If I Forget, You Remember [School & Library Binding]

Carol Lynch Williams (Author), Carol Willams (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Sixth grade is over and Elyse Donaldson is ready for a perfect summer. She's going to read her favorite books and write her first novel. She's even determined to get along with her older sister, Jordyn. But her plans quickly unravel.



Granny's Alzheimer's is getting worse. So she moves in with Elyse, Jordyn, and their mom, and the girls watch over her while their mother is at work. Sometimes she's fine, but sometimes she slides into the past and doesn't even recognize Elyse. It's frightening to realize that her beloved grandmother is slowly slipping away. Then Elyse gets involved in a neighborhood newspaper, and her mom starts dating for the first time since her father died. Elyse doesn't think she can stand any more changes, any more loss, but she's a lot stronger than she knows. This is the summer she'll learn to stand up for herself and to help the grandmother who has always helped her.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Elyse Donaldson, the plucky narrator of this touching book, plans to write her first novel during her eventful 12th summer. She knows how to write it (with different colored crayons for each chapter), but she's not sure what she wants to say. Foremost on her mind is her grandmother, whose Alzheimer's disease has rapidly progressed. When Elyse's mother decides that Granny should come live with them, she eagerly forfeits her bedroom and looks forward to chats with her favorite confidante. But once Granny is under the same roof, it seems that she has moved farther away instead of nearer. Closely attuned to her audience, Williams (Kelly and Me; The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson) shows how Elyse's devotion to her grandmother is mixed with embarrassment and sorrow. The timely central issue is perceptively balanced with more universal, less weighty concerns: Elyse's jealousy of her older sister, "Miss Perfect"; her run-ins with neighborhood bullies; her crush on a fellow writer (Bruce A., who is pretty special despite having "pizza breath"); and her repugnance for her mother's new boyfriend, "Dr. Dancing Dentist" Michael Lauret. In place of pat solutions, the author offers small but honest consolation: after highlighting Elyse's successive anger, false hope and acceptance, she ends with Elyse's realization that she can salvage and pass on memories her grandmother has lost?a credible and uplifting conclusion that may help readers as much as the protagonist. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7?This novel tackles big themes, and the writing isn't quite up to the task. The summer after sixth grade is a turning point for Elyse Donaldson. Her beloved grandmother is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and her widowed mother is starting to date. The girl has a budding romance with a fellow writer and a confrontation with two bullies, and she is clashing with her too-perfect sister. Her ability to cope with the crises in her life, minor and major, is tested, and she emerges with a newfound sense of confidence and maturity. Unfortunately, the secondary characters are stock, as is the dialogue, and the predictable first-person narrative wears thin. Elyse's problems become wearisome rather than compelling. The resolutions to the various situations are often pat (the bullies are duly caught, the romance suffers but triumphs, the sister reveals her vulnerabilities), and only the scenes with Elyse's grandmother are truly affecting. Undemanding readers may find this acceptable, but those who are more discerning will deem it uninspiring.?Cyrisse Jaffee, formerly at Newton Public Schools, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• School & Library Binding
• Publisher: Tandem Library (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785705554
• ISBN-13: 978-0785705550
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,398,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Touching, Emotional Story!, July 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: If I Forget, You Remember (Hardcover)

The story of a girl dealing not only with the problems faced by most her age, but also her grandmother's medical condition, this book has some very meaningful lessons to share. Despite an unfinished ending , you will probably smile and cry at the same time. It is a wonderful book for anyone experiencing the effects of a loved one's battle with Alzheimer's disease.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Forget, November 27, 2001

By 

M. D. Cummings "Marv" (Kanosh, Utah United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If I Forget, You Remember (Paperback)

Sooner or later most family siblings will have to come to the acknowledgement that their parents are not just getting old, they are old. It is always a hopeful dream of any aged person, that they will not have to be institutionalized and that they can go quickly and not be a burden on their children. But for many families, that just doesn't happen.

I would suggest for family siblings having to deal with aging parents, that they purchase this book and read it together. In- spite of the fact that the Kirkus Review said this was a sad story, I think "If I Forget, You Remember" has a lot of wonderful humor to it. Humor is the key to anyone's salvation in taking care of the aged.

Carol Lynch Williams has done a wonderful job in making sure the reader doesn't get bogged down in the seriousness of the book. She has managed to show the devastaion of Alzheimers desease yet instills a sense of confidence that taking care of an aged parent isn't only possible, but it can be done while maintaing a somewhat normal lifestyle.

The one great quality of this book is how the family supports the mother/grandmother and always lets her know how much they love her. They love her no matter what she does. They understand that she isn't the way she wants to be. And this love and caring is never breeched even by tragic events.

I think "If I forget, You Remember" should be on every shelf of every home who has a parent or grandparent living there. When that time comes, to us all, that time when we realize we are old, it would be nice to know that your children could read a copy of "If I forget, You Remember".

Marv

P.S. My favorite color is spring-green--for those who have read
the book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Realistic and a Good Read for Upper Elementary, April 10, 2000

By 

Jessica Baker - See all my reviews

This review is from: If I Forget, You Remember (Paperback)

As a Principal of a K-6 Elementary I read this book with 4th,5th and 6th graders as part of a "Principal's Book Talk" program. This was a very realistic and moving book for this age group. They related to a lot of the problems that the main character went through. They could easily relate to the bullies and the main character's problems she faced with trying to fit in. We really enjoyed the way the author describes the character's feelings and thoughts that the events touched in her. I thought this was a great book to share with this age group because of the situations and experiences they face on a daily basis. Her relationship with her grandmother was very touching. If you are a student, teacher, or parent, this would be a great book to share with others.