Customer Reviews

My Abnormal Life

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fifteen-year-old Rose Graham has never experienced luxuries in life. In fact, she hasn't experienced much, thanks to the fact that she's spent her childhood and teenagedom taking care of her younger sister - a sufferer of Down Syndrome - shoplifting food, and keeping Social Services away from her family. It's not really fair. After all, how many girls have never had the chance to go to school, date, kiss boys, or get dolled up for a night on the town? Not many. But Rose isn't complaining. That is, not until she's pulled out of her element, and tossed into a foster home in the affluent Linden Falls. Everyone expects her to act normal, but the problem is that she's not normal. Rose wants nothing more than to get back to her old life, where her only problem is trying to figure out whether she'll be able to shoplift enough food for dinner; and to leave the life of first kisses, being gorgeous, high school parties, and writing for the school newspaper. At least she has Brian Johnson's gorgeous shoulders to take her mind off of tthings, as well as the chance to visit her family via the Altlives computer game. But maybe that's not enough...

It's hard to find a book that is too entertaining to put down, but Lee McClain has accomplished that feat once again with her novel MY ABNORMAL LIFE. Rose is a fabulous character, whose kind personality shines through on every page. It is wonderful to see an author take the initiative in creating a book series that showcases teenage girls who don't have the easiest lives, yet who make it through anyway, much like Lee McClain has done with MY ALTERNATE LIFE and now MY ABNORMAL LIFE. I only hope to have the opportunity to read more from Lee McClain in the near future, as she presents a fresh new voice in teen lit that will be received by teenagers with open arms.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Fantasy yet surprisingly realistic

in terms of what teens living in foster care go through.
A quick and funny read ( LOL type of funny).

Could be a fabulous tool for therapists, case managers, adolescent out reach workers, or anyone working with teens or tweens experiencing family problems.

I plan to buy the rest of her books and start sharing them with teens on my caseload.

Thanks for this cool tool.
Beth O'Malley
social worker in the foster care system

Without giving anything away, not all stories have happy endings. Life is like that. It's also about choices, consequences, and being willing to take steps. While Rose knows nothing about being normal, she knows what she wants, and she's not afraid to try to get it. She'll stand up to her peers, her foster parents, the witch, and her mother to make sure that her family stays together. The story is a wonderful read.

This is an enchanting story of a teenage girl, and her younger,mentally challenged sisters journey. They did not have a father, and their mother didn't want them, or at least thats what they thought. Either way, they were sent to foster families, and not the same ones. Rose (the oldest), didn't know iof it was even worth living if she wasn't with her sister, she'd taken care of her sister her entire life. Now, her sister has forgotten all about her,and has been attached to her new family.Although Rose is in deep concern about her sister, in order to bring her family back together she's going to have to act normal.She finds out normal means, boys, first kisses, dates, joining the school newspaper, enemies, and finding her beauty that shes been hiding from all those years.

One of the biggest ideas that came to mind was the hardship that this girl has to go through. She has a main idea for what is going on around her and the way the author depicts her in the beginning made me feel sorry for her. She seemed to be sad as she was placed in the multiple situations until she found the truth behind her life-long struggle. I loved focusing on the overall feel of her life. I have a soft spot for girls, being one myself. It gives me a sense of peace when I try hard to think about the amazing things you can write down and still understand what is going on around you.
This book it short and everything but it gave me a sense of peace. I gave this book four starts instead of five because I want to know what happens next, I usually also like more lengthy books. It was a good read though and I recommend it for girls from 10 to 16. Depending on their maturity and their ideas of teenage life. This book told me a great deal about myself.

Homeless fifteen years old Rose Graham was caught shoplifting or else her plight and that of her Downs Syndrome sister Danielle would have remained unknown. The social workers at St. Helen's Home for Girls separate the two siblings though it is obvious that Dani relies heavily on Rose. Dani is placed with the Johnsons where teenager Brian detests the fact that another "Little Orphan Annie" is coming into his family home. Rose is sent to the McGraws whose daughter is a perky freshman cheerleader at Penn State.

Rose struggles to adapt to school and not having Dani depend on her. However although feeling some guilt her most difficult adjustment is Brian, a hunk that makes her dream of desires she never had before except that he seems nasty to her and somewhat to Dani.

This is an intriguing story line starring an affable nurturing homeless teen struggling with the demands of a nice foster family, school, sibling separation when she is the caretaker, and a teen hunk. The story line is at its best when it centers on Rose's life. When she plays the computer game Altlives, Rose enjoys MY ALTERNATE LIFE using the game to cope with the recent changes, but though interesting to watch her rationalize that also takes the plot away from an even more fascinating reality. Young adults will enjoy the insightful MY ABNORMAL LIFE.

Harriet Klausner

Not everyone wants to move up in life. When Rose is forced to, she fights it every step of the way. Because of her mother's agoraphobia and depression, she and her develpmentaly delayed sister are removed from their home and separated. Placed in a relatively affluent foster home, Rose is forced to be a normal kid, something she has no idea how to be or real desire to be. Complicating things is her attraction for her little sister's foster brother, Brian. At first, he is a way to see her sister, then he becomes more, but he is taken. Besides, none of this is what she wants, and Rose wants to break free. Through a computer program, she is given glimpses of what is going on in the lives of those she cares for, and hints of a future she is not sure she really desires, but must risk all to find out the truth about herself most of all.

*** This mature, sensitive young adult novel has lessons for adults as well. Unlike many stories, the ending, while happy to an extent, has a bittersweet quality that adds realism, despite the unreality of the Altlives program that makes the story possible. The young reader, at any stage of youth, can learn that no happy ending is completely free of rue from reading this book. ***

Rose hasn't had a great life. Her mom suffers from depression and other problems, so she couldn't take care of her children properly. It's up to Rose to provide for herself and her little sister, Dani, who has downs syndrome. When Rose gets caught stealing, she and Dani get put into the foster care system. Then they get split up. Rose goes to live with the a poster family for normalcy, and Dani gets put in a home run by the wicked witch. They won't let Rose see her sister. Also, her crush Brian is currently Dani's foster brother. Thanks to the computer game ALTLIVES, Rose gets a chance to check up on her family. When her new life gets tricky, will Rose opt to change back to her old life, no matter what the cost?