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Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree
- By Lauren Tarshis
- Genre: Coming of Age
Common Sense Media says
Outcast finds her niche in smart, funny read.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this book addresses the death of a parent. Also, Emma-Jean writes several fake letters with no consequences.
What's the story?
Unlike many kids in junior high, Emma-Jean is happy... in a way. By becoming a combination of "Super Not-Care Girl" and "Nancy freakin' Drew," Emma-Jean can closely observe the kids around her, even if she can't count any of them among her friends. One of Emma-Jean's best friends had been her father who died two years before. Since then, she has detached herself from the kids at school. That's why it's all the more surprising when Colleen Pomerantz, a girl in her class, confides in her. On a whim, Emma-Jean helps out Colleen, only to set in motion a chain of events that will mean Emma-Jean might have to leave the safety of her outsider status and join the chaos of Gladstone Middle School.
Is it any good?
If only we could all have a friend like Emma-Jean Lazarus. Or at least be like Emma-Jean, whom fellow student Colleen Pomerantz thinks of enviously as "Super Not-Care Girl." Emma-Jean doesn't care what the other kids think of her, and it's a good thing too, because everyone thinks she's really strange. When her mom suggests they look up "strange" in the dictionary, they find an apt definition of Emma-Jean: "extraordinary, remarkable, singular." All words, incidentally, that describe Lauren Tarshis' new book.
Tarshis omits the hackneyed formula of the junior high melodrama where boys, crushes, and notes read aloud in class rule the day. Instead she addresses real problems kids face at school: friends who tend to bully or teachers who seem to have it "in" for you. Better still, the style of writing reflect's Emma-Jean's train of thought which is intelligent, logical, and humorous; the book is fun without ever feeling frivolous.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how Emma-Jean copes with the death of her father. Does moving on with life mean you have to forget about the person who died? Also, do you know anyone at school who doesn't have friends? How are they treated? How do you treat them?
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AGE
Unlike some of the reviewers I think this book was good. I liked the way Emma-Jean looked at life. This book is easy to read for ages 8+ but all of the girls in the book are in 7th grade.It only took me 2 days to finish, the book could have been a little better but I was still good.
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AGE
Cliche
Like the reviewer before me, I wasn't entertained while reading this book. It has an unoriginal plot and the characters are also run of the mill. I don't understand why adults like this
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AGE
BORING
i am 12 and i almost fell asleep while reading this book
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AGE
Inspiring and Emotional (For me!)
The best book ever! I feel so misunderstood and Emma-Jean does a great job of showing, "Nobody's a sweet as a peach."
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Kid, 11 years old
November 13, 2011
AGE
Emma Jean Lazarus experince reveiw
I think this book teaches you about the real problems you face and all the characters express how to solve it.......freindship!
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AGE
"Unique" By someone age 10
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell out of a Tree is an great book based on two girls who experience an event beggining in the girls bathroom. The two girls find themselves twisted in a problem that only Emma-Jean could have the solution too, but even Emma-Jean is having trouble solving this one. Interfering with her fellow pupils is not Emma-Jean's speciallty. Will Emma-Jean be able to solve the problem and most of all, will she ever experience the thrill of a positive result again? Readers ages 9-11 will enjoy this warming story about two girls discovering they're place in the world.
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| Author: | Lauren Tarshis |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Coming of Age |
| Publisher: | Dial Books |
| Publication date: | March 1, 2007 |
| Number of pages: | 199 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.99 |
| Paperback price: | $6.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 8 - 12 |
| Read aloud: | 8 |
| Read alone: | 9 |
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