Synopsis
When her family moves to a new neighborhood, Heather meets ten-year-old Lizzie Logan, whose brash and bossy ways make Heather wonder if they can ever be friends.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1995-06-01 | | Illustrator: | Melanie Hope Greenberg |
| Size | | Length: | 122 pages | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 14.4 oz |
Publisher's Note
Uncertain about her relationship with her bossy, pretend cigarette-smoking, tall tale-telling friend Lizzie, Heather realizes how important their friendship is to her when she inadvertently hurts Lizzie's feelings.
Industry Reviews
Picture book author Spinelli (Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch) enters middle-grade fiction with a rather pedestrian chronicle of an on-again, off-again friendship. Just after her family moves to a new house, eight-year-old Heather is greeted by a 10-year-old neighbor, Lizzie Logan, who has a ``sourball stare'' and dialogue to match: ``Is your name really Heather?... I hate that name.'' Shunned by the other girls on the block, Lizzie leads Heather into a series of weird escapades, from pretending to smoke cigarette butts to fishing in mud puddles. Lizzie's abrasive tongue and occasionally bad behavior set off a few silent feuds, but Heather, guided a little too overtly by her wise mother, comes to appreciate Lizzie's imagination and also finds some sympathy for Lizzie's family troubles. No surprises here, and not much subtlety, either. Ages 7-10. (June)
Bernstein
Gr 3-5 Heather isn't sure that she wants to be friends with Lizzie. On the one hand, Lizzie pretends to be a smoker; tells her that there is a man-eating spider plant in her house; and gets jealous when she wants to spend time with Sara, her friend from her old neighborhood. Then again, Lizzie has wonderful ideas, like fishing in a puddle and planning a Fourth of July parade. And when Heather needs her, she comes through, arranging a funeral for her pet cricket. Nicely paced, with large type and occasional black-and-white cartoon illustrations, this book will appeal to reluctant readers. Spinelli's sympathy for these girls lifts the characterization above the level that's usually found in easy chapter books. In describing her feelings for the father who deserted her, Lizzie says, ``I imagine the truth. He's just some guy who doesn't care.'' Any child who has been friends with a Lizzie will understand and appreciate this story. Connie Parker, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland, OH
Lopate
| See an error? Submit a change request |
All rights reserved.
