Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
THE YEAR OF MY MIRACULOUS REAPPEARANCE by Catherine Ryan Hyde (also the author of the well-known PAY IT FORWARD) truly illustrates the life of a young teen and her struggle with an alcoholic parent and the ripple-effect of alcoholism.
Cynnie is used to taking care of herself. Not only herself, but also her little brother, Bill, and let's face it, she takes care of her mother, too. Normal life for Cynnie involves cleaning up after her alcoholic mother, making sure one of her many cigarettes doesn't set their house on fire, and tending to her little brother who has Downs Syndrome. Life isn't easy, but it works for Cynnie. Cynnie's only escape is the tree house one of her mother's many passing boyfriends helped her build.
Until one day when her grandparents show up and announce that Bill will be living with them. Bill is Cynnie's only reason for living. When he leaves, she discovers the power of alcohol to erase her pain. She becomes her mother - stumbling through the day under the influence and waking the next day to do it all over again.
Even through her drunken haze, Cynnie knows her only hope lies in getting Bill back into her life. She convinces her friend Snake, a victim of his own father's abuse, to help her rescue Bill so they can all escape to a better life. Unfortunately, their plan collapses when Cynnnie wrecks the car. Everyone recovers from their injuries, but Bill ends up back with their grandparents, and Cynnie finds herself on probation and back home with her drunken mother.
Part of Cynnie's court-ordered punishment includes mandatory attendance at AA meetings. The meetings are at first intimidating, but as Cynnie finally discovers through the help of her sponsor, they offer her a way to push her life in a positive direction. Her goal to eventually reunite with her brother gives Cynnie the determination to overcome her fears.
Hyde takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions as Cynnie battles her mother, her grandparents, and her own personal demons. As in real life, nothing is easy and relapses make life seem hopeless at times. Cynnie's story is straightforward and inspirational.
THE YEAR OF MY MIRACULOUS REAPPEARANCE by Catherine Ryan Hyde (also the author of the well-known PAY IT FORWARD) truly illustrates the life of a young teen and her struggle with an alcoholic parent and the ripple-effect of alcoholism.
Cynnie is used to taking care of herself. Not only herself, but also her little brother, Bill, and let's face it, she takes care of her mother, too. Normal life for Cynnie involves cleaning up after her alcoholic mother, making sure one of her many cigarettes doesn't set their house on fire, and tending to her little brother who has Downs Syndrome. Life isn't easy, but it works for Cynnie. Cynnie's only escape is the tree house one of her mother's many passing boyfriends helped her build.
Until one day when her grandparents show up and announce that Bill will be living with them. Bill is Cynnie's only reason for living. When he leaves, she discovers the power of alcohol to erase her pain. She becomes her mother - stumbling through the day under the influence and waking the next day to do it all over again.
Even through her drunken haze, Cynnie knows her only hope lies in getting Bill back into her life. She convinces her friend Snake, a victim of his own father's abuse, to help her rescue Bill so they can all escape to a better life. Unfortunately, their plan collapses when Cynnnie wrecks the car. Everyone recovers from their injuries, but Bill ends up back with their grandparents, and Cynnie finds herself on probation and back home with her drunken mother.
Part of Cynnie's court-ordered punishment includes mandatory attendance at AA meetings. The meetings are at first intimidating, but as Cynnie finally discovers through the help of her sponsor, they offer her a way to push her life in a positive direction. Her goal to eventually reunite with her brother gives Cynnie the determination to overcome her fears.
Hyde takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions as Cynnie battles her mother, her grandparents, and her own personal demons. As in real life, nothing is easy and relapses make life seem hopeless at times. Cynnie's story is straightforward and inspirational.
