Lizzie's Leaving

by Joan Lingard

'What are you doing?' 'Packing.' 'Where are you going?' 'Where do you think I'm going? To my father's, of course.' When Lizzie's father - whom she has never met - invites her to stay, she jumps at the chance. Fed up with her messy home and chaotic family. she can't wait to get to know her 'other family' - her little half-sister, her stepmother Candice and her charming, handsome did. But things aren't as wonderful as they first appear, as Lizzie gradually begins to realize... This thoughtful and contemporary novel addresses issues that confront many children in today's society.

Paperback

First published April 24, 1997

About the author

Joan Lingard was born in Edinburgh, in the Old Town, but grew up in Belfast where she lived until she was 18. She attended Strandtown Primary and then got a scholarship into Bloomfied Collegiate. She has three daughters and five grandchildren, and now lives in Edinburgh with her Canadian husband.

Lingard has written novels for both adults and children. She is probably most famous for the teenage-aimed Kevin and Sadie series, which have sold over one million copies and have been reprinted many times since.

Her first novel Liam's Daughter was an adult-orientated novel published in 1963. Her first children's novel was The Twelfth Day of July (the first of the five Kevin and Sadie books) in 1970.

Lingard received the prestigious West German award the "Buxtehuder Bulle" in 1986 for Across the Barricades. Tug of War has also received great success: shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 1989, The Federation of Children's Book Group Award 1989, runner up in the Lancashire Children's Book Club of the year 1990 and shortlisted for the Sheffield Book Award. In 1998, her book Tom and the Tree House won the Scottish Arts Council Children's Book Award. Her most recent novel, What to Do About Holly was released in August 2009.

Lingard was awarded an MBE in 1998 for services to children's literature.

Reviews

[Liz Kean · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Lizzie's Leaving' is a coming of age novel about a girl who decides to move to live with her father, step mother and sister whom she has never met, leaving her chaotic life with her mother, step-dad and 3 siblings behind. The story was well told and the writing offered interesting descriptions. I enjoyed the way the story was told from two perspectives- Lizzie and her sister Alice who lives with her mother. Not a lot happens in the novel but the stories of Lizzie and Alice draw you in.


Teachers Notes:
Field: coming of age, blended families
Tenor: Narrator gives insight into what Lizzie or Alice are thinking, but it is not Lizzie and Alice narrating the story.
Mode: language is simple yet descriptive when introducing new environments or people using devices like similes and metaphors.