Elizabeth Atkinson

A wonderfully told coming-of-age (mid-age, that is) tale. Martin is a one of those not-so-rambunctious boys who have a hard time fitting in. His way of dealing with it is to spend as much time as possible at home, retreating to a make-believe world of model towns, video games and imaginary friends. When his father decides it would be good for both of them if Martin were to spend a month in the wilds of Maine with an older, possibly demented relative (the father, not a stellar character, has show more an ulterior motive), the boy is forced out of his comfort zone and made to confront his loneliness and, for the first time, to find his own way in the wider world. Trapped on the island, he finds a way to make friends with the older relative (who is only pretending to be senile, in a delightful sub-plot), and also with a wild and very rambunctious island boy, and in the process finds strengths and resources he didn't know he had. show less

Elizabeth Atkinson​'s The Sugar Mountain Snow Ball is a beautifully written middle grade story that rang so true to me (even though it was about girls) and rendered so vividly the sometimes crushing anxiety and desperate longing of that age, when you're trying to find your way through the perils of institutionalized schooling, understand that adults are not necessarily all-knowing, and - just to make things nearly impossible - find out just who you might be in your own heart at the same show more time! Very nice read! show less

What if you found yourself in sixth grade more advanced than the other students, and much taller than them? Fitting in would be difficult. All of these problems plague the main character. Add to this her dysfunctional family and her name Emma Freke and you have the set up for a funny book. I felt sorry for Emma. I wanted someone to take her in and care for her. Then I realized she'd been taking care of herself for quite some time. This is one of those books I know many kids and adult will show more relate to. Even through dysfuction family is family. show less

Heard as an audiobook. While Wisconsin was somewhat parodied (gotta watch how my home state is characteried!), this was a very enjoyable book. Emma is raised by a "hippie" kind of mother and at age 12 feels she is the primary responsible person in her household. She doesn't look physically like any family or local residents and feels friendless...except for a much younger adopted neighbor. While her mother has never told her anything about her father, she unexpectedly has a chance to go to a show more family reunion held by his family. She learns a lot about herself and tolerance during that vacation. show less