See You at Harry's in Mock Newbery 2026

Jun 21, 2012 Katie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-realstic-fiction

I had heard so many good things about this book that I had really high expectations. Most of the the time when you have such high expectations for a book, movie, album etc. you come away disappointed. Expecting something more than what you get, but I am happy to say that this books is not the case. This book blew me away!

So many kids can relate to feeling as if they are the invisible child. The one that is forgotten and never truly seen. Fern is this child. Always there to help out, Fern is the ...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Carol Royce Owen rated it it was amazing

It took a lot of tissues to get through this book, but it was so worth it! There was not a thing that I disliked about this book, except for a bus driver that I wanted fired, but in truth, the portrayal of that minor character was all too true. The story is told by a 12 year old girl who sees her family as somewhat dysfunctional because of a father driven to see their family restaurant successful, and who will stop at nothing, including humiliating her and her siblings in ridiculous Christmas ca ...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Mary Louise Sanchez rated it really liked it

Twelve-year-old Fern, lives up to her Charlotte's Web character's name by being a good friend to her fourteen-year-old brother, Holden, who was named after the Catcher in the Rye character, but who is bullied for his homosexual tendancies. Fern also reluctantly watches her three-year-old brother Charlie,named for a Dahl character, because their parents are so busy with the family restaurant, Harry's,or the mother is meditating, and the older sister is busy with work and finding herself. No one n ...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Cathy Blackler rated it really liked it

Fern and her siblings, all named after literary protagonists, struggle with their Father's enthusiasm for the family restaurant, their Mother's feigned enthusiasm, and angst of their own. An unthinkable tragedy takes the family in various directions, and love promises to strengthen their fragile family ties. Fern's voice is at the heart of the story as she works to understand her family and how to, if it is even possible, make sense of their new normal. A strong family story about love, heartach ...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Elizabeth K. rated it liked it

Shelves: 2012-new-reads

More like three and a half stars.

So what I didn't know going into this is that it's one of those books about a tragedy. Or maybe I vaguely knew it was a tragedy, but the set up made it seem like it was going to be a tragedy about something else. When the book opens, Fern is starting middle school (she's such a likeable character, btw), and feeling a little invisible in her family -- her parents are busy running a small local restaurant (it seems like a diner), she has an older sister with a big More like three and a half stars.

So what I didn't know going into this is that it's one of those books about a tragedy. Or maybe I vaguely knew it was a tragedy, but the set up made it seem like it was going to be a tragedy about something else. When the book opens, Fern is starting middle school (she's such a likeable character, btw), and feeling a little invisible in her family -- her parents are busy running a small local restaurant (it seems like a diner), she has an older sister with a big personality, her brother is having issues with coming out (it's on the book flap and it's covered right away, so I don't consider that a spoiler) and there's also a much younger "surprise!" baby brother who obviously takes up a lot of any spare attention her parents have.

She also has a friend, Ran, and it's one of those things where the book keeps telling you what an awesome friend he is, like this is one of those GREAT friendships of children's literature, and even though you hear a lot about this, I never quite felt it. This was too bad, I felt it had potential. It didn't pan out emotionally for me. Not that he was a bad friend, but he never started living off the page, if that makes sense.

It was sad enough that I was having issues while reading it on the subway.

Oh, I also spent a lot of time wondering how old the parents are supposed to be ... they can't be much older than me (if it takes place in the present day, which it seems to) but over and over they're described as having been hippie Deadhead type flower children people in their youth. Now, it is true that it was possible to be a Grateful Dead hippie type when I was a teenager/in college, you had to kind of work at it. It wasn't the culture, it wasn't even the counterculture anymore (that would have been having a Flock of Seagulls haircut), it was a consciously retro kind of thing. I had peers whose parents were for real 1968-era hippies, and the parents in the book seemed more like that. Oh, like the Keatons. These parents seem like the Keatons, and that was a whole generation ago.

There is something to be said for parents who named their children Sara (Little Princess), Holden (Catcher in the Rye), Fern (Charlotte's Web) and Charlie (and the Chocolate Factory). That was cute.

Grade: B-
Recommended: There's a good story here, and I liked a lot of things about it, but somehow it fell short of coming together for me. ...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Pam rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, children-s, j-s-shelf

I'm hoping for a Newbery because this book captivates and evokes strong emotion with the main character experiencing strong growth. You really relate to Fern as she starts middle school and feels invisible, invisible to her family and invisible to her school. Fern's family runs a diner and dad does everything in his power to embarrass Fern and her older siblings. Middle school also brings that awakening to the outside world and how you are perceived. There is of course the love interest in the p ...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Sandy rated it really liked it

Shelves: juvenile-fiction, teen, lgbt, death-and-grief, family-issues, tear-jerkers, contemporary

I like the nuanced characters and the realistic portrait of a family where not everyone gets along all of the time but they all still love each other. Very well written. Very sad.

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May 25, 2013 A rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 28, 2012 Kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: family, teen-ya, growing-up, death

I finished this one awhile ago, at work, crying at the public desk. It's a beautifully written novel with such an emotional gut punch. Have your tissues ready. ...more

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