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Book Reviews of Deliver Us From Normal

Deliver Us From Normal
Deliver Us From Normal
Author: Kate Klise
ISBN-13: 9780439523226
ISBN-10: 0439523222
Publication Date: 3/1/2005
Pages: 240
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 2

3.5 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

2 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Deliver Us From Normal on + 12 more book reviews
I bought this cause it was about a town I had been in at one point. A children's book about differences and learning to love who you are.
GeniusJen avatar reviewed Deliver Us From Normal on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com

Charles Harrisong may live in Normal, Illinois, but he knows his family is anything but. They practically live at Bargain Bonanza, and they're the only family in town who rents a home with no air conditioning. They're loud, and do everything together, and cause a scene wherever they go. Then, there's just him, Charles, who makes lists and sublists of "The Most Embarrassing Things in (his) Life," such as his horrible summer at scout camp and "The Yearling" incident at school. With his unique ability to feel the hidden meaning behind peoples' actions, Charles can't escape what other people think. All he prays for is for his family to be normal.

When his older sister's attempts to run for president of her class end with disastrous results, the Harrisong parents decide that they have had enough of their unforgiving town. After some quick decisions, they drag Charles and his four siblings away from Normal in the middle of the night on a quest to purchase a cheap houseboat docked in Alabama. As they leave the city limits, Charles offers up a new prayer to God to "deliver us from Normal. Get us out of here. Thank you."

Can the Harrisong family make it, or will this houseboat thing just be another horrible mistake?

Klise offers a refreshing voice in the young, shy Charles, and a hilarious look at a family who maintains a close bond throughout much tribulation. Layered with meaning, this masterful work will touch anyone who has survived their own, abnormal family.