The Year my Parents Ruined my Life, by Martha Freeman, is about escape. Mr. Sommer is getting a new job at Belletoona, Pennyslvania. The family moves there, but Kate Sommers, one of the children, doesn’t like the town. In fact, she loathes it so much that she is willing to leave the family for a period of time just to get out of there. When she gets enough money to buy a plane ticket to fly away, she comes back to Isla Nada, California, where her best friend is waiting. When she arrives, her parents call, and then she is forced to go back. She starts to take notice that Belletoona is actually better than she thinks, and then grows comfortable with her new home. I recommend this story for boys and girls, grades third to sixth.
The Year My Parents Ruined My Life
By Martha Freeman
Twelve-year-old Kate has her entire world turned upside-down when she has to move from California to snowy Pennsylvania, where she tries to adjust to a new climate, a new school, and new friends.
Publisher: A Yearling Book-Bantam Doubleday Dell
ISBN-13: 9780440415336
ISBN-10: 0440415330
Published on 9/1/1999
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 192