Are We There Yet? (Paperback)

by David Levithan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up -Danny Silver, 23, is a workaholic advertising executive; his laid-back, 17-year-old brother, Elijah, absolutely drives him wild with his untied sneakers and lack of focus. The teen, who once idolized his sibling, now feels that he would never want to be Danny. The brothers are tricked by their parents into vacationing together in Italy. They both dread the experience, believing that they have little in common. Once abroad, they tiptoe around one another, connecting when they're in museums together, a reminder of childhood occasions spent similarly with their mother and father. They both doubt that there is enough between them to rekindle a bond. And then Elijah has a chance encounter with a college dropout with whom he falls head over heels in love. When he introduces Julia to Danny, she finds that she's attracted to him, too, and that catapults Danny into a situation in which he has to determine his priorities. The insightful and gently humorous narration alternates between the thoughts and experiences of the two brothers. Teens will relate deeply to Elijah and gain insight into Danny's attitudes as well. Levithan, author of Boy Meets Boy (2003) and The Realm of Possibility (2004, both Knopf), gets better and better with each book. This novel will appeal to a broader audience than the earlier titles and is a priority choice. References to sexual behavior and marijuana and acid use are included.-Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Gr. 10-12. Elijah and Danny are brothers who have grown apart. Elijah is a mellow, kind, live-in-the-moment, pot-smoking teen who likes to wonder about things and to wander without a plan. Danny, six years Elijah's senior, is a young up-and-comer with a prestigious New York law firm, who dresses meticulously and exerts a rigid control both on his own life and on the lives of those around him. In an attempt to draw their sons back together, the boys' parents arrange a vacation to Italy. But the appearance of a girl who may have the power to separate the two brothers even further means the trip may not reach its intended goal. Levithan's latest is a stylized, pensive, almost mournful piece that outwardly travels through three of Italy's most famed cities but is focused almost exclusively on the interior landscapes of two uniquely sympathetic young men. At times overly self-aware, the book's literary complexity and minimal action make this a title for older readers attracted to mature psychological and philosophical perspectives. Holly Koelling
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (March 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375839569
• ISBN-13: 978-0375839566
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #260,277 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A novel that explores the dynamic between brothers, August 11, 2005

By	Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Are We There Yet? (Library Binding)

Elijah and Danny are brothers. Elijah is the dreamy brother, who loves to hang out with his friends at boarding school and has endless conversations with strangers. Danny is the elder brother --- hardworking, serious, and completely devoted to his first job in advertising. Elijah thinks of Danny as being a sellout, a phony, and a liar. Danny thinks of Elijah as being a penniless, pothead fallback, with no sense of reality. Both brothers have forgotten the affection they once had for each other.

In an attempt to get the two siblings to communicate again, their parents send them on a tour of Italy. An impressionistic blend of novel, travelogue and poetry, ARE WE THERE YET? is about the brothers' travels through Venice, Florence and Rome. Travel, particularly in a foreign country, has a disorienting quality that makes things seem simultaneously immediate and very faraway. David Levithan captures this paradox, as well as the strange coincidences and people the two brothers encounter along the way. He covers the major sites of each city, along with minor sites important to each character.

Notably, Levithan writes about the remnants of once-thriving Jewish communities in each city. When the brothers visit the infamous Jewish ghetto in Venice, immortalized by Shakespeare's Shylock, they read that 8,000 Italian Jews were sent to concentration camps during the Holocaust. Only eight returned. Later, a guide notes that the Venetian Jewish community now numbers about 600 in a city of approximately 63,000. Doubly an outsider, as an American-Jew in an Italian city filled with some of the most famous Christian artwork in the world, Danny starts to question his place in the world, and a system of values that has left him largely alone.

When he and Elijah fight about a woman Elijah meets at the scene of an accident, the brothers separate, leaving them both truly alone in a foreign country. Slowly each comes to realize that despite the pleasures and autonomy of being alone, "it's good to share a life." Elijah realizes that he isolates himself through casual relationships and does not express his feelings for the people he truly loves. Danny sees that his work has come between him and the people who love him most. The brothers reunite in Rome. They share a serendipitous sunrise at the Parthenon, followed by a tour of all the sites in the movie Roman Holiday, which they are surprised to discover they both love.

In a conversation between Danny and one of his childhood friends, Levithan touches on the difficulty of being brothers, when the process of growing up interferes with the bond they once shared:

"Brothers are not like sisters. They don't call each other every week. Will you be there for him if he needs you? Of course. Should you love him without question? Absolutely. But those are the easy things. Do you make him a large part of your life, an equal to a wife or a best friend? At the beginning, when you're kids, the answer is often yes. But when you get to high school, or older? Do you tell him everything? Do you let him know who you really are? The answer is usually no."

ARE WE THERE YET? not only explores the dynamic of accumulating distance between brothers, but also looks at the way Danny and Elijah begin to close the gap as they gain maturity. The optimism that is part of Levithan's other novels saturates this book, offering the following advice for relationships: "Don't go for normal. Go for happy. Go for what you want it to be instead of settling for what is."

--- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

5.0 out of 5 stars Brothers, June 19, 2009

By	Tower of Books "Krista" (Georgia, United States) - See all my reviews

Sixteen-year-old Elijah Silver and his brother Danny Silver are complete opposites. Elijah is a dreamer and believes Danny is too serious. Danny enjoys his work and believes Elijah does not take life seriously. It's no surprise that Elijah and Danny do not get along well. In order to help mend their relationship, their parents trick them into going to an all-expenses paid trip to Italy. How will two brothers who don't get along spend so much time with each? At first, Danny would sleep in the hotel room, while Elijah would explore Italy. Then, Elijah meets Julia, a twenty-year-old from Toronto. Then, Julia makes a move towards Danny.

This is the first novel I've read by David Levithan, and it will certainly not be the last. To be honest, at first, I was not sure if I would like Are We There Yet? I was not used to reading from third-person point of view. However, the more I read, the more I realized that it worked. In fact, it really worked. There is no way I could like the novel as much as I do right now if it was written in first person.

One thing I enjoyed about Are We There Yet? was how Levithan showed the brothers' relationship with each other. I feel like he really captured what it's like to be brothers in writing. While I was reading the novel, I couldn't help but wonder if Levithan had any brothers. I will do some research later. :) (edit:// I looked, and yes, he does have a brother.) Another thing I liked about Levithan's writing was how he delved into Danny's and Elijah's minds. It did not feel like Levithan was writing about how they felt. It felt like he knew, like he was reading their minds. That's not something most writers do.

5.0 out of 5 stars Are We There Yet?, June 15, 2007

By	C. Akeley (Boston) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the kind of book that makes me want to do something extremely daring and meaningful. Like jumping off something or swimming in my pool with my clothes on (which is what I did...)This book is extremely well written and a poignant,beautiful look at relationships. Danny and Elijah are well developed characters and watching their relationship unfold and grow is lovely. The writer, David Levithan, does a beautiful job using the setting, Italy, to ground the story and provide real-life context. The personal adventures both brothers go on provide a well-written and heartfelt look at insecurities and problems they have. The most basic area of the plot is perdictable, but the plot is not what makes this story special. It's the characters and the development of thier relationship. A wonderful and quick read!