Waiting for Normal

Connor, L. (2008). Waiting for normal. New York: Katherine Tegen Books.

Author Website: Connor, L. (n.d.). Leslie Connor ~ author. Retrieved from http://www.leslieconnor.com/Welcome.html

Author Interview: HarperCollinsPublishers. (n.d.). Author interview. Retrieved from http://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx?authorID=30604&isbn13=9780060890889&displayType=bookinterview

Author Information: Leslie Connor was born in Ohio, moved to New York in the fourth grade, and was into dance and art. She has two degrees, one in agriculture and one in fine arts, and currently resides in Connecticut with her husband and three kids. She started out wanting to be an illustrator for children books and she said that writing "came from behind and tapped me on the shoulder." Her books are meant to be read by anyone, not just young readers. She talks about her book, Waiting for Normal in an interview saying that she got the idea for it "first by setting, then by imagining a cluster of characters living in that setting. The plot came from imagining the circumstances that brought them all there" (HarperCollinsPublishers).

Review One:

Berman, M. (n.d.). [Review of the book Waiting for normal]. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/waiting-normal

Parents need to know that this is an emotional book about a girl dealing with a disturbed and neglectful mother. There is also a description of her first period. This breathtakingly moving portrait of a neglected child achieves its effects in shades of gray. Addie's mother is not an evil witch and does, in fact, love Addie. Her loving stepfather does his best, but is often inept and doesn't see what his warmhearted visits are doing to Addie. Her friends and teachers all mean well, but none are able to see what is really going on, or to do anything about it. And Addie herself knows that her mother is unable to take care of her, yet does everything she can to hide that fact from those who love her and would protect her if they knew, even going so far, in one heartbreaking scene, as to fill empty food boxes with paper and put them in the cabinets so that it will look like there's plenty of food when her grandfather comes to check on her.

Told in Addie's matter-of-fact voice, the story never descends to mawkishness, melodrama, or preachiness. Addie is a delightfully poignant and winning heroine, but the success of a character-centered story such as this one rests not only on the main character, but also on the supporting players, and here the author also excels. Addie's stepfather Dwight, her half-sisters, and the odd couple who run the mini mart across the street are all fully fleshed out and as vivid in the reader's mind as they are in Addie's life. This realistic look at a tough subject hits all the right notes in creating a warmhearted portrait of a child in trouble.

Review Two: [Review of the book Waiting for normal]. Kliatt.

This book persuades that good people and delighful possibilities are all around, even in the most unpromising circumstances.

Discussion Questions:

1. What defines a hero to Addie? What defines a hero to you?

2. Explain why Addie feels like she doesn't have the Love of Learning. Do you think she does and why or why not?

Quote from the Book:

pg. 45-46 "'A hero is someone who sets themselves apart from others. You know - someone who is strong or shows sourage, takes a risk. And I know Webster's is probably talking about well-known heroes. Like from the newspapers and history books. Inventors and athletes and people like Martin Luther King.'

'Uh-huh.' Soula was still listening.

'But don't you think it's possible . . . ' - I twisted up my face - '. . .that every person is a hero to someone else?'"