Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Scholastic (2014), Edition: 1st, 280 pages
Description
Twelve-year-old Sarah writes letters to her hero, To Kill a Mockingbird's Atticus Finch, for help understanding her mentally ill mother, her first real crush, and life in her small Texas town, all in the course of one momentous summer.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Whisper1
Mentioned as a valid possibility for an award, I found this mentioned on a Mock-Newbery site.
Touched so very much by this book, it is difficult to write a review.
Dealing with very difficult subjects, I give this a solid five stars.
Written from the perspective of 12 year old Sarah Nelson, page
And, while I wanted to know how the book ended, I hated it when the last pages were near. The emotional turmoil of a young woman who experienced what, thankfully, many will not, was written with breath taking clarity and soul searching angst.
Sarah was a twin. When her mother tried to drown she and her brother at two years of age, she survived, Simon did not. Found guilty and institutionalized, Sarah's mother sends two communications each year. The birthday card of year 12 sets in motion a journey that is poignant beyond words. She's spent years wondering, worrying if she is crazy like her mother.
Living with her father, who no doubt loves her and tries the best he can, when ever there is an anniversary, a tv program, or a newspaper story about the tragedy, he resorts to alcohol, until the days blur by and memories are all that are needed to pull out the bottle, leaving Sarah angry and left to fend by herself.
Whenever people learn of the travesty, Sarah's father moves. Landing in yet one more small town community, Sarah once again learns what to and what not to say, how to avoid conversations about parents, and how to lie about events that were not her fault, yet somehow she feels responsible. At the end of the semester, knowing that the when she returns in the fall she must write about her family and compile a family tree, causes severe dread and obsession.
An avid book reader and lover of words, when Sarah finds [To Kill a Mockingbird], the book resonates. Writing letters in her diary to Atticus Finch, she longs for a father as honest and courageous as he.
It is through these letters that we see the sadness and longing of Sarah for a normal father and a mother who might buy her dresses, put notes in her lunch box and love her.
Outstanding! A Must Read!!
Touched so very much by this book, it is difficult to write a review.
Dealing with very difficult subjects, I give this a solid five stars.
Written from the perspective of 12 year old Sarah Nelson, page
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after page I smiled, and I cried as I found wonderful passages that were spot on and went back and re read them time and again. And, while I wanted to know how the book ended, I hated it when the last pages were near. The emotional turmoil of a young woman who experienced what, thankfully, many will not, was written with breath taking clarity and soul searching angst.
Sarah was a twin. When her mother tried to drown she and her brother at two years of age, she survived, Simon did not. Found guilty and institutionalized, Sarah's mother sends two communications each year. The birthday card of year 12 sets in motion a journey that is poignant beyond words. She's spent years wondering, worrying if she is crazy like her mother.
Living with her father, who no doubt loves her and tries the best he can, when ever there is an anniversary, a tv program, or a newspaper story about the tragedy, he resorts to alcohol, until the days blur by and memories are all that are needed to pull out the bottle, leaving Sarah angry and left to fend by herself.
Whenever people learn of the travesty, Sarah's father moves. Landing in yet one more small town community, Sarah once again learns what to and what not to say, how to avoid conversations about parents, and how to lie about events that were not her fault, yet somehow she feels responsible. At the end of the semester, knowing that the when she returns in the fall she must write about her family and compile a family tree, causes severe dread and obsession.
An avid book reader and lover of words, when Sarah finds [To Kill a Mockingbird], the book resonates. Writing letters in her diary to Atticus Finch, she longs for a father as honest and courageous as he.
It is through these letters that we see the sadness and longing of Sarah for a normal father and a mother who might buy her dresses, put notes in her lunch box and love her.
Outstanding! A Must Read!!
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LibraryThing member debnance
Children's books have ventured into ground once held only by the occasional teen read. Poverty. Alcoholic parents. Dwarfism. Issues that were once taboo for younger, sensitive readers.
I was one of those sensitive readers. I still am. I've had to put away a lot of books that are too difficult to
After i read the blurb on the back, I was very worried that I'd have to set aside this book.
No fears. Yes, it is a difficult subject (the main character's mother drowned her son and tried to drown her daughter). But it is perfectly explored, with all the thoughts and questions you might expect from a young girl.
I liked this story very much.
I was one of those sensitive readers. I still am. I've had to put away a lot of books that are too difficult to
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read.After i read the blurb on the back, I was very worried that I'd have to set aside this book.
No fears. Yes, it is a difficult subject (the main character's mother drowned her son and tried to drown her daughter). But it is perfectly explored, with all the thoughts and questions you might expect from a young girl.
I liked this story very much.
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LibraryThing member knitwit2
The heroine's mother tried to drown her as a baby. She successfully drowned her twin brother and is currently in custody in a mental health facility. Her dad moves her around a lot. Once people in one community make the connection to the crime, they pull up stakes and move away to start over
As part of a summer assignment she writes letters to Atticus Finch. Through this she comes to terms with what has happened in her life.
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somewhere else. In order to cope her father drinks heavily. As part of a summer assignment she writes letters to Atticus Finch. Through this she comes to terms with what has happened in her life.
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LibraryThing member Backus2
Sarah, a twelve-year-old girl is unlike any other preteen; for example: she spends her time writing letters to Atticus Finch and her best friend is a plant. Some might call her crazy, but it isn’t until she sets out for an investigation of her family secret when the unexpected and extraordinary
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happens. Great for text-to-self connections based on growing up; writing prompts; character analysis; perspective writing: putting yourself in Sarah’s shoes etc. Show Less
LibraryThing member GR8inD8N
I really enjoyed this book and am embarrassed it took 6 months to get around to reading it. The narrator is a bit old for her age, but it's plausible as she has a dad who is a professor and has also gone through hard life circumstances. Next time someone says "someday, you'll understand" I'm
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totally using her comeback - ºIt is a linguistic cop-out for people who don't have an answer or don't want to answer." She spends the summer trying to make her life exactly what she wants it to be, with negative and positive consequences. Even though it has a girl protagonist, I think some boys would appreciate it. Cautionary tales include her dad overindulging too often (I love the way she tries to fix that!), as well as no means no, but in a middle school appropriate way. Also- she has a special affection for defining words. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mad.River.Librarian
I'm a sucker for this kind of cover: it just pops and catches your attention. Luckily, the writing and story within delivered. 12 year old Sarah Nelson has a sad, complicated past and yet in spite (or despite) her unwanted noteriety and anguish, she wants to write about what something other than
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all her troubles. Moving to a new town, making some new friends, and developing her first crush make her summer one of discoveries, acceptance, and both funny and bittersweet moments alike. I think kids will love this story: hand to readers who loved See You at Harry's (Jo Knowles). Show Less
LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
I bought this novel - in hardback, even though I have limited space left on my shelves! - because of the connection with To Kill A Mockingbird, and despite taking too long in getting around to actually read the thing, I am so glad I did. Waiting until I was in the right mood to re-read Mockingbird
Books like this, aimed at 'young readers', almost make me wish I was growing up twenty years later, although adults can take just as much as pre-teens from this multi-layered and honestly written novel. Any story that can make me laugh and cry within the space of a few hours is worth keeping, and Sarah's emotive narration had a powerful effect on me. I don't think you need to have survived a troubled childhood to identify with a girl whose conflicting feelings make her doubt her own sanity, but I have definitely been on the same wavelength: 'It's funny how you don't know you are a bunch of pieces until someone hugs you together'.
Yes, all the regular character types found in YA novels are featured - the loving but dysfunctional family, the cute and quirky first crush (bonus points for making Finn an etymology student, though) - but putting them together in the right order is what raises this above most teen literature. Katherine Reay's Dear Mr Knightley, for example, is similar in content and direction, but writing to a beloved fictional character is fitting for Sarah, and works really well in terms of characterisation and plot development. And what could have seemed contrived and callous - using mental illness and alcohol abuse to make Sarah a troubled teen - actually flows really well to form a heartbreaking but also genuinely inspiring reflection of Harper Lee's classic.
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also means that I was better able to appreciate just how well Karen Harrington balances source and inspiration in her story, having her twelve year old narrator write beautiful letters to 'Atticus' while mirroring the spirit of Scout's journey of discovery.Books like this, aimed at 'young readers', almost make me wish I was growing up twenty years later, although adults can take just as much as pre-teens from this multi-layered and honestly written novel. Any story that can make me laugh and cry within the space of a few hours is worth keeping, and Sarah's emotive narration had a powerful effect on me. I don't think you need to have survived a troubled childhood to identify with a girl whose conflicting feelings make her doubt her own sanity, but I have definitely been on the same wavelength: 'It's funny how you don't know you are a bunch of pieces until someone hugs you together'.
Yes, all the regular character types found in YA novels are featured - the loving but dysfunctional family, the cute and quirky first crush (bonus points for making Finn an etymology student, though) - but putting them together in the right order is what raises this above most teen literature. Katherine Reay's Dear Mr Knightley, for example, is similar in content and direction, but writing to a beloved fictional character is fitting for Sarah, and works really well in terms of characterisation and plot development. And what could have seemed contrived and callous - using mental illness and alcohol abuse to make Sarah a troubled teen - actually flows really well to form a heartbreaking but also genuinely inspiring reflection of Harper Lee's classic.
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LibraryThing member amandacb
An incredibly sad, touching story about young 12-year-old Sarah whose mother kills her twin brother when they were two years old. Sarah escapes by writing to Atticus, the character from TKAM, as she seems him as a kind of father figure. What is lacking is an in-depth understanding or explanation as
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to why the mother did what she did -- simply labeling her "crazy" or "mentally ill" is too vague. Show Less
LibraryThing member amandanan
Love, love, love this book! Sarah's love of words, her highlighting the dictionary, and her letters to Atticus Finch make me wish she was my friend.
LibraryThing member reader1009
children's realistic fiction; 12 year old's dysfunctional family drama (PG-13--probably 6th grade and up). I liked Sarah's voice/character a lot but got a bit tired at the end waiting for her to wrap things up (possibly because I'd read another book in between, right before I tried to finish this
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one, and had lost momentum/train of thought). Nice sprinkling of more challenging vocabulary words (though the definitions weren't always included, as with "infractions"). There were several funny moments that made me laugh out loud, too. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
When Sarah Nelson was two years old her mother tried to drown her. Luckily the drowning didn’t take, unfortunately, her twin brother Simon wasn’t so lucky. In Sure Signs of Crazy we spend Sarah’s twelfth summer with her.
Sarah’s mother is now in a hospital for the criminally insane. Sarah
The book is aimed at eleven to thirteen year old children so is simplified somewhat but the author is well able to express the difficulties that Sarah encounters in a way that is understandable. Sarah is a wonderful character, she is smart, observant yet still naive. As the book is aimed at children, one can’t help but applaud how the author manages to explore how Sarah works through her anger and fears. Sure Signs of Crazy is full of empathy and humor, resulting in an engaging and hopeful story.
Sarah’s mother is now in a hospital for the criminally insane. Sarah
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lives with her father, and this summer he is letting her stay at home instead of shipping her off to her grandparents. Sarah and her father have moved around a lot, always trying to avoid being recognized. They both have their scars from their traumatic past, her father drinks too much and Sarah is constantly worried that she too will go crazy one day. Sarah is a very bright girl, and one of her hobbies is to collect her favorite words and find places to use them and she writes engaging letters to Atticus Finch, the father from To Kill A Mockingbird. This summer will be pivotal in Sarah’s life as she experiences her first big crush, becomes a woman, finds the courage to tell her alcoholic father how she really feels, and takes some big steps toward understanding what happened to her family ten years ago.The book is aimed at eleven to thirteen year old children so is simplified somewhat but the author is well able to express the difficulties that Sarah encounters in a way that is understandable. Sarah is a wonderful character, she is smart, observant yet still naive. As the book is aimed at children, one can’t help but applaud how the author manages to explore how Sarah works through her anger and fears. Sure Signs of Crazy is full of empathy and humor, resulting in an engaging and hopeful story.
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Awards
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Middle Grade — 2016)
Parents' Choice Book Award (2013)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2015)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Teen — 2017)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)
Garden State Teen Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2016)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2016)
The Best Children's Books of the Year (Nine to Twelve — 2014)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Older Readers — 2013)
Language
ISBN
0545698049 / 9780545698047