Kelly and Me [Hardcover]

Carol Lynch Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1993

Leah Orton and her younger sister, Kelly, never dream that the summer spent with their mischief-loving grandfather, who encourages them to stay up late and drive his car, will end in tragedy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A distinctly Southern flavor, swift pace and ebullient characters distinguish this fine first novel. Egged on by Papa, their Korean War vet grandfather, 11-year-old Leah and her younger sister, Kelly, invent their own brand of summer adventure right in their own backyard. Some of their antics include stealing their father's car, hiding the corpse of a dog, carrying out a Tom Sawyer-esque cure for warts, skinny-dipping at midnight and shooting bullets at the bedroom ceiling. The reckless hilarity comes to a halt as fall approaches and tragedy strikes. . . . While most of Williams's narrative is smooth and appears effortless, her conclusion is somewhat knotted. Kelly dies suddenly, during an argument about Pop Tarts. The grieving process that follows--coming to terms with mortality, reconciliation among survivors--is glossed over in a few pages. Ultimately, what will be remembered most about this novel is not the shocking climax but rather the partners-in-crime relationship of the sisters and their ability to enjoy life to the fullest. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Leah, 11, recounts a summer of outrageous escapades with her sister/best friend Kelly, 10, and ``Papa,'' their recently widowed grandfather. From the first scene, when Papa escapes from a locked bedroom (Leah's parents were desperate to keep him sober) by climbing down knotted designer sheets, Williams's broadly comic tone is deepened with a tough reality. Papa vaguely meanders his car into a minor accident en route to the nearby Florida beach; when he's arrested and flees the scene, it's Leah who drives the car (as he's taught her) and overtakes him. The girls conceal his dog's death to protect him, but Papa's distress at its absence comes to an absurd end when he learns they've buried it by the family well. And Papa's childishly overzealous teasing--he's pretending, all too realistically, to be a werewolf--is nearly recast in horror when a young cousin finds a loaded gun. As it can in real life, a tragedy in the last pages comes as a total shock. With subtler character development, an experienced writer might have made a closer link between the response to this death and what precedes it (cf. Sarah Ellis's A Family Project, 1986, or Peter Hartling's Old John, 1990); still, though the mood change is jolting, Williams deals believably with the bereaved family's healing. A capable first novel that views both boisterous comedy and wrenching loss with a perceptive eye. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 123 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385308973
• ISBN-13: 978-0385308977
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,551,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Kelly's Day, August 17, 2008

By 

Just Frazzled (From the Shop Around The Corner) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kelly and Me (Hardcover)

Don't let the two little girls on the cover fool you.. This book has some kick to it.. Invest a little time to see why it is a good book for adults.. This is the a prequel "Adeline Street"...

5.0 out of 5 stars Two sisters learn what family is all about, February 23, 2011

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Denece - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kelly and Me (Paperback)

This is an easy book to enjoy, the sisters have some great adventures, when tragedy strikes. But everyone has a tragedy. Great word choices, reads well.