Parents' Guide to

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree

By Kate James, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Outcast finds her niche in smart, funny read.

Book Lauren Tarshis Coming of Age 2007
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 1 parent review

ecv2000
ecv2000 Adult
November 13, 2011
age 9+

"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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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?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (6):

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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Book Details

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