Kat's Fall [Paperback]

Shelley Hrdlitschka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Struggling to understand and control the anger and resentment that has consumed him, Darcy is forced to confront his feelings and engage with the outside world. With newfound friendships and the unflagging support of his teacher, Darcy is able to understand some of the pain of the past and accept that he cannot control everything. As he grudgingly re-establishes ties with the mother he thinks he hates, he is accused of a horrific act. It will take incredible strength, his own and others, to fight the charges, but he finds that truth is often an elusive concept and that trust, and love, are powerful allies.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Darcy Frasier, 15, has grown up with the overwhelming responsibility of caring for himself and his 11-year-old sister, who is deaf and suffers from epileptic seizures. Their father has halfheartedly raised them while their mother has been in prison for 10 years, charged with dropping baby Kat from a balcony. Darcy's and Kat's lives are turned upside-down when they receive word that their mother is going to be released. Darcy will do anything to distance himself from the woman, who he believes does not deserve a second chance, but then he remembers the truth about Kat's fall: it was he who dropped his infant sister. Just as the teen is coming to terms with the truth, he is accused of molesting the little girl he baby-sits as well as his sister. It is with the help of his teacher and his mom that his name is cleared. Each surprising new plot element keeps readers turning pages until every truth unfolds. Darcy develops as an everyday hero who proves that perseverance in any situation is possible as he approaches each challenge with dignity and grace. Additionally, the supporting characters unfold to reveal their own compassion. This powerful novel is both heart wrenching and shocking.–Leigh Ann Morlock, Vernonia School District, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Staring out from the front page is a picture of Mom, and I swear she's looking me right in the eyes. The caption reads, "Attempted Murderer To Be Given Parole."

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551433125
• ISBN-13: 978-1551433127
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,667,441 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book is great!!, April 21, 2006

By 

Zenia Lui "Zenia" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kat's Fall (Paperback)

Book Review

Kat's Fall by Shelley Hrdlitschka is a teen fiction book, which was published

in 2004 by Orca Book Publishers. The story takes places in Hope Springs, a

town in the U.S.A. The main characters in the book are Darcy Murphy a

fifteen year-old boy and his sister Kat an eleven year-old girl who is deaf.

Their mother has been in jail for ten years convicted of throwing Kat off a

fifth floor balcony when she was a baby. Now she has been freed and has

come back to live in Hope Springs. By the end of the book, Darcy finds out

that his mother is innocent and that he threw his sister from the balcony. His

teacher helps him to write a letter to the newspaper explaining this. Now, he

doesn't feel so guilty about what he did when he was a little boy and the

people in the town don't hate his mother anymore.

I like this book because it was so interesting that I kept reading and could

not put it down. So much happens in the book and it really made me think about

some of the bad things that can happen in people's lives. The book is well written

but like all books, it has its strengths and weaknesses.

There is strong characterization the story. The characters in the
book are very different from each other and are believable. For instance, I

think Darcy is really mixed up, because he thinks his mother tried to kill his

sister. He goes to a special school for students who behave badly but the

author shows his good side too. He looks after his deaf sister and he works

after school baby-sitting a deaf 4 year-old girl. Kat too is a strong character.

She has her deafness to overcome but she is usually happy and does not act

out. Another strength of the book is its realistic language. Darcy uses some bad

words but the author uses them because teenagers use them in real life. I

also think it is realistic when Darcy cuts his arm when his girlfriend leaves him.

The art work on the cover of the book is really good. The photograph is

taken from the bottom of the apartment building looking up. It makes you

think about how far Kat fell when she was thrown. The letters of the title

also look as if they're falling. "So," The art work and the theme of the book go

together.

Some parts of the plot are weak: for instance, when the little girl says she

has been hurt by somebody whose name begins with " D ", Darcy is accused

of sexual abuse. Why didn't the police woman ask her if it was Darcy right at

the beginning? I also feel that Darcy's mother is not believable. I don't think she

would have taken the blame for Kat's fall and gone to prison. She knew that

Darcy would be forgiven because he was only 4 year-old. Going to prison meant

she would not with her family for ten years. Darcy's father is also difficult to

understand: if he didn't want to look after Darcy and Kat, why didn't he ask

for help from social services? Darcy was too young to have brought up his

sister.

This book is worth reading. There are more strengths than weaknesses. Actually

many of friends have read this book, they also said this is a good book to read and

learn more words.

5.0 out of 5 stars The book is great, April 21, 2006

By 

Zenia Lui "Zenialui" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kat's Fall (Paperback)

Book Review

Kat's Fall by Shelley Hrdlitschka is a teen fiction book, which was published

in 2004 by Orca Book Publishers. The story takes places in Hope Springs, a

town in the U.S.A. The main characters in the book are Darcy Murphy a

fifteen year-old boy and his sister Kat an eleven year-old girl who is deaf.

Their mother has been in jail for ten years convicted of throwing Kat off a

fifth floor balcony when she was a baby. Now she has been freed and has

come back to live in Hope Springs. By the end of the book, Darcy finds out

that his mother is innocent and that he threw his sister from the balcony. His

teacher helps him to write a letter to the newspaper explaining this. Now, he

doesn't feel so guilty about what he did when he was a little boy and the

people in the town don't hate his mother anymore.

I like this book because it was so interesting that I kept reading and could

not put it down. So much happens in the book and it really made me think about

some of the bad things that can happen in people's lives. The book is well written

but like all books, it has its strengths and weaknesses.

There is strong characterization the story. The characters in the
book are very different from each other and are believable. For instance, I

think Darcy is really mixed up, because he thinks his mother tried to kill his

sister. He goes to a special school for students who behave badly but the

author shows his good side too. He looks after his deaf sister and he works

after school baby-sitting a deaf 4 year-old girl. Kat too is a strong character.

She has her deafness to overcome but she is usually happy and does not act

out. Another strength of the book is its realistic language. Darcy uses some bad

words but the author uses them because teenagers use them in real life. I

also think it is realistic when Darcy cuts his arm when his girlfriend leaves him.

The art work on the cover of the book is really good. The photograph is

taken from the bottom of the apartment building looking up. It makes you

think about how far Kat fell when she was thrown. The letters of the title

also look as if they're falling. "So," The art work and the theme of the book go

together.

Some parts of the plot are weak: for instance, when the little girl says she

has been hurt by somebody whose name begins with " D ", Darcy is accused

of sexual abuse. Why didn't the police woman ask her if it was Darcy right at

the beginning? I also feel that Darcy's mother is not believable. I don't think she

would have taken the blame for Kat's fall and gone to prison. She knew that

Darcy would be forgiven because he was only 4 year-old. Going to prison meant

she would not with her family for ten years. Darcy's father is also difficult to

understand: if he didn't want to look after Darcy and Kat, why didn't he ask

for help from social services? Darcy was too young to have brought up his

sister.

This book is worth reading. There are more strengths than weaknesses. Actually

many of friends have read this book, they also said this is a good book to read and

learn more words.

4.0 out of 5 stars worth reading book =), June 10, 2005

By 

Pink - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kat's Fall (Paperback)

In this story, it is about a little girl was thrown down the balcony and the mother was accused of doing so. Darcy (the son) and Kat (the daughter) had grown up with their father who didn't really care much about their kids because Kat was deaf, and only Darcy knew how to communicate with her. Kat and her brother's relationship had been quite close with each other until one day they found out that their mom was coming out of jail. In Darcy's life, there were a lot of tensions and pains and the only to cop with it is to self-injure himself which later on had lead him into a lot of distress. Personally I found out that sometimes it's just really hard for someone to be honest, especially when it is a lie that will bring hatred between my friends and me. But after reading this book, I think it is important to tell the truth always, because things don't turn as bad as we thought it would be. We'll be pleased everyday, able to be with our friends freely and more happily. I think this book should be recommended for everyone because it is a really interesting book, for teenagers, it tells us how to cop our problems correctly, and for parents it tells them what kids are going through in their lives. And of course, the lesson that'll be taught at the end, everyone should use it in his or her daily lives.