Danny lives in her mother’s world of make-believe, but all she wants is the truth
Dandelion Finzimer’s mother has always wanted to get her daughter on the stage. Mrs. Finzimer is an actress—aspiring, anyway—who makes a living teaching and doing commercials, but lives for the applause she earns as a member of the Bellmont Players. Danny has no talent for acting—she couldn’t even play Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker—but whether she realizes it or not, she’s part of a play. Because no matter how tough things get, Danny’s mom is always acting happy, telling subtly shifting stories, and doing her best to put a smile on her daughter’s face.
This used to be OK, but Danny is in ninth grade now, and high school is a time to face the truth. She has questions about her father, who left when she was a baby, and her paternal grandparents, who live less than an hour away. Getting answers will mean acting serious, and for this quirky young woman, that will be the performance of a lifetime.
This ebook features a personal history by Adele Griffin including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection.
**
Amazon.com Review
Danny's mother has always been a little dramatic. Evidence: Danny's name is short for Dandelion. How embarrassing! The way her mother never seems to leave the stage, the way she exaggerates reality with a zillion meandering stories, has never been a problem ... until now. Danny thinks her mother is hiding the truth about Danny's father and their past. In this complex, quirky, hilarious tale, Adele Griffin shows how two smart, creative people can come to terms with the past so that they can invent their futures with spark and confidence. Prepare to laugh and cry your way through this dazzling novel.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8. Griffin takes one of the most tired plots in current fiction and gives it fresh zip in this comedic look at "discovering Dad" by a daughter living with her single mother. There is real trauma here, but Dandelion Finzimer's angst is balanced with laughter. The characters are vivid and have distinct personalities; while all act as supporting cast to Danny's first-person narrative, they create a world readers sink into. Danny lives with her would-be actress mother, who does commercials for money, teaches at a private school to get free tuition for Danny, and acts in a community theater as her passion. She is assisted in parenting by gay upstairs neighbor, Gary. That she overdramatizes small events should clue Danny in that perhaps she isn't getting the full story about the father she has never met. It takes a madcap accident to bring her face to face with him and his inadequacies. Mom quotes a line from a play, "Some people don't split right when you cut them open," to comfort Danny when her date for the Spring Fling cancels at the last minute with a lame excuse. It's actually the theme of the book, making all the details and sideplots essential. There are bits that are cutesy, and there may be too much interior monologue for some readers. Also, Danny and her best friend often seem younger than ninth graders. Still, Split should appeal to fans of Lois Lowry's "Anastasia" books and Judy Blume's books.?Carol A. Edwards, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
Danny lives in her mother’s world of make-believe, but all she wants is the truth
Dandelion Finzimer’s mother has always wanted to get her daughter on the stage. Mrs. Finzimer is an actress—aspiring, anyway—who makes a living teaching and doing commercials, but lives for the applause she earns as a member of the Bellmont Players. Danny has no talent for acting—she couldn’t even play Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker—but whether she realizes it or not, she’s part of a play. Because no matter how tough things get, Danny’s mom is always acting happy, telling subtly shifting stories, and doing her best to put a smile on her daughter’s face.
This used to be OK, but Danny is in ninth grade now, and high school is a time to face the truth. She has questions about her father, who left when she was a baby, and her paternal grandparents, who live less than an hour away. Getting answers will mean acting serious, and for this quirky young woman, that will be the performance of a lifetime.
This ebook features a personal history by Adele Griffin including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection.
**
Amazon.com Review
Danny's mother has always been a little dramatic. Evidence: Danny's name is short for Dandelion. How embarrassing! The way her mother never seems to leave the stage, the way she exaggerates reality with a zillion meandering stories, has never been a problem ... until now. Danny thinks her mother is hiding the truth about Danny's father and their past. In this complex, quirky, hilarious tale, Adele Griffin shows how two smart, creative people can come to terms with the past so that they can invent their futures with spark and confidence. Prepare to laugh and cry your way through this dazzling novel.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8. Griffin takes one of the most tired plots in current fiction and gives it fresh zip in this comedic look at "discovering Dad" by a daughter living with her single mother. There is real trauma here, but Dandelion Finzimer's angst is balanced with laughter. The characters are vivid and have distinct personalities; while all act as supporting cast to Danny's first-person narrative, they create a world readers sink into. Danny lives with her would-be actress mother, who does commercials for money, teaches at a private school to get free tuition for Danny, and acts in a community theater as her passion. She is assisted in parenting by gay upstairs neighbor, Gary. That she overdramatizes small events should clue Danny in that perhaps she isn't getting the full story about the father she has never met. It takes a madcap accident to bring her face to face with him and his inadequacies. Mom quotes a line from a play, "Some people don't split right when you cut them open," to comfort Danny when her date for the Spring Fling cancels at the last minute with a lame excuse. It's actually the theme of the book, making all the details and sideplots essential. There are bits that are cutesy, and there may be too much interior monologue for some readers. Also, Danny and her best friend often seem younger than ninth graders. Still, Split should appeal to fans of Lois Lowry's "Anastasia" books and Judy Blume's books.?Carol A. Edwards, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.