Children's Fiction Marriage & Divorce
Dear George Clooney
Please Marry My Mom
- Publisher
- Tundra
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2012
- Category
- Marriage & Divorce, General, Stepfamilies
- Recommended Age
- 10 to 18
- Recommended Grade
- 5 to 12
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781770492950
- Publish Date
- Apr 2012
- List Price
- $12.99
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780887769771
- Publish Date
- Aug 2010
- List Price
- $17.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Violet's TV-director dad has traded a job in Vancouver for one in Los Angeles, their run-down house for a sleek ranch-style home complete with a pool, and, worst of all, Violet's mother for a trophy wife, a blonde actress named Jennica. Violet's younger sister reacts by bed-wetting, and her mother ping-pongs from one loser to another, searching for love. As for Violet, she gets angry in ways that are by turns infuriating, shocking, and hilarious.
When her mother takes up with the unfortunately named Dudley Wiener, Violet and her friend Phoebe decide that they need to take control. If Violet's mom can't pick a decent man herself, they will help her snag George Clooney.
In Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom, Susin Nielsen has created a truly original protagonist in Violet and a brilliant new novel that will delight readers into rooting for her, even when she's at her worst.
About the author
Susin Nielsen got her start feeding cast and crew on the popular television series, Degrassi Junior High. They hated her food, but they saw a spark in her writing. Nielsen went on to pen sixteen episodes of the hit TV show. Since then, Nielsen has written for over 20 Canadian TV series. Her first young adult novel, Word Nerd, was published in 2008 to critical acclaim. It won multiple Young Readers’ Choice Awards, as did her second novel, Dear George Clooney: Please Marry My Mom. Her third novel, The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, was published in August 2012. It went on to win the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, the Canadian Library Association’s Children’s Book of the Year Award, and a number of Young Readers’ Choice Awards. Author Wally Lamb named it his top YA pick for 2012 in his “First Annual Wally Awards,” and recently Rolling Stone magazine put it at #27 in their list of “Top 40 Best YA Novels.” Her books have been translated into multiple languages. Susin’s new novel, We Are All Made of Molecules, will be published in Canada, the US and the UK in Spring of 2015. She lives in Vancouver with her family and two naughty cats.
Editorial Reviews
WINNER - 2012 Rocky Mountain Book Award
“Nielsen (Word Nerd) has created a narrator as sassy and candid as this memorable novel’s title…. Nielsen skillfully balances her story’s keen humor…with poignancy. Especially affecting are Violet’s struggles to accept her father’s new family….”
—Starred Review, Publishers Weekly
“Laugh-out-loud humor deftly mixes with insight into a troubled girl’s pain over her parents’ divorce…. Nielsen has real talent for comedy, zoning in on just the right level of snark…. This comic novel scores.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“…Violet is a complex, appealing character whose intimate, lively first-person narrative, both droll and heartfelt, discusses classmate conflicts and crushes as well as her insecurities and her gradual acceptance of what she can and cannot control. Violet’s growth and authentic range of emotions … ring true in this very engaging read.”
—Booklist
“This vacation-friendly paperback is perfect for carry-ons, road trips or wherever the summer takes your teen. Violet, a seventh-grader from Vancouver, attacks life and its many adventures with humour and spunk. In the midst of coping with her cheating dad and his new family, she and her sister sabotage their mom’s new dating life in order to help her find the perfect man. Teens will love Violet’s sarcasm, charm, antics and wit.”
—Canadian Family
Librarian Reviews
Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom
Violet’s TV-director dad has traded a job in Vancouver for one in Los Angeles, their run-down house for a sleek ranch-style home and worst of all, Violet’s mom for a new wife. When her mother takes up with Dudley Wiener, Violet and her friend decide that they need to take control. They plan to help her snag George Clooney!Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. 2011.
