Sophie Dahl

The story begins with the ever-dreaded phone call in the middle of the night, summoning Kitty to London because something's happened to her mother. Heavily pregnant herself, Kitty gets on the first flight, and, we think, starts the story from the beginning to demonstrate how she and her family got to the point where her mother lies in the hospital.

As a child, Kitty lived a somewhat idyllic life in the English countryside with her mother, brother, sister, aunts, grandparents, and nanny. Dahl show more vividly describes her setting, and one can almost feel the warmth of the sun and the breeze.

But Kitty is not destined to remain there. Kitty's mother, Marina, is presented to the reader as someone who does not make the best choices in life. Kitty herself is the product of an affair Marina had as a teenager with a married man. As the story begins, Marina has just found religion, through Swami-ji, the leader of an unnamed cult.

Though benevolent in intention, the effect of the cult on Kitty's family is dramatic. Soon, Kitty is separated from her family and sent to a drab boarding school, while her mother and siblings go to New York. Her mother becomes a successful painter in New York, and after a single school year, decides that Kitty should join her. She does, and it is in New York that Kitty first begins to follow her mother's example in walking on the wild side.

When the family moves back to London (having been rejected by the cult), Kitty's inhibitions seem to stay in New York. Once in London, she falls in with varying crowds, doing drugs, going to wild parties, and the like. From the loose time references we are given in the book, it is the mid-'90s and Kitty is about 14. Not to be overly naive, but she is far too young to be doing the sorts of things she does (I guess that's where the book gets its title), but even worse is that Marina encourages Kitty's behavior, sometimes even joining her at parties, and passing around the drugs. That Marina genuinely loves Kitty makes this picture even more tragic, as it does not ever seem to occur to Marina that her choices and behavior might be destructive to her children. Finally, Marina takes an overdose and is rushed to the hospital. Kitty calls her grandparents, and is finally able to return to their home.

But, although the scene has remained the same, Kitty herself has changed too much to stay there, and decides to go back to boarding school, this time in Connecticut, to make a new start. But here is where the book fails us. Having detailed Kitty's descent, Dahl leaves her redemption to our imagination. We know only that she does manage to make a stable life for herself. Having spent so much time in the dregs with Kitty, it would have been nice if we could have walked with her a bit on her journey up. show less

Read for my 365 Kids Book challenge. You can see all the books on their own shelf.

Mabel, like Eloise, lives in a hotel. Well, it's called the Mermaid Hotel but it's really a bed and breakfast. Mabel is an only child who knows the secrets of all the rooms, and she quickly discovers that the new guest, Madam Badobedah, is an international jewel thief.

Rather more text than most picture books, I am a bit surprised they didn't go the other way and make it longer. The art is fun, so I wouldn't show more want less of it. Sadly the two cats and two dogs didn't get nearly enough attention, so I hope there will be a sequel or three.

Library copy show less

Being Roald Dahl's granddaughter can't have been an easy expectation to step into, when writing. But I think Sophie Dahl has done it gracefully with this coming-of-age story about Kitty, an adolescent with a fairly hectic and trans-global upbringing.

Dahl has defined her own style, which I like, although it's a little jumpy and cannonball-ish, once you get used to it it adds to the charisma of the story. Her writing is whimsical to say the least, and very modern - but it resounds with show more clear-as-a-bell moments that are true to the mind of a teenager, delicate decorations and delicious details, and to me, read somewhat like a fantasy... a glamorous, stylish fantasy.

Kitty has a warm childhood at her grandparent's house in the country, with her very young (and somewhat eccentric) mother and her siblings. One day her mother returns from a trip to London enlightened - she has 'found God' in the form of Swami-ji, a spiritual leader who tells her to pack up and move to New York. From there on Kitty's life becomes a topsy-turvy rollercoaster of new neighbourhoods, bizarre friends, and of course her dramatic mother - all while she tries to blossom into a woman. It's a pretty tale - and although a quick read, it was worth it. show less

When Madame Badobedah arrives at the Mermaid Hotel, where Mabel lives, Mabel vows to keep an eye on the old lady she decides must be a supervillain - but instead, the two become friends, inhabiting a pretend world. Hints of Madame Badobedah's former life seep through.

Longer and more text-heavy than most picture books, but the light watercolor illustrations balance the text. A lovely, unique book for the patient listener.

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Re-read November 2023. See also: The Apartment House on Poppy Hill by show more Nina LaCour) show less