One Whole and Perfect Day

by Judith Clarke Narrated by Gretal Montgomery

Overview

Sometimes Lily wishes she weren't so sensible. If she were less reliable, then perhaps she'd have more fun. As it is, her hardworking but flaky mom and her dreamy older brother count on her to run the house. She wishes things could be different, but how can she change her responsible ways? Perhaps, she thinks, she should fall in love!

Meanwhile, her scheming grandmother is planning a family party and, as is typical, Lily worries. Her fears are not entirely unfounded. Her grandfather has recently disowned her brother, and her brother has a new girlfriend who might not fit in. Her mother will probably bring the loony Mrs. Nightingale from the adult day care center where she works. And these are only the predictable complications. Lily is beginning to understand how easily unimaginable things can happen, too.

Back to the question of love, what is this new feeling Lily experiences when Daniel Steadman is near? Could it be the cure?

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Writing with the same warmth and humor that characterized her earliest novels (the Al Capsella series), Clarke introduces a new cast of endearingly eccentric characters who are drawn together to enjoy "one whole and perfect day." Seventeen-year-old Lily, the youngest, most "sensible" member of the Samson clan, has well-founded misgivings about the upcoming 80th birthday party for Pop, her grandfather. She is sure something will go wrong (as it always does) when her unpredictable relatives unite, still she hopes for the "perfect day" of the book's title. Pop himself is having a feud with Lily's shiftless brother Lonnie, and has even threatened him with an ax, causing Lonnie to leave home and move into an apartment. Pop's wife, Nan, who is as soft as Pop is gruff, might be considered normal were it not for her invisible best friend, Sef. Then there's Lily's psychologist mother, who works in an adult day-care center and is always bringing home "old people whose care-giver children were quite desperate for a little break." While the novel mainly focuses on Lily's exasperation with her family's peculiarities, the third-person narrative shifts among other characters' points of view, which reveal old resentments as well as their mutual affections, affections that prove to be more deep-rooted than grudges. Filled with surprising turns of events and serendipitous encounters with strangers (who ultimately take on significance in the story), this book celebrates rekindled friendship and blossoming romance. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

From the Publisher

* "Filled with surprising turns of events and serendipitous encounters with strangers (who ultimately take on significance in the story), this book celebrates rekindled friendship and blossoming romance." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

* --Horn Book

"Reminiscent of Perkins' Criss Cross (BCCB 9/05), this Australian import will appeal especially to fans of strong character development and alternating points of view." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

JANUARY 2009 - AudioFile

Gretal Montgomery manages to define eight eccentric Australian characters who are surprisingly connected to one another. The intriguing characters include a grandmother with an invisible friend who is married to an ax-wielding racist who is fond of threatening his lazy grandson. That's before he learns the grandson is engaged to a girl of Chinese descent. At the story's center is 16-year-old Lily, who is frustrated with her mother's tendency to bring home "lame ducks" from the elder care facility and tired of her own search for romance. Lily wishes for one whole perfect day for her grandfather's 80th birthday. Montgomery's voice is soft and whispery, almost as if she's tiptoeing through the narration, as these characters tread softly around each other and the issue of prejudice that runs throughout the story. S.W. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172502224
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	12/20/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

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