on the character and voice and writing style, and so often I can't really stand the protagonist because they irritate me. And besides, ultimately, I like a good plot.
Fortunately for me, I got to spend the holiday today with Janie, and she's delightful. It's nice to read a novel where you can enjoy the protagonist as she narrates a portion of her life. And she doesn't make stupid mistakes or inhabit the land of melodrama—that's nice too. I was also pleased at how completely natural the Civil Rights Era history was tucked into the story. It was a natural flow from the characters, the story, and the writing.
All in all, I highly recommend this book. It's technically classified as YA, but I would slot it in at the younger side of YA. Maybe, just maybe, I can convince my daughter that she wants to read something that isn't Paranormal Romance But Not Vampires Because They're Lame and Overdone.
(I'm serious about her paranormal romance fixation. We spent quite a bit of time at the library this weekend trying to find books for her, and the librarian was befuddled because nobody asks for paranormal romances without vampires and was at a loss for immediate recommendations.)
Fortunately for me, I got to spend the holiday today with Janie, and she's delightful. It's nice to read a novel where you can enjoy the protagonist as she narrates a portion of her life. And she doesn't make stupid mistakes or inhabit the land of melodrama—that's nice too. I was also pleased at how completely natural the Civil Rights Era history was tucked into the story. It was a natural flow from the characters, the story, and the writing.
All in all, I highly recommend this book. It's technically classified as YA, but I would slot it in at the younger side of YA. Maybe, just maybe, I can convince my daughter that she wants to read something that isn't Paranormal Romance But Not Vampires Because They're Lame and Overdone.
(I'm serious about her paranormal romance fixation. We spent quite a bit of time at the library this weekend trying to find books for her, and the librarian was befuddled because nobody asks for paranormal romances without vampires and was at a loss for immediate recommendations.)
Read
December 1, 2011When Janie Gorman was younger she wanted to live on a farm but lived in a normal suburb across the street from her best friend, Sarah. Then her dream came true and her family moved to an organic goat farm ten miles out of town, where her parents made a 180 degree turn into "hippie" type farmers with a modern edge because Jamie's mom blogs about their farming experience. But now that Jamie is a freshman in a large high school she longs for a more normal teen life complete with a boyfriend and friends to hang out with in the cafeteria, instead of hiding in the library because her old friends have different lunch hours.
Janie does start to develop new relationships with another loner in the library and even decides, after some encouragement from an upperclassman named Monster, to try playing bass in his band, which she finds she enjoys even though her friend, Sarah, doesn't. Jamie also develops her relationship with some elderly people, some of whom helped lead the Civil Rights movement and help Jamie and Sarah with their Girls and Women of American History project, but she also learns from the elderly quilting ladies, that her own family and she, too, are "good people" made from good fabric.
Janie does start to develop new relationships with another loner in the library and even decides, after some encouragement from an upperclassman named Monster, to try playing bass in his band, which she finds she enjoys even though her friend, Sarah, doesn't. Jamie also develops her relationship with some elderly people, some of whom helped lead the Civil Rights movement and help Jamie and Sarah with their Girls and Women of American History project, but she also learns from the elderly quilting ladies, that her own family and she, too, are "good people" made from good fabric.
November 23, 2010
Goat poop. This is the only reason people know who Janie is at her high school: she's the girl who stepped in goat poop and stank up the whole school bus. And it's entirely her own fault because she's the one who suggested that the family move to a farm in the first place (she was only nine! Who takes a nine-year-old seriously?!). Janie didn't think that's how high school would be. She pictured herself surrounded by a group of close friends, laughing and flirting with cute boys, running for student council. Instead, she's eating lunch by herself in the library and trying to remain anonymous (it's that or be called Skunk Girl... urgh). As things slowly begin to change for Janie, will it mean hooking up with her major crush Jeremy Fitch? Will it mean losing her best friend Sarah? Will it mean having to sing at a hootenanny thrown by her farm-embracing blogger mom?
A layered story, great characters, self-deprecating humor, and a girl bass player. What more could you want? Recommended for teens looking for a realistic and funny depiction of high school life with strong characters that embrace their quirkiness by the end.
A layered story, great characters, self-deprecating humor, and a girl bass player. What more could you want? Recommended for teens looking for a realistic and funny depiction of high school life with strong characters that embrace their quirkiness by the end.
August 10, 2011
A 'farm girl who just wants to be normal' coming of age story, which unfortunately doesn't get engaging until more than half way through.
It's a pity, because quite a few interesting themes are introduced, especially the Freedom School - one of the first schools to teach literacy to African American's who'd never had the chance - which Janie and Sarah write about for their school project, and Mr Pritchard and Mrs Brown who risked everything to set it up all those years ago.
There's also good music, good friendships, good rebellion (that involves interest in social issues and not settling for 'popular' but 'living large'), good romance (which for 14-year-olds doesn't go too far), and more or less good family relationships.
But the writing is average, and there are so many secondary characters introduced in the first half of the book that you don't feel close to any of them.
Fast readers (ie not slow, reluctant readers) looking for a quick contemporary teen story will find it better than many of its type.
It's a pity, because quite a few interesting themes are introduced, especially the Freedom School - one of the first schools to teach literacy to African American's who'd never had the chance - which Janie and Sarah write about for their school project, and Mr Pritchard and Mrs Brown who risked everything to set it up all those years ago.
There's also good music, good friendships, good rebellion (that involves interest in social issues and not settling for 'popular' but 'living large'), good romance (which for 14-year-olds doesn't go too far), and more or less good family relationships.
But the writing is average, and there are so many secondary characters introduced in the first half of the book that you don't feel close to any of them.
Fast readers (ie not slow, reluctant readers) looking for a quick contemporary teen story will find it better than many of its type.
November 1, 2016
I liked this book a lot but it didn't always make me want to keep reading but overall the book was good. The book was about a teenage girl who grew up in a neighborhood since she was born but in grade school they moved out of town onto a farm. Now that she is a teen she wants to have a "normal life" she has chores everyday, tending to the chickens and goats. One day before school she was taking care of the goats and accidentally stepped in a pile of manure she then got on the bus not knowing and everyone made fun of her she was scared to eat in the lunch room because the kids were so mean. One day she meets someone she will soon have a crush on his name is Monster. He encourages her to join the jazz band and she learns how to play the bass. Her life straightens out after being in a loop and threw the book you get to know the characters more and more.
April 6, 2011
Ten Miles Past Normal is a charming coming-of-age story. You will be drawn to the main character Janie who is quirky, and loveable. She is a city girl turned farm girl who wants desperately to fit in. Throw in some more wonderfully written characters such as Janie's best friend Sarah who wants to change the world and the musically talented Monster Monroe (yes that is his real name) who is a few years older than Janie and the size of a bear. Throw in a school project that has the girls exploring the civil rights struggle in their town's past and top it off with a Hootenanny and what's not to love? Reading this book is like going home again after a long time away and having warm hot apple pie with whipped cream on top waiting for you when you get there.
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