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Dear Mr. Birkway,
Here it is: my summer journal.
As you can see,
I got a little carried away.
The problem is this, though.
I don't want you to read it.
Remember Mary Lou Finney from Walk Two Moons?Here's her complete, secret journal!
Mary Lou Finney is less than excited about her assignment to keep a journal over the summer. Boring! Then cousin Carl Ray comes to stay with her family, and what starts out as the dull dog days of summer quickly turns into the wildest roller-coaster ride of all time.
How was Mary Lou supposed to know what would happen with Carl Ray and the ring? Or with her boy-crazy best friend Beth Ann? Or with (sigh) the permanently pink Alex Cheevey? Suddenly a boring school project becomes a record of the most exciting, incredible, unbelievable summer of Mary Lou's life.
But what if her teacher actually does read her journal?
Thirteen-year-old Mary Lou grows up considerably during the summer while learning about romance, homesickness, death, and her cousin's search for his biological father.
"One of my most interesting jobs was in graduate school, working with the Federal Theatre Project archives (a Library of Congress collection, then based at George Mason University). I catalogued original illustrations for set and costume designs, some by Orson Welles. It was fascinating work!"
"I once fell 20 feet from a tree, was knocked unconscious, and when I picked myself up and straggled home, my parents thought I was making it up. However, when my brother and I fabricated a story about an encounter with a bear, they believed that! So maybe I learned very early on that fiction was more interesting to listeners!"
"As readers can probably tell from my books, I love the outdoors. I love to hike, kayak, and swim. I also love to read (which is probably not a surprise) and I love the theater and art museums. I especially love all the instruments of art: inks, pens, paintbrushes, watercolors and oils, fine papers and canvases, and although I love to mess around with these tools and objects, I have minimal artistic skills."
Absolutely Normal Chaos MSRChapter One
Dear Mr Birkway,Tuesday, June 12Here it is: my summer journal. As you can see, got a little carried away.
The problem is this, though. I don't want you to read it.
I really mean it. I just wanted you to know I did it.I didn't want you to think I was one of those kids who says, "Oh yeah, I did it, but I lost it/mydog ate it/my little brother dropped it in the toilet.
But please Pleeeassse Don't Read It! How was I to know all this stuff was going to happen this summer? How was I to know Carl Ray would come to town and turn everything into an odyssey? And how was I to know about Alex...? Sigh.
Please Don't Read It. I mean it.
Sincerely,
Mary Lou Finney
I wish someone would tell me exactly what a journal is. When I asked my mother, she said, "Well, it's like a diary only different." That helps. She was going to explain more, but. Mrs. Furtz (the lady who just moved in across the street) called to say, that my brother Dennis was throwing eggs at her house, and my mother went berserk so she didn't finish telling me. How am I supposed to write a journal if I don't even know what one is?
I wouldn'tbe doing this anyway, except that Mrs. Zollar asked me to. She's an English teacher. She asked us to keep a journal this summer and bring it in (in September) to our new English teacher.
So, new English teacher, I guess I better say who I am. My name is Mary Lou Finney. I live at 4059 Buxton Road in Easton, Ohio. I have a normally strange family. Here's our cast of characters,so to speak:
Sam Finney (whose age I am not allowed to tell you) is the father. He is a pretty regular father. Sometimes he likes us and sometimes we drive him crazy. When we are driving him crazy, he usually goes out in the garden and pulls some weeds. When he is at work, he is a geologist and spends his days drawing maps.
Sally Finney (whose age I am also not allowed to tell you or anyone else) is the mother. She also is a pretty regular mother. Sometimes she drools all over us and sometimes she asks my father if there isn't something he can do about us. When we are driving her crazy, she usually cries a little. When she is at work, she is an oral historian and spends her days tape-recording stories that elderly people tell her. I think that by the time she gets home to us, she is a little tired of hearing people talk.
Maggie Finney (seventeen years old) is the oldest daughter. She's my sister. She is your basic boy-crazy, fingernail-painting, mopey ole sister with whom I have the misfortune of sharing a room. She does not like me to touch her things.
Mary Lou Finney (thirteen years old) is the next oldest. That's me. I don't know what I am. I am waiting to find out.
Dennis Finney (twelve years old) is the kind of brother who will climb a tree with you one minute and tell on you the next. He gets into a fair amount of trouble (such as getting caught throwing eggs at Mrs. Furtz's house, breaking windows with apples, etc.), but he is okay other than that.
Doug Finney (better known as Dougie) (eight years old) gets lost in the middle of everyone else. He's skinny as anything and follows everybody else around. He's quiet and more serious than the rest of us, so nobody minds him tagging along, but he calls himself the "poor little slob."
Tommy Finney (four years old) is the spoiled-baby type kid. We think he's cute as anything, and so he gets away with murder. He's the messiest eater you've ever seen.
This journal is not as hard as I thought. I just hope I am doing it right. It would be terrible to do it all summer and then take it in and have someone look at it and say, "Oh, but this isn't a journal, dear."
I tried to ask Mrs. Zollar a million questions about the journal when she gave it to us, but Alex Cheevey said, "Geez. We don't want to know too much about it. Then we'll have to do it right. Can't you ever keep quiet?"
And now I will reflect on that. I used to think Alex Cheevey was cute, because his skin is always a little pink, like he's just been running a race, and his hair is always clean and shiny, and once we had to do an oral report together and even though I did most of the work, he patted me on the back when we were done, as if he realized what a good job I did, and he is certainly the best player on the basketball team and so graceful when he runs and dribbles the ball. But now, as I reflect on it, I see he is really a jerk.
Absolutely Normal Chaos MSR. Copyright © by Sharon Creech. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.Anonymous
Posted January 4, 2009
I Also Recommend:
Absolutely Normal Chaos, by Sharon Creech is a great book for girls who enjoy realistic fiction. The book is written in journal form, because throughout the story, you are reading Mary Lou Finney's summer journal. She starts out thinking that her summer won't be very exiting, but when her cousin Carl Ray comes in to town, things change. What adventures will Mary Lou and Carl Ray have together? read Absolutely Normal Chaos, by Sharon Creech.
10 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 28, 2011
This book is amazing!!!!!! It delivers everything a reader of any age could want. If i could choose one book to have every teenage girl in the world read, this would be it. BUY IT NOWWWW!!!!!!!!!!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 5, 2011
Its amazing and the ending is very touching
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 4, 2011
I love this book. You should totally read it.
5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Alexis31
Posted December 16, 2009
I thought this book was going to be boring when my reading teacher recommended it.
But I was so wrong.
It was very well written.
And not to mention knee-slappin' funny. (:
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 11, 2006
I couldn't believe how this book turned out in the end. There are many things I thought would happen and they didn't but were replaced with even better things. I chose this book by reading the back and the part that caught my eye was '.....I did my DIARY ASSIGNMENT, the problem is, I don't want you to read it'. I know that when something like that is written, the story must be good. I enjoyed the parts of this book and it almost made me cry to find out the truth of Carl Ray.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 7, 2012
This book is hilarious. I loved it. Whoever is reading it currently, i encourage you go right on; it gets better. Whoever is reading this review and hasnt read it, READ IT. It captures your attention; it's entertaining, romantic, interesting and a dash of sadness all mixed together!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 26, 2011
its very good
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 12, 2012
One of the many things I loved about this book is how girls can relate to it so easily. I think people everywhere should read this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 6, 2012
I loved this book! First i recomend reading walk two moons because this is all about the summer of Mary Lou Finney, the main character. She is also one of the friendds of the main character un walk two moons. Second i recomend reading this because its intruiging to most girls, and mayb even some guys( Most likely girls though). Hope you read this and like it!!!!! BUY IT NOW!!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 25, 2012
The book is about a girl named Mary Lou. She is a sweet girl with 1 sister and 3 brothers. She has to keep a journal about what she did in the summer. She writes in about 5 or 6 of them. The book is funny,sad,scary, and romantic. I would really recomend this book to anybody! To get to get to the funny,sad,scary,and romantic parts you have to read the whole intire book! I really hope you buy this book and read it and enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 27, 2011
I love it
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 17, 2011
Terrible.
1 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 31, 2011
Read walk two moons and you'll see why they are so similar.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 1, 2010
Sharon Creech's book " Absolutely Normal Chaos" has a riveting plot. The Finnley family has 5 children, plus a strange visiting cousin. This cousin named Carl Ray is a mysterious teenager who is here for one reason, but he tells nobody at first. He always keeps to himself and almost never talks except when Mary Lou comes along and is welcoming. Mary Lou is one of the 5 children of the Finnley family. She is the narrator of the story and shares her feelings in the book. How will young Mary Lou Finnley and Carl Ray become friends and trust one another. And what is the true reason why this boy Carl Ray is at the Finnley's home?
The mysterious, fascinating, and strange situations will come together once Carl Ray unravels why he came to "get a job." These all weird problems take place in a little town, where a family is trying their true feelings towards Carl Ray. Mary Lou's diary contains her real feelings towards her backstabbing friend Beth Ann, her boyfriend cute Alex Cheevey, and her confusing cousin Carl Ray. This is a relaxing novel to read if you like humorous plots and interesting characters. Sharon Creech is very good at using adjectives to describe her well thought out characters. She also did a great job at helping readers understand confusing and messy plot. Although I didn't like the setting nor understood it the amazing plot and characters made up for it.
"Absolutely Normal Chaos" is a book about relationships, conflict, and trying to unravel Carl Ray's life. I think that Sharon Creech's books are the appropriate style and level for middle school readers. I enjoyed reading this book throughout the conflict resolutions.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 15, 2008
I'm not really into the whole 'Read this book because the teacher assigned it' thing, but this was one of the better books that I enjoyed reading. It was assigned along with a book of graphic organizers that made me want to crawl under a rock from the start. After I started reading it, I got really into it because I've been some of the places, I've had some of the same expericences, and I've wrote many of the same things in my journal i kept over last summer. I would recommend this book to the teenage group because we all are going through a lot of this stuff and you can get ideas on how to deal with these situations. Have fune sinking you brain into this book!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 4, 2007
This is a great quick read that i would definitely recommend!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 28, 2013
Wonderful you should read it! Seriously READ IT
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Posted December 30, 2012
Sharen creech is an amazing aurher, and she has written another one of her fantastic novels.
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Posted December 15, 2012
I love sharoon creetch
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Overview
Dear Mr. Birkway,
Here it is: my summer journal.
As you can see,
I got a little carried away.
The problem is this, though.
I don't want you to read it.
Remember Mary Lou Finney from Walk Two Moons?Here's her complete, secret journal!
Mary...