Kara was an ordinary girl, that is when she was 10. Things have changed since then. Her fathers moved, her moms "crazy". She dreams about an island that she could live on.

My parents are not mentally ill, but after reading this book, I felt like I knew what it was like. Sally Warner writes a riviting story about a teen girl trying to keep it all together; trying to take care of her mother; and trying to keep it all her own business.

I think this book would also be great for parents suffering through paranoia and depression to see what their kids really go through.

Kara Biggs lives by lists. She has a list of rules, instructions, tips, etc. for almost everything you can imagine. From avoiding doing an oral presentation to getting ready for school, Kara knows how to it all "like a real person." Want to know Kara's tips for avoiding having a family conference at school?

1) Say that your parents are away on a business trip.

2) Or say that your grandmother just died, and now really isn't a very good time for your teacher to call home. You can use this excuse twice, and twice only. Keep track.

3) Or say that your phone is out of order, but you will deliver the message. (Yeah, right).

Kara has her lists down to a science. She has to, or people might find out about her home life. Kara's mother suffers from mental illness. Most days her mother stays in bed with the curtains closed and the covers up over her head. Kara's mom has been like this for almost as long as Kara can remember. She has her good days as well as her bad, but ever since Kara's father left them, it has only been one bad day after another. Kara tries her best to take care of her mom and to keep everything looking normal. When her lists don't work, Kara retreats in her mind to "Lonely Island," a place based on her favorite book, "Island of the Blue Dolphins." But sometimes even that doesn't help. She knows that eventually her mother will get past this, but when? Cracks in Kara's carefully constructed façade are beginning to show and people are starting to get suspicious. What if they find out? What will happen then?

Told over the time frame of one day, this engrossing novel delves truthfully into the reality of a child whose parent suffers from mental illness. The author does an excellent job of conveying Kara's conflicting emotions concerning her mother and the situation she is in. As a reader you not only sympathize with Kara for all that she is going through, but also admire her for the strength she has to deal with everything that is thrown at her. Strongly recommended for EVERYONE.

This is a great "growing-up" book, especially appropriate for girls. When Hattie Knowlton's immediate family dies (parents, brother, and eventually her caretaker Aunt Lydia), she goes to live with her affluent relatives--Aunt Margaret, Uncle Charley, and cousin Soph. Most of the action happens at Miss Bulkley's Seminary for Young Ladies in New York during the late 1800s. Not only does this novel show the reader about daily life in a different era, middle-school teachers should find this an excellent resource to use in conjunction with teaching writing. Sally Warner uses her great-grandmother Hattie's journals to show how writers create "reality" throught the act of writing. Hattie writes, "Soph came a week ago Monday [to Miss Bulkley's] and we four girls have had a jolly time ever since." Hattie actually felt intimidated by her new surroundings. Never mind! The omniscient narrator tells us, "She [Hattie] could create another Hattie, happy, funny, and confident...that would be the Hattie that lived on...." Quite a testament to the power of writing.

After Hattie Knowlton's parents died when she was a little girl, she and her baby brother were sent to live with their great-aunt. But when Hattie is fourteen, both her great-aunt and her brother died, leaving her all alone in the world. Having lived in poverty all her life, she feels awkward and out of place when she arrives at the luxurious New York City home of her Uncle Charley and Aunt Margaret, and their daughter Sophie, an elegant young lady who Hattie feels like a country bumpkin next to. Even though Sophie is kind to Hattie, she is still lonely, grieving for her little brother. When fall comes, Hattie is sent with Sophie to a boarding school for wealthy young ladies. Hattie is ashamed of being a "charity case," and worries that all the other girls will find out. This was a wonderful novel set during the 1880s about a young girl who struggles to rise above her difficult childhood to find her own place in the world. I would reccomend this book to young teenage girls who enjoy historical fiction.

"Society" often makes it difficult for artists to feel that their work is important This book is about taking resonsibility making room in your life for your art. The book is filled with insights from various artists and gives practical advice for artists at all levels. Also included are profiles of the artists and illustrations of their work. If you want to work at your art, Sally Warner's book sets a course for you that will undo even your most creative excuses of why you can't.

I know what it's like to abandon your art. After being disappointment by slim vocational possibilities as a young adult, I tried to forget I even knew art. I tried to be what others wanted me to be and do. I floundered for ten years, even went back to college later to pursue a bachelor's in a different area. But no matter how much I'd shove my artistic bent into the recesses of my mind, it came gurgling back with a vengeance almost as soon as I got my degree in engineering physics. I made the decision to be true to myself. While still not employed as an artist, I consider no longer have qualms about considering myself one.

I wish I had this book when I was younger, or at least the chapter on dealing with external pressures. I connected so well to a lot of the stories related in this book. There are so many passages where I felt, "I felt that way!" An especially powerful subchapter for me is Perspective--Valuing your Art and Creativity more than Society does.

A minor complaint: I wish that the author had included more resources in the Artists Materials appendix, and had included the web page addresses to the businesses that were listed. If we truly are no longer at the mercy of the local hobby store, as Ms. Warner says, these are important. There's only one artist supply store and three framing companies listed; I've found several other artist supplies on the web that could have been included on this list; still it's good information for those who still like to do business by telephone.

I've got two years of junior college study as a commercial artist, but I'm a self-taught artist, and I'd recommend this book to anyone who was engaged in art study, especially to first-year students. With this book to guide them, if it turns out being a professional artist isn't in the cards, maybe young people won't be discouraged, like I was, and they can at least assess the extent to which they can take their talent without the debilitating loss of self-esteem, such as that which I suffered. Here's a book that says even if you're not a paid artist, you still are one, if deep in your gut you say so, and it tells you how to keep art out of the closet for good.

This book was a great story, I just love american girl books! Sister Split is about a girl named Ivy, and her parents are getting a divorce. Ivy and her sister are shocked. So from there parents anger, they say that they are getting seperated too. Ivy's sister moves out with her father, and Ivy stays with her mother. But when each child visits each other, they do horrible but funny things to each other. Ivy's only comfort is her bunny and her best friend. If you enjoy a great story, and you are a girl 11-13 you should read it!! It was excellent!

I loved this book! It really described the lives bewteen sisters and there divorced parents. It seemed like a true story, about what goes on in the lives divorced kids trying to solve there problems about the parents. It is about a girl named Ivy and her sister Lacy who mostly got along intill Lacy told Ivy "she hated when she was born." Then there life gets awful when there parents decide to split up. They both start to hate each other, but sercetly Ivy still loves her sister. And doesn't want her to live with her father while she is with her mother. But luckly Ivy has her best friend and her rabbit to keep her company. But soon after a lot of arguing bewteen them they solve there differences. It is a great and easy to read. I like it. It was funny about the fights they had and also gave me a great lesson to try to love your sister even if you have differences. I recommend it to anyone mostly a girl though. Try It and I am sure you will like it because I sure did!!

This is very interesting for the ages of 9-13 because it is hilarious. It also deals with real life because it's about two friends, who always fight(sounds like your life, right?). Case is a friend of Ned's. Ned is going off to an orphanage school but Case doesn't want him to go there. Will he go to an orphanage school? To find out, read this book because it is filled with lots of laughs. This book proves that there are no normal friends. So, what are you waiting for? Go read this book right now or you'll miss out on a lot of fun!

I have read both Private Lily and Sweet & Sour Lily to my girls, ages 7 and 5. They both love Lily because she sounds like them, she's between their ages, and she speaks and thinks just like them. The books are easy to read and short enough to finish in a few nights. Good!

Have you ever wanted your own room? Well, if
you had or not, read Private Lily By Sally Warner.
It is a book that will make you laugh and make you
think hard.
I would recommend this book to someone who
wants their own room. It will help you get some
privacy.
This book shows that you can get your own
room. If you work for it.

Private Lily By Sally Warner

Have you ever wanted your own room? Well, if
you had or not, read Private Lily By Sally Warner.
It is a book that will make you laugh and make you
think hard.
I would recommend this book to someone who
wants their own room. It will help you get some
privacy.
This book shows that you can get your own
room. If you work for it.

"Even if she does pass away, she'll still be your friend. Even in the weakest condition she always has been," Cady's mother said. "Your right, she will be my friend forever. Sort of forever," Cady mumbled under her uncontrolable tears. I'll never forget the time I read those lines. Tears started to trickle down my face. This is no joke. Sally Warner writes the perfect dialouge to make you sob every time you read. When you start reading everythings allright. Nana and Cady seem to be the complection of perfect friends. But then Nana gets weaker and weaker. Warner puts you right into Cady and Nana's minds. She takes you through there lives step by step without skipping one single part. You can easily tell that she carefully took her time to detail and write this book.
Directions in reading:1.get book 2. find a spot to read 3. turn on light 4. grab a box of tissues 5. open book and read 6. have tissue ready! You may need to follow these steps when you read this book. Sally Warner brought into this world a great book that will bring a tear to your eye. It is definitely worth your while to read this book. Even if you don't care to much for sad stories this will teach you why having a friend to lean on is so important. SUBMITTED BY ... A 12-YEAR-OLD READER.

wow....this book is fantastic. i've read it twice. though on a very sad subject, two best friends having to deal w/ a terminal illness, t he story is told matter-of-factly, and u dont end up feeling weepy and depressed at the end. i can completely identify with Cady, who is healthy, and with nana, who has cancer, because they are made alive by ms. warner. GREAT book

If you like to read books of friendship, and reality you should try this book. In this book you will see two very loyal friends deal with life and death. Nana is dealing with cancer, experiencing all of the emotions that go with a life threatening situation. Cady, her best friend is staying by her side, helping her cope with her illness. Cady and Nana show what true friendship is all about, helping each other through profound difficulties. Luckily I've never had to deal with these problems. I felt their friendship helped me see what it would be like to deal with a sad situation. Even though this was a sad book, I really enjoyed it.

Dog Years is a very fascinating book about life in the sixth grade. It portrays the life of young Case, a boy who has just moved to a new school, and to top it off, has a dad in jail. Personally, I wouldn't know how to cope with this, but Case decides to make a comic to express his feelings. The comic, titled "Dog Years", is really a hilarious twist to his school life , featuring himself and his friends as cartoon dogs. I loved reading them! In the end, these comics turn out to be insanely popular, but get him into trouble. Even though I won't give away the ending, I'll tell you that IT IS GREAT!

All in all, this book was extremely good, but was too short. At exactly 150 pages(not including the comics) Dog Years is a great read for any kid that is going to or has been in sixth grade.

I read Dog Years when I was in sixth grade I loved the book so much! During some parts I laughed so very hard, and at others I thought I was going to cry! You can really empathize with the main character in this story! I recommend this book for children of all ages!

This is a good book for reading aloud and also for eight year olds because the main charter in this book is a first grader and is written in the first person,Lilly. Something that wasen't too appealing to me was that in the story Lilly's old friend Daisy seems to be perfect in all of the books I've read on Lilly Hill. Sometimes in the arguments that she has with her friends you should have Lilly win. In this book she should have won the argument because she has a hard enought time at home because she shears a room with her mom, her father is in jail fo stealing something, she lives in an appartment in the city, and at school in the book everyone thought that Lilly pushed Daisy on the playground.

I would rate this book a four star because this is like for second graders but this aouthor is awsom and her books have good plots.

Quinny is a listener, all right. She is an eavesdropper who jumps to some very silly conclusions. Harriet the Spy was at least intelligent and she took good notes. She knew the art of how to be discreet for the most part. Quinny is like a bull in a china shop. Just watch out for her horns.

I am ten years old and I loved this book! The characters were very detailed and I understood the author's writing. It was an exciting story and at the end of the chapters I always wanted to read on. I recommend this book to anyone who loves exciting and realistic stories. Quinny always has something new on her mind and she never takes what she has in a good way. At the end she finds something that she has to treasure for her whole life.

Marry McQuinn Todd, Quinney, thinks she has found the perfect summer job: a listener and advice giver. She stops a divorce and gives a little boy a friend. Then, things start to get out of hand. Her crush wants a listener and so does her best friend. She has a problem: how can she keep her job a secret?

This a great book for any kid age 10-13.

The other reviewers compared this book to Harriet the Spy. I loved this book, but I was not that crazy about Harriet the Spy. So, don't think that the books are really that much alike. Whether or not you liked Harriet the Spy does not really predict whether you will like Totally Confidential.

I thought Totally Confidential was totally fun to read.