Out of Order

by Betty Hicks

Overview

"We'll have fun," Mom pleaded. "You've always wanted a brother—" "A younger brother," said Parker. "I wanted a younger brother." "But Eric is great. He'll-" "You don't get it, Mom. I've always been the youngest. Now I'm going to be even younger!"

Before her mom remarried, Lily was the eldest; now she has dropped to second from the bottom. Her 13-year-old stepsister, V, is brilliant, popular, and seriously beautiful, but "lately she's been toxic waste." That, however, is only Lily's viewpoint. Hicks tells her uproarious story in fast, alternating narratives from the four stepsiblings, who suddenly find themselves together in a blended family. Along with all the jealousy and hurt, they still have fun, as when they hold a rock-paper-scissors competition for a neighborhood fund-raiser. There's also a little puzzle. Who has destroyed the tomatoes that V has been growing to raise money to send soccer balls to kids in Iraq? Without heavy message, the switching viewpoints make readers privy to the family secrets and the lies, as the combination of farce and tenderness in daily life brings home both the struggle and the fun.—Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312373559
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	10/16/2007
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.41(d)
Lexile:	680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

"Everything about this novel was out of order," says Betty Hicks. She adds, "The family itself, their problems, their fun. I even found myself writing it out of order. It was wild. The only thing never in doubt was the title." Betty Hicks is the author of I Smell Like Ham, Animal House and Iz, and Busted! She lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

. . . both humorous and compelling.” —The Horn Book Magazine

“With much humor, Hicks captures the squabbles but also the closeness of the challenges of family life through the eyes of these participants.” —Voices of Youth Advocates

“Humorous and insightful moments in Hicks's novel leaven subtle and affecting messages about communication, identity, honesty and forgiveness.” —Publishers Weekly

“A captivating and timely novel.” —School Library Journal

“The switching viewpoints make readers privy to the family secrets and the lies, as the combination of farce and tenderness in daily life brings home both the struggle and the fun. A great choice for readers' theater.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

Through four distinct voices, Hicks (Busted!) crafts an endearing portrait of a newly blended family that includes Eric and his sister V, who have moved with their father from Chicago to North Carolina to live with Lily, her brother, Parker, and their mother. Bookish Eric records his observations in his journal; a third-person narrative reveals ingenuous Parker's thoughts, and stunning, strong-willed V and introspective Lily speak in the first person. The interplay of their individual chapters makes readers privy to information that the characters withhold from one another. Eric's plight is perhaps the most poignant, as he is now the oldest since his and V's older brother died of leukemia, after which their mother "split" for "L.A.-Land of Amnesia," he writes. Believing that he cannot live up to his father's expectations, the teen finds solace in reading novels and in his close bond with Parker. Parker, the youngest, is consumed by guilt at his failure to confess that he inadvertently destroyed the sunflower Lily lovingly grew in the garden and has let V take the blame. In retaliation, Lily destroys the tomatoes V is growing to raise money to buy soccer balls for children in Iraq. But the siblings find another way to raise the funds which, quite satisfyingly, also succeeds in bringing them together as a family. Humorous and insightful moments in Hicks's novel leaven subtle and affecting messages about communication, identity, honesty and forgiveness. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-6-Hicks provides readers with a fresh look at blended families, offering much food for thought and several multilayered characters. Chapters alternate among each distinct voice and point of view, much like in Wendelin Van Draanen's Flipped (Knopf, 2001) and Carl Hiassen's Hoot (HarperCollins, 2002). The novel begins and ends with sixth-grader Lily, who is not only jealous of her "perfect" new stepsister, V, but feels ill-treated and verbally abused by her as well. Prior to the remarriage, she was the oldest, somewhat bossy, and always the "idea" person. While Lily can't think of an idea for a science project, V wants to grow tomatoes to sell in order to buy soccer balls to send to kids in Iraq. Existential Eric reads Hemingway, lives like a Spartan, and plays Rock-Paper-Scissors with Parker, the youngest. Plots interlace with characters as their goals and problems blend. False accusations, creative moneymaking schemes, edible cicadas, and Old Man of the Sea references all make this a worthwhile read. The tidy conclusion not only gives Lily the science-fair project she needs, but handily explains the title as well: she does research on birth order and what can happen when it becomes rearranged. A captivating and timely novel.-Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

When a family doubles in number, it's like shuffling a deck of cards to see who comes out on top. When Lily (11) and Parker's (9) mom marries Frank, Eric (15) and V's (13) dad, the pecking order changes for them all. Told in four voices, each set in a different type style, each kid expresses his or her feelings and frustrations. Fireworks erupt when someone breaks Lily's single sunflower. All fingers point to V who insists she didn't do it. In revenge, Lily kills V's tomato plants that she had planned to sell to send soccer balls to Iraqi kids. A rescue plan to raise money for V's project with a Rock-Scissors-Paper tournament becomes the uniting force. The death of Eric and V's brother, Parker's plan to sell Twinkies stuffed with cicadas, gothic Eric's obsession with Tolstoy and Lily's analysis of sibling traits according to oldest/youngest are all part of this engaging puzzle of four stepsiblings trying to sort out the pieces of new family relationships. Clever cover, real-life kids, humor and inventive plot detail make this a first-rate read, guaranteed to spur games of RSP. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews