Skinny Melon and Me - Softcover

Jean Ure

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006751474 ISBN 13: 9780006751472

Publisher: Collins, 1996

Synopsis

Cherry's mother has just married Roland Butter and his efforts to please her are almost enough to make her leave home. Skinny Melon, her best friend, knows most of Cherry's troubles, but it is her diary which bears the brunt of her feelings. A funny approach to the problem of stepfathers.

About this title

About the Author:

Jean Ure was born in Surrey and, when growing up, knew that she was going to be a writer or a ballet dancer. She began writing when she was six years old and had her first book published while she was still at school. Jean is a vegan and animal lover. She lives with her husband, seven dogs and four cats in a 300 year old house in Croydon

From School Library Journal:

Gr 3-6-Cherry Waterton is miserable. She hates her new stepfather, a skinny, bearded man who illustrates children's books for a living and is always trying to win her over by slipping silly coded messages under her door. She is especially upset when his allergies cause her mom to break her promise to buy a dog. Worst of all, her mother suddenly announces that she is expecting a baby. Cherry misses her dad, who lives miles from London with his new wife and has a job that keeps him busy. She complains about her problems to her best friend, Melanie, aka Skinny Melon, but Melanie thinks that Cherry is lucky to have someone like Slimey Roland for a stepfather. The story is told through Cherry's diary entries and sketches, supplemented by Roland's notes and occasional letters written by her mother to a friend in Texas. Ure does a wonderful job of capturing the misunderstandings that come between the 11-year-old and her mother, Roland's well-intentioned attempts to win the love of his new stepdaughter, and Cherry's growing appreciation for her quirky and compassionate stepdad. Although some of the British words may make Roland's rebus messages difficult to decipher, they are eventually explained. The title is a little misleading, since the story focuses more on Cherry's relationship with Roland than on her friendship with Skinny Melon. A wonderfully entertaining, humorous, and thoughtful novel.-Ashley Larsen, Woodside Library, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Collins
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0006751474
• ISBN 13: 9780006751472
• Binding: Paperback