this place has no atmosphere by paula danziger

Remember Me to Harold Square – Kendra’s parents have devised a scavenger hunt for her, her annoying younger brother, and a 15-year-old boy who is the son of their friends staying with them during the summer (he's cute so its aWell, there is some hand holding… Its pure 1970s drama and I loved it but its heavier than I remembered! The Cat Ate My Gymsuit – Marcy is overweight, has a verbally & emotionally abusive dad (I don’t know that I saw it at the time but I sure as heck see it now - what a jerk!), and her only super cool teacher, who is totally brave and awesome, is being threatened by a band of parents who want to ban the books being taught. That's a lot of stress for middle school, man. The Pistachio Prescription – Cassie’s parents are fighting all the time, she's running for class president and her asthma is so bad (remember how bad 80s asthma was, you guys?) that she basically is always at risk of being hospitalized. So let’s look at some of the greatest hits of Paula Danziger and talk about the really deep topics she explored: but Paula's books were a pretty great crystal ball into the future and a safe place to explore some preteen feelings.

I mean, I was probably 11 or 12 and not yet ready for The Outsiders. I feel like, looking back, these might have been my introduction to young adult books. I remember enjoying her books because I found them funny, but when I look back now I can’t help but notice how many of them dealt with divorce, illness, or moving on from adolescence (which I think we can all agree was super tricky). And when I say characters and situations – I mean hijinks ensue, friendships grow and stay strong, and family crises are explored. She doesn’t have an award named for her like Laura Ingalls Wilder does, her books haven’t been made into movies like Judy Blume and Beverly Clearly… but there is something about Paula’s characters and situations that stayed with me and I loved her quirky style.

Menus, cereal boxes, adult novels – anything that sat still and had writing on it was fair game for the younger version of me.Įventually I graduated from reading random items to those explorations of childhood self discovery/middle-grade chapter books by Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and one of my all time favorites – Paula Danziger. It's no surprise that I’ve been a reader forever.

This place has no atmosphere by paula danziger