I Am an Artichoke (Laurel-Leaf Books) [Paperback]

Lucy Frank (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996 | Series: Laurel-Leaf Books

Fifteen-year-old Sarah can't wait to start her summer job as a mother's helper in exciting New York City. At first everything about the job looks great. Mrs. Friedman is outgoing, and her beautiful, 12-year-old daughter Emily seems too self-sufficient to need much looking after. Sarah's even met a good-looking guy in the building. But soon Sarah feels that she's landed in the middle of a mess. Emily has a serious eating disorder, and her divorced parents argue about how to handle her. As Sarah gets closer to Emily, she feels caught between her desire to help and fear that she is in over her head.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Despite the serious subject matter-anorexia and dysfunctional families-this accomplished first novel sparkles with deliciously wry humor," said PW in a starred review. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10?Sarah, 15, takes a summer job as a mother's helper in New York City to escape from her boring and annoying family. She quickly realizes that she is in over her head at the Friedman's, with 12-year-old Emily suffering from a serious eating disorder and her divorced parents pitted against one another over her treatment. Frank paints a painfully realistic portrait of anorexia, divorce, families, growing up, and friendship, albeit a portrait tempered by flashes of humor. She is particularly adept at capturing adolescent speech and thoughts, as Sarah struggles for the maturity to handle the situation by peeling thorny layers of her real self, comparing herself to a poem about an artichoke that she had written several years before. When Sarah realizes that she can't deal alone with these people so enmeshed in issues of power and control, she takes Emily home to her own family, which she begins to appreciate. Frank's novel is wonderfully rich and multilayered; there are no simple reasons nor easy solutions. Young people will be drawn with fascination into the dynamics of the characters. The ending is perhaps a bit too neat and positive, as it may not be clear to readers how very long Emily and her parents' road to recovery might well be. Still, it's a fine first novel.?Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 187 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440219906
• ISBN-13: 978-0440219903
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,041,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reality Check, November 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: I Am an Artichoke (Library Binding)

A Review by Miranda

Fifteen-year old Sarah can't wait to start her new summer job as a mother's helper, so she can get away from what she calls her weird family. Finding out that the mother and father are divorced and argue all the time about their daughter, Emily, who has an eating disorder Sarah realizes her family isn't that bad. In the meantime she is trying to help Emily through her troubled times, relieve stress from her mother and tries to get the attention of a cute boy that works downstairs.

I liked how the topic of the book was so realistic and a teenager could relate to what was going on. It was easy to follow and it made you want to keep reading. I liked the characters of the book and how each one was totally different. It made the story a lot more interesting, because one character would like to do something one way and the other would want to do it another way. So you're stuck thinking, how are they going to resolve it? The one part about the book that I didn't like was how towards the end it had a great climax but the resolution was weak.

I would recommend this book to people who like reality and teen issues. I think it was a wonderful book that makes you want to keep reading and not want to put it down.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A bit rocky, December 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: I Am an Artichoke (Laurel-Leaf Books) (Paperback)

I am an artichoke, was at several points a good book, the description described to me a girl who felt under appreciated and misfiting, who finds herself in the middle of a compromiseing situation. The book did stay somewhere in that region of plot, but several events in the book were just plain poorly written. Unlike the introspective character introduced in the beginning, Sarah, evolves into a somewhat ditzy, shallow character. The protrayal of the elevatorboy, who Sarah, of course, developes eyes for (that, bringing up the point of the book being predictable), was a bit stereotypical. On a brighter side the book did deliever an accurate, colorful journaling of anorexia, and divorce.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting, funny, and captivating book!, March 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Am an Artichoke (Laurel-Leaf Books) (Paperback)

One of my new favorites! Goes right up there with the book A Time for Dancing (which you should check out, but thats another story)I found a bunch of similarities between the charecters, myself and my friends. I think there is a bit of everyone in at least one of the charecters.

I think this is a very good book, and worthy of your "attention".