Synopses & Reviews
Lily Sampson wants nothing more than to have a normal family—if not forever, at least for a day. In the midst of her weird and wacky relatives, Lily works at being the sensible one. But if she were just a bit less reliable, she could have time for her girlfriends and perhaps time to fall in love with the elusive Daniel Steadman.
“Like an extended treasure hunt, Clarke's novel traces the minds and movements of eight characters through chance meetings, family rifts, and decisive moments to a final, festive celebration of unity.” —Horn Book, starred review
Michael L. Printz Honor Book —American Library Association
Synopsis
This wholly satisfying Michael L. Printz Honor Book is told from multiple points of view. Lily Samson both loves and is embarrassed by her eccentric family. Her grandmother has an invisible friend; her grandfather is a racist (she believes); her mother brings elderly clients home from work for dinner; and her older brother keeps dropping in and out of school. Lily wishes her family could be normal” for just one day. Then serendipity strikes. Through a series of surprising encounters, Lilys family members all reach new understanding about themselves and make changes for the betterand Lily gets her dream of one whole and perfect day.
About the Author
Judith Clarke was born in Sydney, Australia, and lives in Melbourne. She is the author of many award-winning books for young adults, including Kalpana's Dream, Wolf on the Fold, Night Train, and Friend of My Heart. "The best job I ever had," says Judith, "was as a tea-lady in a Sydney radio station. The worst was as governess/minder/parole officer of two teenagers whose parents had gone away (escaped?) for the long summer holidays." "I never made a conscious decision to be a writer; I never saw it as a profession or career. Writing was something I began doing when I was a child in the western suburbs of Sydney in the 1950s... All of the kids in my neighborhood were boys, and though they let my sister and I play with them, they pinched our marbles and comics and bashed us up. Writing stories was less dangerous." AWARDS Kalpana's Dream (Front Street, 2004) Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book in Fiction and Poetry Wolf on the Fold (Front Street, 2002) Children's Books of the Year Awards Winner-Children's Book Council of Australia Night Train (Holt, 2000) Children's Books of the Year Awards Honor, Older Readers --Children's Book Council of Australia Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Winner, Young Adult Fiction-State Library of Victoria, Australia