Izzy, Willy-Nilly [Hardcover]

Cynthia Voigt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 1986

Izzy's the nice girl, from a family that believes good manners and a stiff upper lip are key to facing any situation. Even after a car accident leaves her disabled, she's determined not to show how much she's hurting. But every day, Izzy faces the hard fact that things will never be the same again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In one of the Newbery Medalist's most poignant novels, a teenager learns to accept the changes in her life after she loses her leg in a car accident. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9 Before, Izzy's life had been colorful as a pretty, popular cheerleader, but grayness swallows her up after a car accident results in the amputation of her leg. Her trio of girlfriends are too uncomfortable to be around her, but the void of their friendship is filled by unattractive, blunt Rosamunde, who bounds into her life, providing bolstering support. It's Rosamunde's persistence that helps Izzy over the hurdle of returning to school. Several expedients effectively convey Izzy's stages of reaction: the miniature Izzy visualized in her head that does back flips expresses her true feelings; the way denial is demonstrated by Izzy not looking at the empty leg space until 30 pages after the doctor tells her he has to take it off; the cool reserve of the black therapist which makes her "examine" herself. As with other Voigt characters, the perspective is from within. Readers see the mental anguish and self-pity through Izzy's eyes. Consciously, the pace is slow, as is the healing process, and the tone is ponderous throughout. The story is about learning to balance: physically as Izzy maneuvers herself on crutches and emotionally as she sorts out her friends and a new self-identification as Isobel. Work on the school paper, the prospect of a prosthesis and Rosamunde's staunch support start to mend her crippled life. No one will be able to finish this story without understanding the psychological trauma an amputee faces. The message is not Willy Nilly.Julie Cummins, Monroe County Lib . System, Rochester, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (April 30, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689312024
• ISBN-13: 978-0689312021
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,967,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cynthia Voigt won the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor Award for A Solitary Blue, both part of the beloved Tillerman Cycle. She is also the author of many other celebrated books for middle-grade and teen readers, including Izzy, Willy-Nilly and Jackaroo. She was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1995 for her work in literature, and the Katahdin Award in 2004. She lives in Maine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ** For ALL high school students!**, October 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Izzy, Willy-Nilly (Mass Market Paperback)

Izzy, Willy-Nilly is a good, thought-provoking book directed to high school students. It deals with issues that teenagers face everyday, including drunk-driving, friendship, and indifference. Izzy, Willy-Nilly is about a sophomore in high school, Izzy, who accepts a date with a senior, Marco. They go to a party and Marco drinks too much. On the drive home, they crash into a tree. Although Marco recieves minor injuries, Izzy loses a leg, and her life is changed forever. At 15, Izzy was the pretty, popular cheerleader from a rich family, but the accident changes everything. Her friends and family start treating her differently, and everywhere she goes people stare at her. She is no longer the once popular cheerleader, but the object of everyone's pity. Through hard work and perseverence, Izzy learns to cope and adjust to her disability. This book is definitely for every high school student to read. I could relate to many of the issues discussed in this book. This book totally made me think about how lucky I am to be healthy and fit.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thought provoking, but not preachy, November 7, 2005

By 

E. M. Bristol "bibliophile" (boston, mass) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Izzy, Willy-Nilly (Mass Market Paperback)

Teenager Isobel "Izzy" Lingard has lost part of her leg in an accident and is faced with the daunting task of reassembling her life. Before the accident, she was known as a pretty and semi-popular cheerleader, along with her three friends. None of them imagined anything would ever change. But when Izzy accepted a date with Marcus, a handsome senior, and then drove home with him after he'd been drinking, her life changed forever. Now her friends are uncomfortable around her and spend less and less time visiting the hospital. Instead, Rosamunde, an intelligent, eccentric girl her age and someone she's always considered a weird outcast, begins to visit. Rosamunde's world view is drastically different from anything Izzy has considered before, and she helps Izzy free herself of self-pity and blame. Eventually the two girls become friends. With the help of Rosamunde and her family, Izzy begins to heal.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Izzy, Willy-Nilly, May 13, 2001

By 

Lauren Shea (Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Izzy, Willy-Nilly (Mass Market Paperback)

This novel is about a young girl named Isobelle Lingard, "Izzy", who must pay consequences for a choice she makes. Izzy is a cheerleader and very popular amongst her school. However, her life changes after she suffers severe injuries in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. It takes a girl, Rosamunde, to make Izzy accept what has happened to her. Rosamunde will not let Izzy feel different from anyone else and will not let her be pitied. Izzy comes to know what her real friends are like and she makes a great friend. Because of Rosamunde, Izzy was given the courage to return to school and face her friends and peers that she was once afraid and embarrassed to be seen by. She was afraid of being different and not looking as pretty as everyone pictures her to be. The author wrote this book sending out a message of what can happen with drinking and driving. It is a great message that should be sent out especially to teen-agers. We are forced to pay consequences of our own actions. The author uses literary devices such as foreshadowing and symbolism. The author's overall theme is to be careful of the decisions we make. Our actions can not only affect ourselves, but also the people we are surrounded by. Drinking and driving is a major problem that people are faced with today. Hopefully reading this book will make teenagers, as well as adults, realize that our stupidity can hurt the ones we love most.