Gingerbread [Paperback]

Rachel Cohn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2003

"I will be as wild as I wanna be."

After getting tossed from her posh boarding school, wild, willful, and coffee addicted Cyd Charisse returns to San Francisco to live with her parents. But there's no way Cyd can survive in her parents' pristine house. Lucky for Cyd she's got Gingerbread, her childhood rag doll and confidante, and her new surfer boyfriend.

When Cyd's rebelliousness gets out of hand, her parents ship her off to New York City to spend the summer with "Frank real-dad," her biological father. Trading in her parents for New York City grunge and getting to know her bio-dad and step-sibs is what Cyd has been waiting for her whole life. But summer in the city is not what Cyd expects -- and she's far from the daughter or sister that anyone could have imagined.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 16-year-old "recovering hellion" (as her stepfather refers to her) who narrates Cohn's debut novel, breathes a joie de vivre into this story of her bicoastal family. Cyd Charisse (named for the dancer/actress), a wealthy and wild love child, begins her story after being booted out of boarding school. Nearly the first half of the novel is set in San Francisco, where she's having trouble settling back into life with a mother obsessed with weight and a perfect house, and a boyfriend, Shrimp, who suddenly wants his space. Her mother and stepdad agree to send her to her biological father in New York City, whom she's only met once (when he gave her Gingerbread, a still-treasured rag doll). Cohn creates a vivid sense of place and culture on both coasts and, although Cyd doesn't find the perfect family in either place, she is able to find a more mature version of herself. Plus, she learns to appreciate both sides of her family; she's even able to finally tell her mother about her secret abortion. Cohn covers a lot of ground, from prep school flashbacks to Cyd's discovery of the secrets on her father's side of the family. Some of the characters and plot points are more developed than others; for instance, Cyd's elderly hip and clairvoyant friend, Sugar Pie, and Shrimp may seem more vivid to readers than Cyd's younger West Coast half-siblings. In the end, it's Cyd's creativity and energy that keep the story on course, and her magnetic narrative will keep readers hooked. Ages 13-up.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9&Up--According to stepdad, Sid, Cyd Charisse is a "recovering hellion." Kicked out of boarding school, the teen returns home to San Francisco. True to her wild nature and obsession with boys, she does anything to get a rise from her parents. She is grounded in her "puke-princess bedroom" after being caught out overnight again with surfer-boyfriend, Shrimp. Finally, Sid and Nancy send her to bio-dad in NYC. Meeting her real father and family has long been Cyd's dream. Since he was married with children when her mom had an affair with him, he is virtually a stranger to her. When Cyd got in trouble at boarding school and needed money for an abortion though, she called him. He didn't remember Gingerbread, the rag doll he gave her when she was five, but he helped her out. Cyd Charisse sees herself when she meets him 11 years later. She finds excitement working in her gay half-brother's caf‚ as a barista and exploring New York. Confrontations with her older half-sister and brief talks with her father bring Cyd more knowledge about her families on both coasts. Her strong, independent, and kinky personality; realistic take on life; and quick mind make her a memorable character. Cohn works wonders with snappy dialogue, up-to-the-minute language, and funny repartee. Her contemporary voice is tempered with humor and deals with problems across two generations. Funny and irreverent reading with teen appeal that's right on target.

Gail Richmond, San Diego Unified Schools, CA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068986020X
• ISBN-13: 978-0689860201
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Stepfamilies

More About the Author

The great wish of my adolescence was to be diagnosed with scoliosis. Then I would be like Deenie. I LOVED the book "Deenie" by Judy Blume. I wanted to look like Deenie; I wanted her disease; I even wanted to live in Deenie's town, Elizabeth, New Jersey, a short hop from my dream destination, New York City. Although now that I live in Manhattan as an adult (with a fairly normal spine, I'm told), Elizabeth, New Jersey is more known to me as the place with the long lines at IKEA instead of as the hometown of Deenie. Like Deenie, my priorities eventually shifted.
I never did get that scoliosis diagnosis, but from my favorite childhood authors such as Judy Blume, E.L. Konigsburg and Ellen Conford, I did get inspiration for another goal: to write. I can't remember a time when I wasn't trying to create stories. When I started seriously writing fiction, I didn't set out to write specifically for young adults, but as my writing matured, it became clear that when I got stuck writing in teen voices, it was a good place to be stuck. The author question I get asked most often now is how I am able to write from the perspective of a teenager, as if I were in that character's head. The honest answer is, I don't know. I try not to think about it too much, for fear of ruining it. But I do feel like I can readily channel my own teenage self and tap into those feelings, and that's something I try to convey through the written word.
When teen readers write to me now telling me how much they relate to characters I've created -- Cyd Charisse in "Gingerbread" and "Shrimp," Annabel and Lucy in "The Steps" and "Two Steps Forward," or Wonder in "Pop Princess" -- I think, I relate, too: I wanted to be Deenie!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Special, unique characters, September 28, 2002

By 

Rebekah Sue Harris (West Haven, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gingerbread (Hardcover)

Add a rebellious teenager named Cyd Charisse to parents named Sid and Nancy. Throw in a biological father on another coast, a brooding surfing/artist boyfriend whose brother runs several fine coffee shops, a tarot reading best friend in a nursing home, and a doll named Gingerbread -- all that, and you're still not going to get a good story unless the author knows her stuff. Even a splash of a hot-hot-hot ex boyfriend and a boarding school scandal won't do it, unless the author knows how to capture characters on the written page. This, gentle readers, is an incredible book by a fabulous author.
While Cid in "Gingerbread" isn't quite one's typical teenager (she's got a bit more money than most), the trials and tribulations are incredibly real with this obviously brilliant character. There are no minor characters in this book; everyone is very much alive.
I first heard of Gingerbread, which is mentioned in a chapter of the 2002 Children's Writers & Illustrators Market (available on amazon.com). The description is good enough that, instead of going to another library to do research on homework this weekend, I made a trip to a library with a children's and young adults' room specifically so that I could take this book off the shelf to read. I read it in under two hours. (It was a welcome relief from legal tomes! Furthermore, even though I'm now going to have to spend Sunday in the law library, meaning that I won't have any days off, giving up an afternoon to read something THIS delightful was worth it.)
This book will make a unique gift for a teenage girl or boy who isn't quite as angelic as the Bobbsey Twins -- or perhaps for the parent of such a young adult. I am desperately hoping for a sequel, and I'm in my early 30s.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Different (in the best way possible), September 15, 2002

By 

"dovechocolates" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gingerbread (Hardcover)

I was extremely excited to see Gingerbread at the library ... I started it last night and finished it this morning and loved it. ...Cyd Charisse is a 16 year old who's had sex, lived across the country from half her family, and just experienced life completely differently from me. But she's a great character that you grow to care about with her coffee obsession and her boyfriend Shrimp that you want things to work out with. She has some more serious issues with the dad she's never known, and the boyfriend who abandoned her when she was pregnant. Ever constant is Cyd Charisse's special perfect place where she would like to retreat to..it's interesting to see how this place changes as her life changes. All in all there is a happy way it all comes together, but I'm hoping for a sequel because I love the author's style of writing! Anyways, I might not be articulating this well, but go read it because it may be a quick read, but it also really makes you smile and think about the little things in life!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gingerbread, April 24, 2002

By 

Amanda (Charlottesville, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gingerbread (Hardcover)

Gingerbread is about a 16 year old girl dealing with teenage problems. Her biological father lives in New York, while she lives in San Francisco with her mother and step-father. She doesn't get along with her mother very well and she has practically no friends. Her closest friend is an elderly woman living in a nursing home. Gingerbread will keep you interested because it deals with teenage problems of love, hate, sex, lies, and confrontation with the parental units. If you are a teenager, especially a young girl, you could probably relate to many of the issues that this book talks about.
Gingerbread is an interesting book because it is written in the form of a diary. Its, kind of like you are going into the main characters mind. The paragraphs and sentences are random, and some don't have anything to do with the previous one, but that's what makes it so interesting. I thought this was a really good book and it was easy to relate to. The only thing I had a problem with was the ending. It just didn't seem like the right time or place to end the story. It seems like there should be more to it, and I think that a sequel is definitely needed.