Fran Ellen's House [Hardcover]

Marilyn Sachs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1987

When Fran and her brother and sisters reunite with their mother after living with foster families for two years, Fran has a difficult time adjusting to her new life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Bears' House, published 15 years ago, proved that Sachs was a first-rate storyteller. And now the accomplished novelist has done it again. The story of Fran Ellen's gradual assembly of her family's piecesgiving up beloved baby Flora to a foster parents, unintentionally bringing her family into the rebuilding of the bears' houseis deeply touching; the sequel is just as briskly engaging as the original. This time, the bears' house is not her refuge, but the place where her little sister Felice's imagination takes hold. Fran Ellen is ready not only to pass on that legacy but becomes an independent, curious child who simply must participate in what life offers her. The book's one drawback is that to be fully appreciated, it must be read in conjunction with the first heartbreaking story. Any thoughtful reader will embrace that task and witness a family torn apart healing itself. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 97 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (October 22, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525443452
• ISBN-13: 978-0525443452
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,289,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Working to become a family again..., December 5, 2006

By 

Joanna Mechlinski (CT, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fran Ellen's House (Paperback)

After 9-year-old Fran Ellen's mother was found to be suffering from depression and neglecting her children, she and her four siblings were put in foster homes. Now, it's several years later, and Mama has recovered enough to reclaim her children.

They don't have much money, and it's hard on the children, who have become used to living without Mama. But four-year-old Flora was just a baby, and she thinks of her foster family as her true family, not these strangers whom she's just supposed to love.

Fran Ellen, who loved Flora like her own baby, is desperate to help her adapt. But sometimes, in order to help someone, you have to be willing to let her go.

If you enjoy this book, check out the prequel, "The Bears' House."

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good, June 24, 2001

By 

Amy Flink (Snohomish WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fran Ellen's House (Paperback)

This is the sequel to The Bear's House. The Bear's House ended very abruptly and we didn't learn what became of Fran Ellen and her family. Well years later I was in highschool when this sequel came out. I was so excited. Fran Ellen's family flew apart and she and her siblings were distributed among various foster homes. Her father had walked out on them which had started the whole problem. We never learn what happened to him. But Fran Ellen's mother goes crazy and has to go to the hospital. In this book Fran Ellen and her siblings and mother are reunited and begin to reconstruct their broken lives. Fran Ellen's poor beloved doll house was in shambles, however. There were a lot of sad parts. Fran Ellen did a lot of self parenting in The Bear's House (I cannot imagine not having a sane mother to come home to!) and she was a mother to her baby sister Flora, whom she loved best in the world. Flora was sent to a different foster family and so the bond between the two sisters is broken, and Flora doesn't even remember her sister Fran Ellen. SAD! Instead Flora becomes very attatched to her foster folks so she goes to live with them. Poor Fran Ellen is torn up inside! These two books are the perfect example of how devistating it is to live in a broken home without a father and in poverty. It is really very tragic. However there are some humorous parts and a lot of positive changes occour in Fran Ellen's relationships with her mother, and other siblings. All in all, this family rises up and stands tall despite the father's absence...