Synopses & Reviews
A boy and his family find out whether fame and fortune are all they're cracked up to be in this sequel to DELIVER US FROM NORMAL.
When we last left Charles Harrisong and his family, they were drifting in a houseboat off the coast of Alabama. But their direction shifts abruptly when Charles's book about their decision to leave Normal, IL, gets made into a major motion picture, catapulting the Harrisongs to instant fame. And when the superstore Bargain Bonanza debuts a clothing line based on the family called NormalWear, Charles and his family's lives go from their not-so-normal houseboat to a penthouse apartment and their own reality TV show.
About the Author
Kate Klise's previous books, created with her sister, illustrator M. Sarah Klise, have won numerous awards, including the California Young Readers Medal. Deliver Us From Normal, the touching story about an eleven-year-old boy growing up in family that to him feels anything but normal, is her first solo novel and a departure from the more whimsical graphic novels she creates with her sister.
Deliver Us From Normal came about because Kate wanted to write a more serious novel about a big, beautifully chaotic” family. The older I get, the more I appreciate the idea of being thrown together with a group of people you might have a lot in common with, or nothing at all,” she says. You don't have the option of doing anything other than making your family relationships workforever. I like that. I like that there's no love as fierce as the love you feel for your family; that there's no one you feel more protective of than the very same people who can drive you crazy.”
Kate chose a male narrator because she felt it freed her to be more emotionally honest. Writing from Charles's point-of-view made it clear from the beginning that while this is a very personal story, it isn't only my story,” she says. I hope it touches on something more universal: the idea of growing up and finding your own personal truth in the world.”
In addition to writing books for young readers, Kate also works as a correspondent for People magazine. Her recent assignments have included stories about Brad Pitt, Nelly, and the BTK serial killer in Wichita.
Kate Klise lives and writes on her 40-acre farm in a valley just north of Norwood, Missouri.