The Divorce Express [Paperback]

Paula Danziger (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

No one wants to ride the Divorce Express. Especially Phoebe. It means she has to leave her New York City apartment and boyfriend every Sunday night to spend the week in the country with her dad. It means she has to go to ninth grade in a new school, and see her father go on dates. It's a hectic life with hardly any time to feel she really belongs with the kids in either place. Then, just when Phoebe's got a handle on juggling the pieces of her life, her mother makes a decision that will change everything again. And it could be disastrous! "Danziger's light style laced with humor will continue to attract readers." -- Booklist "The specific problems -- and seeming resiliency -- of the children of divorced parents, as well as the general concerns of young teenagers, are ably evoked....A pleasure." -- The New York Times Book Review "The author has a sympathetic eye for the ups and downs of her characters and a quick ear for adolescent conversation." -- The Horn Book

Editorial Reviews

Review

Like other Danziger ninth graders, Phoebe Brooks works out problems with her divorced parents and, on the side, acquires a boyfriend who's a "good kisser" and a caring person. She also gets involved in a protest-turned-constructive-committee to improve the yucky cafeteria food at the high school she attends in Woodstock, where she and her father have moved since the divorce. About her cafeteria involvement, Phoebe remarks: "In Woodstock a lot of grown-ups are . . . fighting for good causes, like against nuclear power plants. . . . I think that when kids grow up seeing their parents involved, the kids get involved too." Perhaps in an attempt to make Phoebe less trivial than her previous heroines, Danziger makes her a depository of bumper-sticker virtues, just like all those Woodstock cars. She's for granola cookies and against fur coats, likes the way a friend sends smoking guests outdoors ("We care too much about people to be part of their harming themselves"), and comments, when the doorman tells her that her mother's upper-east-side New York City apartment building may go coop, "I worry though that some people may be evicted, especially some of the poor people and some of the older people on fixed incomes." Phoebe is far more troubled by her mother's proposed marriage to a rich creep, but she finds some instant wisdom to help her through that, too. "I have to learn how to handle this new situation so that it works out well for me - as well as it can without being really what I want. That's it, isn't it?" she asks her approving, understanding father, who has given up a good city job to paint in Woodstock. Now he has taken up with a suitable Woodstock type, the mother of the best friend Phoebe has met on the Divorce Express - her name for the bus that shuttles kids between their Woodstock and New York City parents. Phoebe likes to rearrange the letters in names and key words, and in the end she finds that the letters in DIVORCES also spell DISCOVER. But there isn't much to find behind these snappy lines and readymade attitudes. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Shuttling between her divorced parents, Phoebe is on the "Divorce Express," a bus on which she spends too much time but where she also makes a startling discovery. "Danziger's light style laced with humor will continue to attract readers."--Booklist. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698116852
• ISBN-13: 978-0698116856
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,868,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in New York, Paula Danziger knew since second grade that she wanted to be a writer. Beginning her career as a teacher, Danziger taught at the junior high, high school, college levels. She received her Masters Degree in reading and during that time she wrote her first bestselling novel, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. She returned to teaching, but the success of her book encouraged her to become a full-time writer. It was non-stop for Danziger since then. Among her titles are: the enormously popular Amber Brown books as well as Remember Me To Harold Square, The Divorce Express, and Can You Sue Your Parents For Malpractice?Danziger received numerous honors, including: Parent's Choice Awards, International Reading Association - Children's Book Council Awards, a IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award and many nominations for state reading and library association awards. Known as a flamboyantly funny and deeply honest writer and speaker, Paula Danziger knew how to relate to young readers at their level. She was vital, funny, and compassionate. She knew how kids felt, what made them laugh, what they wore, collected, read, and played with. From collecting novelty toys that would make any teacher cringe, to wearing jangly earrings, funky glasses and shoes covered with beads and sequins, Paula Danziger had a direct line into kids' hearts and funnybones. She will be missed always.In Paula's memory, The Amber Brown Fund has been established to bring authors and illustrators to schools and libraries which otherwise could not afford them. Donations may be sent to The Amber Brown Fund/ SCBWI Museum of Children's Books, 8271 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048. "I want people who want to become writers to read lots, write and rewrite lots, take acting lessons to learn about character development, observe people and not to be afraid of not being perfect. As for those people who don't want to be writers, I hope that you will always continue to read and also not be afraid of not being perfect." "I have two sets of heroes: One--bright, creative teachers, who manage to stay in the classroom. And, two--people who have difficult childhoods and manage to use the experiences to grow into caring, understanding adults."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Divorce Express, December 13, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Divorce Express (Paperback)

The book I read was called The Divorce Express. It's about a girl name Pheobe whose parents didn't start getting along until they got a divorce when she was thirteen. Now that she's fourteen she spends the weekend with her father in woodstock New York ,and commutes on the bus called the ''Divorce Express'' for weekends with her mother in New York city.

It seems to me that joint custody means alot to Phoebe, because her parents are not together. Phoebe hates the fact that she has to deal with all the crisesin both of her parents lives. Phoebe's life improves when she meet a girl name Rosie who becomes her friend. Phoebe meets Rosie in Woodstock where her dad lives. Also her life changes when a boy named Dave that she had a crush on for years while going to visit her dad ask to date her. Just when phoebe thinks she got everything under control ,her mother announces that she's getting married.

Yes, I would recommand this book to other readers, because it's helping others who want to learn about marriage in the future.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Divorce-Express-Reading Marathon, March 31, 2002

By 

Giselle Teixeira (São Paulo, SP Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Divorce Express (Paperback)

This title may seem a little weird for you but I'm going to explain why it's called Divorce-Express-Reading Marathon... Well, when I started reading this book I thought it would be kind of boring, but when I read about Phoebe's story I couldn't stop reading! Instead of taking a week to read this book I took 2 to 3 days, and I was traveling! Imagine if I wasn't... Well, there are a few reasons that made me love this book so much. First of all, I loved the story. It is about a girl named Phoebe that has divorced parents and lives with her father in Woodstock while her mother lives in New York. She makes lots of new friends in Woodstock, and together they organize a protest to improve the cafeteria food of their school. She also has to confront lots of problems during the story, including her mother getting married to another guy... Well, I think I already told too much of the story, and to know the rest you'll just have to read this awesome book!! Enjoy!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Divorce Express, August 29, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Divorce Express (Paperback)

I enjoyed The divorce Express very much. When Phoebe's parents got divorced, she was forced to ride a bus which was nick-named the Divorce Express because of all of the children riding to and from their seperated parent's homes. On the bus, Phoebe met a girl named Rosie Wison. The two girls became good friends not only on the Divorce Express, but in school also. After living with her mother, Phoebe moved in with her father, Jim. Jim lived in Woodstock and Phoebe didn't like the idea of moving in with him. Yet after a while of getting used to it, she didn't seem to mind it one bit. She participated when her school decided to take action when they could no longer stand the lunches they were being served in the cafeteria, she made a lot of frineds, and really began to fit in. Rosie helped a lot. Phoebe was also very fond of Rosie's mother Mindy. Jim and Mindy had met several times and also got along very well. Then, just when everything was in her life was going just right, Phoebe's mother announced thar she was going to get married to a man that Phoebe didn't like at all. I have to stop here and not give away the ending. The divorce Express was a very good book. It only took me a week to read it and i just couldn't put it down. I hope you will enjoy this book just as much as I did.