Sundae Girl

by Cathy Cassidy

Jude's family are crazy, quirky, bizarre . . . her mum brings her nothing but trouble and her dad thinks he's Elvis! All she wants is a hassle-free life – but it's not easy when she's chasing a trail of broken promises. Things go from bad to worse, but could the floppy-haired boy from school be her knight on shining rollerblades . . . ?

Genres: Childrens, Contemporary, Romance, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Teen

233 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2007

About the author

I was born in 1962 in Coventry (scarily ancient, I know). I wrote my first picture book for my little brother when I was eight or nine. I loved making comics, too - pages and pages of picture stories, features and competitions.

I went to Art College in Liverpool, then got a job as fiction editor on the fab and legendary Jackie magazine.

I have worked as agony aunt on Shout magazine and also as an art teacher in the local primary & secondary schools, as well as as a freelance illustrator. These days, I am a full-time author.

I love my family, I love living in the middle of nowhere and I love my work. Of all my jobs, writing has to be the best - it's the perfect excuse to daydream, after all!

Reviews

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love Cathy Casssidy. I think she really knows about what our teenage lives are like!
The story is about a young girl girl called Jude, whose family is not the most normal of families! Her dad and his girlfriend are obsessed with Elvis Presley and Doing 60's/70's Tribute Shows. Her Grandmother has Alzheimers and her Grandfather is constantly looking after her. And then her Mother is an Alchoholic. She has dog called Toto, because of the fact her Mother loves the film 'The Wizard of Oz'. Jude is then liked my a boy called Justin Carter at her school, who follows her around and won't leave her alone.
Her Mother starts drinking and smoking again, and when Jude thinks that nothing can get worse, Kristina Kowalski starts on her case. When her Father's wedding comes up and her Mum takes her to the other side of Scotland, Jude cannot get through to her Granfather back at home, no matter how many phone calls she makes. She remembers Carter and calls him. He races around back at home, making visits back and forth bewteen Jude's Mum's Boyfriend, Giovanni, and Jude's Grandparents taking messages. Jude soon finds out, with the help of Carter that her Grandmother has had a stroke, and Giovanni comes to pick them up from Scotland in his Ice Cream van.
Sadly, Judes Grandmother dies in the end, but on a happier note, her mother does start to go to AA meetings and gets her Drinking problem sorted out in the end. She ends up marrying Giovanni in Italy.

I thought this book was brilliant! I think Cathy really tells it as if she is Jude herself, and gives a lot of detail!
Infact, I'm going to read this book again tonight!
:)

[Maddie]

Cute re-read of my preteen favourite book!

[Victoria Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a light, happy read, this is it. It took me a day to read, and that's not all in one go. You know, procrastinating on the internet, going out and meaning to buy clothes, etc etc. Despite it being short, I adored it.

Let's start with Carter. Because holy moly I LOVE CARTER! He is the absolute cutest kid I've ever laid eyes on. If I was 13, I would want him to take me on dates. As it is, I'm happy with being his best friend. And shipping him and Jude like mad. Here, let me convince you of his adorableness. Valentine's Day. Carter has been crushing (very noticeably) on Jude for a while now, so we expect him to do something. And what does he do, you ask? He sneaks little lollies,Candy Conversation Hearts for Valentine's Day with messages on them - kiss me, hug me, I love u - into her books, and bag, and locker, and even her boots after sport. I mean, what more could you possibly ask for? I loved how he refused to give up, no matter how many times Jude refused him. He was by far the best bit of this book. Although, I would've liked a little more detail about those two. He just liked her, and that was that. He seemed like the kind of guy that gets bored easily (roller-skates and BMXing, for example). What made her the exception?

While we had the light-hearted Carter, it wasn't all fun and girly. Jude's Mum was the centre of the plot. She was, although she wouldn't admit it, an alcoholic. She denied it furiously, and even her parents liked to pretend it wasn't happening. But it was. She made scenes, she embarrassed Jude, she treated her parents and her boyfriend horribly. But she was what made the book more real. She gave a reason for all the other plot bits that wouldn't have made sense. Plus, she made me like Jude, because I felt so sorry for her. I could go on about this, but I really don't want to ruin it for you. Because you are going to read it, right?

The only thing I'd change is the length. It was meant to be a short, sweet book. But I really wanted more detail. I wanted to know if their happy ever after really lasted. I wanted to know what Giovanni (the Mum's boyfriend) did in his spare time, and how they met, and all those sorts of things. I wanted to know more about the grandparents. Really, I wanted more depth. However, that's not to say it wasn't still amazing! A perfect book to get out of a reading slump, or when you just don't want to think.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jude is a shy girl that has a messed up life, in her point of view. Jude's dad thinks he's Elvis (he is an Elvis impersonator), her Gran has an illness where she forgets things all the time, and Jude's mum is getting seriously close to drinking herself to death. All she wants is a hassle-free life, and Jude is about to discover that she already has all she needs, thanks to a floppy blonde-haired boy called Kevin Carter...

I really like this book. It's full of possibilities, problems, and things you don't realise that you have. I love reading about Jude, Carter, Mum, and all the other characters in the story, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Although I loved this book and reading about the characters, I have one complaint. It isn't generally about this book, but more or less ALL of Cathy Cassidy's books:
When a character is feeling uncomfortable or upset or angry, Cathy ALWAYS uses the phrase "My ..... sticks in my throat". I wasn't going to complain about this, but when I read this book and it had the same phrase AGAIN, it had come to a point when I need to complain. I, personally, think that it's okay if you use a phrase a few times, but not so many times. "New book, new phrase." That's what I say.

I recommend this book to children the age of 7/8+, and the age group Year 3+ (if you are a year 3 and love to read and know a lot of difficult words!).

I loved how Cathy Cassidy wove words into sentences and how to sentences were describing and how they formed the story together. I think that Cathy Cassidy has amazing idea's of stories to write, and I'm excited to read more of her books already! I think that Cathy's books are very interesting. Well, there is one that I didn't find so enjoyable, but I definitely think that this one is!

Keep reading, daydreaming, and never stop believing!

Faye xx

[Jackie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was just as good as it was when I was 11 ❤️

[Ajla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kiera · Rating 3 out of 5]

poor jude

[sim ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a ok book and I don't really have anything to say about it other than I think I would've enjoyed it more if I had read it earlier because it was more childish compared to other books that I've recently read.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remembered that when I read this, aged ten, I hadn't enjoyed it that much. In fact, I considered it to be my least favourite Cathy Cassidy book (as it happens, it isn't my least favourite. It's my second least favourite. My absolute least favourite is 'Driftwood'). So I decided to read it again, because I couldn't actually remember why I disliked it, or really, anything about the story, though I did recollect that there was an Elvis impersonator in there somewhere.

The story is about a girl named Jude Reilly, whose family is about as far from normal as it's possible to get. She lives with her granddad, and her grandma, whom Jude adores, although she gets a bit confused sometimes. Her mum has a serious drinking problem, and her Dad and his girlfriend are just a teensy bit obsessed with the Swingin' Sixties- Dad drives a pink Cadillac, lives in his satin catsuits, and sings rock 'n roll for a living.
Jude is trying hard to be a normal girl, but it's hard when she's chasing a trail of broken promises. Suddenly, life spins out of control, and Jude is forced to follow her mum's wake of destruction, picking up the pieces of her broken life. Can new friends, ice-cream sundaes, and a blond haired boy on rollerskates make Jude's life sweet again?

After re-reading this book, I found that I am actually in agreement with my ten year old self- this is definitely one of Cathy Cassidy's weakest books. I was struggling to come up with a synopsis, because not a lot happened.

I didn't really have a favourite character. I didn't have anything against Jude, or anything. She wasn't unrealistic or annoying or boring. She was just, there, I guess. She served her purpose, she narrated the story. But she was nothing special, nothing memorable. It's hardly surprising that I barely remembered the book- it's not one that particularly sticks in your mind.
Jude's mum wasn't exactly likeable, and the other characters were just a bit, well, bitty. They bobbed up here and there, but they weren't around enough for me to make a proper judgement on them.

In 'Sundae Girl', Cathy Cassidy did what Cathy Cassidy does best (aside from conjuring up fanciful romantic fantasies that, while sweet and cheerful to read about, are highly unrealistic) and that is cover some really important issues and depict them truthfully, yet simply.

So of course, a key one here was alcoholism, and I like the way Cathy demonstrates how it destroys lives and families, but also shows that it doesn't have to fully destroy a person. People can be helped. A dependence on alcohol can be overcome.
But the topic that I personally identified with the most was that of Alzheimer's, and how difficult and upsetting it can be. Obviously, Jude's grandma in the book suffers from Alzheimer's, and I think she is a very accurate portrayal. If you've never known someone with a memory condition, it can be hard to imagine how challenging life must be for that person, and the people around them, but this book really put it into perspective, and I admire that.

However, the book is let down by its lack of actual content. Because the story is SO focused on those all-important social issues, it's like Cathy Cassidy sort of forgot to include a plot, and she seemingly failed to remember that a bit of character development never goes amiss. For instance, take Jude's so-called 'love interest', Kevin Carter (sometimes he's referred to as Kevin, other times, he's called Carter, and no real explanation is given as to why). It is never clarified what he sees in Jude. Jude provides no backstory regarding who he is, and how she came to know him- she just begins randomly talking to him on page 5, seemingly not acquainted with him at all, and yet is suddenly jealous when he announces that he finds another girl attractive.

Carter makes about three appearances in the book, and any attempts at developing his character and his relationship with Jude were half-hearted. He really wasn't at all necessary to the plot. It was as if Cathy Cassidy thought to herself, 'Well, I have to throw in some romance SOMEWHERE, so we'll make him do something romantic here, and he can visit her there and...' She clearly couldn't help herself, even though it would have been better if he hadn't been included at all.

Another thing Cathy Cassidy can't resist is adding tragic backstories. She can't leave characters, especially antagonists alone. For example, class mean girl, Kristina Kowalski, can't just be a mean girl. No, Cathy just had to ensure she some sort of sad past, thereby justifying her malicious actions. Kristina's story was just randomly thrown in near the end of a chapter. Again- very unnecessary, and it just detracted from the main story.

But, on the plus side, Cathy Cassidy's age judgement wasn't so skewed this time. Jude is 13, and she acted pretty true to her age, which was good. Although I did laugh out loud when Kristina was described as a 'year eight siren'. The terms 'year eight' and 'siren' do not belong together.
I'd rate this book...
3 out of 10 stars.

'I suppose we're all just looking for our very own yellow-brick road.'- Miss Devlin

[Maeva 📖🌙 · Rating 2 out of 5]

bon je l’ai lu quoi

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, fun book. It gives a young adult hope when everything in her life seems to be failing. My only complaint is that no adult ever called the mom on her alcoholism. Mom's alcoholic behavior and the forgiving and understanding nature from all around her got to be old. It seems tough love was in order. But.....maybe....just maybe....a student reading this needs the message of hope more than the message of tough love.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que dire... Je découvre la plume de Cathy Cassidy avec ce roman et le moins que l'on puisse dire c'est qu'il est poignant.
Cette couverture cache un sujet assez difficile pour une ado de 13 ans qui doit gérer des problèmes d'adultes.
J'ai ris à certaines répliques et j'ai versé ma petite larmes à certains passages.
Je le conseille vivement.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

childhood

[lancie♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review features spoilers!!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ R E V I E W
< P O S I T I V E S > :
○ I liked that Kevin's borderline obsessive behaviour was referred to as 'stalking'. This doesn't justify his behaviour, but referring to it correctly is far better than referring to it as 'cute' or 'dedication'.
○ I like that Kevin and Giovanni had distinctive things associated with them - rollerblading (I keep calling it roller skating, but according to Reddit there are some technical differences!) for Kevin and owning an ice cream van in Giovanni's case.
○ I often complain that young and mid teens aren't mature enough for romance, but I think the romance in this book was a suitably early teen sweet/fluffy level. For example, Kevin sneaked Love Heart sweets into Jude's belongings, which is cute and harmless.
○ I liked the domino effect - a good thing in this case! - of Kevin phoning Jude's house at the climax.
○ I really like the Alex plot twist!

< N E G A T I V E S > :
○ I found that language such as 'deranged' (which was referred to as a 'family trait' among one of the times it was used!), 'looney', 'maniac' and two references to 'slitting wrists' were appalling to read as well as ironic in a book about stigma and embracing differences! By this I'm referring to the stigma of alcoholism and Alzheimer's disease, and embracing autism and embarrassing family members.
○ I don't get why Alex's name is so English-perceived, but Kristina's isn't (the spelling Christina would be English-perceived) considering they are siblings and have a Polish surname. Then there's Nuala (O'Sullivan, if I remember correctly) has a full Irish name, but the character who is acknowledged as Irish has a very stereotypical name - Patrick! Giovanni, an Italian character also has a very stereotypical Italian name.
○ I found it weird and unrealistic not only did five people come to Jude's parent/teacher meeting ~ and in three sets! Her mother (1), her father and step-mother (2) and then her grandparents (3). Her mother could've went, and then told her grandparents what was said. If she doesn't think she can tell pass information onto her ex-husband, he could go himself separately. Two people, not five. But I get that it was written the way it was, for the plot.
○ I felt that Jude spoke more grown-up than I expected from a thirteen year old, and was very cheeky and rude to Kevin about an interest of his - rollerblading.

< N E U T R A L > :
○ I read the part of the book that said it was Friday the 31st of March on that exact day in real life which was a strange coincidence!
○ Why was Kevin most often referred to solely by his surname by Jude? I know it's an old-fashioned thing for teachers to call students by their surnames, but Jude is in the same school year as Kevin!
○ I've Googled it, and apparently Jude is a gender-neutral name, but I do think of it as a male name by default as this is the only time I've heard of it as a female name.
○ The first time I read this book, it looked like the cover image above. However, when I got a different copy a recently, the cover was different. On Goodreads I was able to find this pink cover, but it said it was the e-book version, but it wasn't an e-book I read the second time.


˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ D E T A I L S
○ WRITTEN ON: A030423
TRANSCRIBED ON: B130623

○ HOURS TAKEN TO READ: Less than 6 hours
RATING: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

[Karen Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sundae Girl is a book about family. About how infuriating and imperfect the bonds between a family can be, how these bonds are tested during hardship, learning to forgive and love mothers who break your heart. I'm just in awe at how effortlessly Cathy makes relationships come alive on every page! This book definitely dealt with a lot more serious issues such as alcoholism, Alzheimer's, Autism (there is a special needs boy in the book) and death of a loved one. Cathy Cassidy approached these issues with grace and care so I feel this would be such an empowering and meaningful read to introduce to younger readers who are coping with the problems the main protagonist faced in the book. I was tearing up when I reached the ending because it was so bittersweet. Also, can we just have a round of applause for how skillfully Cathy handles the mean girls every time?? The mean girl, Kristina Kowalski had a proper backstory AND positive character development that explained why she was the way she is. I was so touched when she turned out to have a special needs brother who she is fiercely protective of and she was sympathetic towards Jude's alcoholic mother since they both hid secrets about their family. The father, grandfather, stepmother and grandmother were all lovely as well despite their idiosyncracies. No one was truly evil, not even the mother. I like that. For once, it's nice to have a story where all the characters are complex and kind of awkward but they try their best to be good people.

I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who may have an absent parent, a mother coping with alcohol addiction or a grandparent suffering from Alzheimer's. It made me feel less alone reading about Jude facing these same problems and I felt so seen and comforted by this novel's tender approach to these dark themes.

ps: The love interest, Kevin Carter? He's such a silly boi and I love him hehe. ><

Just going to leave this lovely passage from the novel for you to feast your eyes on:
...Because I honestly think that real life has got its own magic. you find it in little things, unexpected things, like a tube of Love Hearts sweets, a boy feeding birds from the breadcrumbs in his palm, a plump woman in a pink wig who says it doesn't matter even when soemone has just fried her bridal veil to a crisp

[Aisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book and the spark between her and floppy haired boy Kevin Carter was my favorite . A very sensible family emotional book . Jude is a shy girl who thinks she has the most embarrassing family ever ,her dad is an Elvis with his girlfriend Victoria , her mom is a serious alcoholic who drinks way too much and is quite moody who treats her family and boyfriend horribly , her grandmother who was the ribbon of this family has Alzheimer and her grandfather is supporting her but doesn’t react much all she wants is to be normal .
From all this tangled life comes Kevin Carter who keeps trying to make Jude his one by letters , cute treats squeeeeee !! She then has to attend her fathers wedding but her mom comes along and chaos comes she burns Victoria’s veil and abuses dad but then after her grandmother dies , her mom joins a mending group her life is getting repaired and you guessed she and Kevin Carter has a beautiful romance between them . Well I would like more of Kevin and her but however her book was marvelous

[Mel Jenney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn’t stop reading this once I started! I think I’ve finished it in 3 and a half hours, which is kinda a record for me.
I loved reading Jude’s story. We can all relate to wishing for a normal life, being embarrassed by your family, just wanting to be invisible. And yet, some people know that you’re worth noticing. Like Carter, the cute crazy boy who has a huge crush on Jude, if only she’d take the time to notice and appreciate him.
I loved the realistic, heartbreaking yet fulfilling rollercoaster Cassidy took us on with the story of Jude’s mum’s alcoholism. A sensitive yet realistic portrayal of something so heartbreaking, and I also thought the Alzheimer’s storyline was also handled so well...I even cried a little at the end as it was so sad.
An amazing book with important truths to tell, Sundae Girl is a must read for young women.

[Meteora-books · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est encore une réussite pour moi ! L'autrice sait vraiment aborder de manière habile des thèmes importants et très actuels (alcoolisme, handicap, regard des autres, maladie d'Alzheimer...) dont il faut que les ados entendent parler. Elle le fait avec délicatesse et douceur mais sans détour. J'ai trouvé Jude très forte face à ce qu'elle vit et a aucun moment elle n'est dans le déni. Ce qui est à la fois appréciable mais dur en même temps car la situation n'est pas facile...
C'est un des Carhy Cassidy les plus tristes que j'ai plus lire, ne vous attendez pas à un récit léger! Mais pour autant, j'ai trouvé l'histoire touchante et émouvante et je l'ai terminée avec un sourire aux lèvres jusqu'aux oreilles!

[Vidhya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did I enjoy this book more than I thought I would have? I mean, its a normal breezy book, a light read that I wouldn’t have been so heavily invested in. But I ended up crying at the end? I don’t know.
I like how this series of Cathy Cassidy’s books revolves around a certain topic in each book. This one is on addiction and how it ruins the family and things like that. But I love how the story built up and how Jude (our 13 year old) was so much more mature and not annoying or whiny.
I liked how the plot planned out and I’m glad I actually read this book.
Worth it!
I would recommend this Cathy Cassidy book. Do not think this is just another teen book and pass. I feel like it has so many elements to it that makes you think twice. Especially around dysfunctional families.

[Jiayi · Rating 5 out of 5]

+ the mom PISSED ME OFF SO BAD. oh my god she was a spiteful selfish person and she screwed up MC's life over and over again. but i loved the writing of her alcoholism and how it affected everyone around her. thank god she got it together in the end
+ the male love interest was not very compelling but it was funny how he trailed after MC the entire story while she was like no i have no time for relationships
+ the popular mean girl bonding with MC in the end <3
- Giovanni's ending... HE SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE BACK. the mom never even liked him when she was sober what

[erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one was less a favorite of mine. I felt jude's embarrassment and relunctantness, but I really wanted her to have a friend to trust enough to confide in. and the other characters didn't seem as strong to me. I also wanted her dad to be more involved. but it's true enough that families deny the problem and for that it was realistic.
again, information regarding where to go for help at the end of the book would have been appropriate.
*ILL read

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think it’s fair for me to rate this book as I didn’t read it to rate it, if that makes sense.

I just read it to try to get back into reading, building the habit and trying to become familiar with what it’s like to read again.

For early teens, this book is great. Deals with a dysfunctional family, alcoholism, death of a grandparent and teenage relationships. Was darker than I remember as a child, but that’s the way an adult’s mind works vs a child.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok but to be honest I am probably a bit old for it however it still didn't wow me much. It was different to others I have read but I found the mother a bit annoying as she just didn't sort her self out. Because I am a bit old for this book I am not going to say whether I would recommend it or not, I will let the younger readers do that.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing book! Loved the side stories alongside it with Mum’s promises that she sadly always had to break — but she could not help it. Kevin was such a nice guy and him and Jude were so perfect! I loved how patient Victoria was as well and the niceness she carried, understanding Mum. Although it had a twist of a good and a bad ending, it was absolutely brilliant.

[lucy, she-her · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
i absolutely adore cathy cassidy, but in my opinion this book didn’t have the same magic that all her others do. it’s a very high standard to meet each time, however, and this is purely due to the storyline, not the writing quality - i’m sure many people would adore this book if the storyline appealed to them as much as her others do to me.

[suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was on my 6th grade around 2014-2015. It's actually the first novel I have ever read. It's too cute and I can still feel the jiggly feeling I felt when I first read it. I would definitely love to re-read and rate this again soon. It literally smells like nostalgia in the afternoon ^^

[Elea. Noor. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encore une fois, Cathy Cassidy parvient à me charmer avec une histoire qui frappe. À force, je ne lis même plus les résumés et je me lance dans ses histoires à l'aveugle. Ainsi, je suis toujours agréablement surprise.

L'histoire de Jude est si terrible, si teintée d'espoir. Alors que tout se brise à chaque fois, on continue quand même d'y croire.

[Fantasiser :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really really liked this book. totally obsessed with it. I read this book when I was about 8 or 9 and I adored it. I haven't read it recently but I can remember the feeling it gave me. loved it. 10/10

[Anaëlle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce roman est extraordinaire tu mens et plein de rebondissements il parle de sujet divers tel que le décès d'une personne et l'alcoolisme et autres.J'ai vraiment apprécié ma lecture je l'ai finis en une soirée.

Bonne lecture à tous ✨

[Syafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended, walaupun konfliknya cukup berat untuk dikonsumsi anak umur 8 tahun. Secara keseluruhan, alurnya seperti rollercoaster alias seru banget. Kosakata nya juga bukan yang dasar, jadi cocok untuk bacaan pemula yang mau tambah perbendaharaan kata nya.