Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Bloomsbury Children's Books (2015), Edition: UK ed., 240 pages
Description
When her imagined perfect life with her estranged mother begins to unravel, fourteen-year-old Apple finds comfort in reading and writing poetry.
User reviews
LibraryThing member shelleyraec
A poignant and touching story, Apple and Rain is a story about family, poetry, wishes and growing up.
Apple is thirteen and has lived with her grandmother since her mother left one Christmas Eve when she was two. Her Nan is loving but strict and Apple can’t help but imagine that her mother will
Apple(her full name is Apollinia Apostolopoulou – named for her Greek father) is a sincere character with believable thoughts, motivations and actions appropriate for her age. I found her to be very sympathetic as she struggled to cope with a teens familiar disappointments – being excluded by a best friend, targeted by a mean girl and having an unrequited crush, as well as dealing with her mother’s homecoming, and the surprise of a little sister. As her new life begins to unravel, Apple takes comfort in poetry, inspired by a substitute teacher, and a new neighbour, Del, but must also confront some uncomfortable truths about her mother, her sister’s obsession and her own needs.
Apple’s first person narrative is genuine and appealing. Crossan’s plain writing style and natural dialogue is appropriate for her audience. The pacing of the novel is good and the story is well structured.
Apple and Rain is a bittersweet tale, exploring contemporary themes in a realistic and thoughtful manner. I’d recommend it for readers aged 12 and up.
Apple is thirteen and has lived with her grandmother since her mother left one Christmas Eve when she was two. Her Nan is loving but strict and Apple can’t help but imagine that her mother will
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one day return and that her life with her will be all she has ever wished for. When Annie does suddenly reappear on a grey afternoon, she offers Apple her hearts desire, a home of their own, and with barely a backward glance Apple packs her bags, excited that her imagined perfect life is about to begin. Apple finally has the mother she loves, and the freedom she craves, but neither are quite what she imagined, and then there is Rain.Apple(her full name is Apollinia Apostolopoulou – named for her Greek father) is a sincere character with believable thoughts, motivations and actions appropriate for her age. I found her to be very sympathetic as she struggled to cope with a teens familiar disappointments – being excluded by a best friend, targeted by a mean girl and having an unrequited crush, as well as dealing with her mother’s homecoming, and the surprise of a little sister. As her new life begins to unravel, Apple takes comfort in poetry, inspired by a substitute teacher, and a new neighbour, Del, but must also confront some uncomfortable truths about her mother, her sister’s obsession and her own needs.
Apple’s first person narrative is genuine and appealing. Crossan’s plain writing style and natural dialogue is appropriate for her audience. The pacing of the novel is good and the story is well structured.
Apple and Rain is a bittersweet tale, exploring contemporary themes in a realistic and thoughtful manner. I’d recommend it for readers aged 12 and up.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Apple lives with her Nana and can remember the night her mother left them both. At the age of fourteen, she chafes under her Nana's restrictions and old-fashioned ways, dreaming of if/when her mother returns. Then her mother does show up and Apple's life changes dramatically - but is it really for
Though this type of storyline is a familiar one, I was interested in how Sarah Crossan portrayed Apple and the other characters. Like One for the Murphys or The Great Gilly Hopkins, it's a story about family and a child who doesn't always see people for who they are, and as an adult reading it you have a very different perspective on what happens. I really like secondary characters like Del and Rain (who comes into it a bit later), and even the Nana who seemed really harsh and straight-laced to begin with and turns out to be very likable in her own way too. It's set in England, which I enjoyed, and is very different from the other Sarah Crossan titles I've read (Breathe and Resist), which I admired.
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the good?Though this type of storyline is a familiar one, I was interested in how Sarah Crossan portrayed Apple and the other characters. Like One for the Murphys or The Great Gilly Hopkins, it's a story about family and a child who doesn't always see people for who they are, and as an adult reading it you have a very different perspective on what happens. I really like secondary characters like Del and Rain (who comes into it a bit later), and even the Nana who seemed really harsh and straight-laced to begin with and turns out to be very likable in her own way too. It's set in England, which I enjoyed, and is very different from the other Sarah Crossan titles I've read (Breathe and Resist), which I admired.
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LibraryThing member acargile
A sweet, realistic fiction piece, Apple and Rain shows how adversity requires growth, but help is often at hand. The novel is organized around six ideas: solitude, fear, war, love, disappointment, and poetry. Each idea can be both pleasure or pain, like life.
Apple has been raised by her
Rain hasn’t had a steady life and compensates by pretending that her doll is a real baby. Apple is now responsible for Apple because her mother is often at auditions. Her only solace is writing. The new English teacher has a great love for poetry and gives them daily assignments. Apple releases her emotions in these poems. Her other solace is a budding friendship with Del, the kid who moved in next door. Del is a breath of fresh air. He’s smart and has no care as to what other people think. He is perfectly content with who he is and finds Apple intriguing.
As the novel progresses, you will feel pulled to help Rain. She’s had a lonely life; and, although she doesn’t want to share her mother, she really likes having a sister. Families and life are complicated. It’s how we deal with life, each other, and those we love that determine who we become or who we have the potential to be. Apple has to find the truths about her family and herself. I liked this novel and think many of you will feel a connection to Apple.
Apple has been raised by her
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Grandmother, Nana, because her mother left to be an actress. Apple has imagined her mother returning and life being better. Nana is very strict, which can be embarrassing. She doesn’t allow Apple to walk to and from school or to hang out with other people, so Apple has few friends. Suddenly, Apple’s mother appears, and life changes instantly. When she decides to move in with her mother, Apple has a surprise: she has a sister, Rain.Rain hasn’t had a steady life and compensates by pretending that her doll is a real baby. Apple is now responsible for Apple because her mother is often at auditions. Her only solace is writing. The new English teacher has a great love for poetry and gives them daily assignments. Apple releases her emotions in these poems. Her other solace is a budding friendship with Del, the kid who moved in next door. Del is a breath of fresh air. He’s smart and has no care as to what other people think. He is perfectly content with who he is and finds Apple intriguing.
As the novel progresses, you will feel pulled to help Rain. She’s had a lonely life; and, although she doesn’t want to share her mother, she really likes having a sister. Families and life are complicated. It’s how we deal with life, each other, and those we love that determine who we become or who we have the potential to be. Apple has to find the truths about her family and herself. I liked this novel and think many of you will feel a connection to Apple.
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LibraryThing member SueS7
Really enjoyed this story. The poetry was amazing. Apple is a great character. Her life has the usual teenage concerns around friendships, boys, and attitudes towards adults. Added to this is the longing for the return of her mother who left her when she was three years old. When her mother does
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return Apple is excited to get to know her. Compared to her nana who has looked after her, Apple's mum is much more liberal and cool. Apple also discovers she has a sister Rain. Their relationship takes time to grow as they come to terms with sharing their mother. There are many funny moments, tension and courage needed to face truths. The poetry is beautifully intertwined into the story and effectively conveys Apple's thoughts and emotions. There are significant issues that the characters contend with but it is written so that you don''t get weighed down by them. Show Less
LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A tortured friendship with too many bottled secrets.
Opening Sentence: On the first day of Noe, the raspberries are always ripe.
The Review:
Apple and Rain is simply written, with easy to understand language so I would say it is aimed at the younger
Apple craves the return of her mother who left her as a child with her Nana on Christmas in order to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. As it was such a long time ago, Apple has fantasized a perfect version of her mother and blames her Nana for her mum leaving, so when her mother returns it’s a test between Apple’s dreams and reality.
“She was in plays. She was living her dream.”
“She was prancing around on stage wanting to be adored by people who didn’t know her whilst her own family spent years waiting for her to come home. Some dream.”
Nana has a point. Why wasn’t our love enough for Mum? It’s a question I don’t want to think about. “But you’re religious. You’re meant to forgive. The priest says so,” I tell her.
The reader sympathisers with Apple for various reasons, the first is because her mum is hopelessly inept at being a parent, with her lack of responsibility, crazy parties, drinking, smoking and generally unreliable personality. She’s also very manipulative, knowing how much Apple adores her, she feeds her a little attention now and again to soften her up just so she can get Apple to do her bidding. It’s disgusting, really. 14 year old Apple is treated like a maid/babysitter and is given the responsibility of taking care of her half-sister who clearly has some mental issues that their mother chooses to brush aside because of her selfish nature and her blasé attitude.
All those times I was thinking that Nana was wrong, wrong, wrong.
But she was right.
I was the wrong, wrong, wrong one to wish for things I didn’t have.
I should have been careful about my wishes.
And I should never have wished for a sister.
Rain, the younger sister, adds a bittersweet element to the story. It’s not her fault but she ends up being the cause of everyone’s problem. Apple tries to look after Rain as much as she can but Apple’s only a child too, she’s bound to get frustrated. Rain is clearly jealous of Apple as she’s their mother’s new favourite, and it’s just very sad to see her problem being ignored the way it is.
I loved Del, the boy next door. He’s witty, smart and has the dork-like charm that fits Apple perfectly. I’m so glad he was included in this book otherwise it would have been a leeetle too depressing for the younger readers, but he added the humour that’s always needed in books like these.
Del throws his hand up.
Mr. Gaydon looks our way. “You’re new,” he says.
“New to the school, yes. Not new to the world. Very much established in my own life,” Del says.
The inclusion of poetry and how it can be used to help an individual as a creative output for their pain was excellently added into this story. I enjoyed reading the poems, especially Apple’s own poetry, which gave a better insight into her bottled up feelings. I’ve always found that writing helps me feel better and I could tell that it was the same for Apple.
Overall, a noteworthy read but probably better received by the younger adults due to the simple writing. Some of the characters could have done with a lot more developing, such as Apple’s father, but the main characters were interesting enough so I almost forgot about the rest!
Notable Scene:
I gaze at the moon.
“So why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be working your way through a box of After Eights?” he says.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but my dad and stepmum just told me they’re having a baby, and my nan is trying to make me act like I’m pleased. So if you could leave me alone to be depressed, I’d appreciate it.”
FTC Advisory: Bloomsbury provided me with a copy of Apple and Rain. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: A tortured friendship with too many bottled secrets.
Opening Sentence: On the first day of Noe, the raspberries are always ripe.
The Review:
Apple and Rain is simply written, with easy to understand language so I would say it is aimed at the younger
Show More
adults, although to some extent it was the simplicity of the story that drew me in…Apple craves the return of her mother who left her as a child with her Nana on Christmas in order to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. As it was such a long time ago, Apple has fantasized a perfect version of her mother and blames her Nana for her mum leaving, so when her mother returns it’s a test between Apple’s dreams and reality.
“She was in plays. She was living her dream.”
“She was prancing around on stage wanting to be adored by people who didn’t know her whilst her own family spent years waiting for her to come home. Some dream.”
Nana has a point. Why wasn’t our love enough for Mum? It’s a question I don’t want to think about. “But you’re religious. You’re meant to forgive. The priest says so,” I tell her.
The reader sympathisers with Apple for various reasons, the first is because her mum is hopelessly inept at being a parent, with her lack of responsibility, crazy parties, drinking, smoking and generally unreliable personality. She’s also very manipulative, knowing how much Apple adores her, she feeds her a little attention now and again to soften her up just so she can get Apple to do her bidding. It’s disgusting, really. 14 year old Apple is treated like a maid/babysitter and is given the responsibility of taking care of her half-sister who clearly has some mental issues that their mother chooses to brush aside because of her selfish nature and her blasé attitude.
All those times I was thinking that Nana was wrong, wrong, wrong.
But she was right.
I was the wrong, wrong, wrong one to wish for things I didn’t have.
I should have been careful about my wishes.
And I should never have wished for a sister.
Rain, the younger sister, adds a bittersweet element to the story. It’s not her fault but she ends up being the cause of everyone’s problem. Apple tries to look after Rain as much as she can but Apple’s only a child too, she’s bound to get frustrated. Rain is clearly jealous of Apple as she’s their mother’s new favourite, and it’s just very sad to see her problem being ignored the way it is.
I loved Del, the boy next door. He’s witty, smart and has the dork-like charm that fits Apple perfectly. I’m so glad he was included in this book otherwise it would have been a leeetle too depressing for the younger readers, but he added the humour that’s always needed in books like these.
Del throws his hand up.
Mr. Gaydon looks our way. “You’re new,” he says.
“New to the school, yes. Not new to the world. Very much established in my own life,” Del says.
The inclusion of poetry and how it can be used to help an individual as a creative output for their pain was excellently added into this story. I enjoyed reading the poems, especially Apple’s own poetry, which gave a better insight into her bottled up feelings. I’ve always found that writing helps me feel better and I could tell that it was the same for Apple.
Overall, a noteworthy read but probably better received by the younger adults due to the simple writing. Some of the characters could have done with a lot more developing, such as Apple’s father, but the main characters were interesting enough so I almost forgot about the rest!
Notable Scene:
I gaze at the moon.
“So why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be working your way through a box of After Eights?” he says.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but my dad and stepmum just told me they’re having a baby, and my nan is trying to make me act like I’m pleased. So if you could leave me alone to be depressed, I’d appreciate it.”
FTC Advisory: Bloomsbury provided me with a copy of Apple and Rain. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
This book was not worth my time. Apple, the main protagonist, was annoying and rude, but allowed herself to be treated like a slave by her mother. Ten-year-old Rain was just plain weird and the obsession she had with her doll, Jenny, was actually quite creepy. However, the character I disliked the
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most was the girls' mother, Annie. Talk about a disfunctional adult! The only person I had time for was Del, it's just a pity he wasn't in the book more than he was. Sadly, I could not recommend this book to anyone. Show Less
LibraryThing member atreic
A sweet young adult book that reminded me of Jacqueline Wilson. Apple has always wished her mother would return, so she could live with her instead of her strict grandmother. When she gets her wish, it turns out to not be as much fun as she had dreamed of.
The book has lots of references to poems in
The book has lots of references to poems in
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it, which felt a bit heavy handed, like 'young people! We will sneakily make you like poetry!', but they were nice poems. Show Less
Awards
USBBY Outstanding International Book (Grades 6-8 — 2016)
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (Longlist — 2015)
The Children's Book Award (Winner — Older Readers — 2016)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2015)
Independent Booksellers' Book Prize (Shortlist — Children's — 2015)
Concorde Book Award (Shortlist — 2016)
Hampshire Book Awards (Shortlist — Hampshire Book Award — 2016)
CCBC Choices (2016)
Young Adult Favorites Award (2016)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2014
Physical description
240 p.; 5.12 inches
ISBN
1408827131 / 9781408827130
Other editions
Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan (Paperback)
Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan (Paperback)
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