Family Fan Club

by Jean Ure

A humorous, poignant and heartwarming story of four girls and their exasperating parents. Reissued in the Jean Ure branding. “People always fall out after they’re married. I’m going to stay single.” Jasmine, Laurel, Rose and Daisy. Four very different sisters, four very different attitudes! As if living with each other wasn’t bad enough, living with their parents is worse – particularly parents who are both actors. Please! But after the Great Row, the girls find themselves living with Mum, while Dad has gone to America to find work. How are the sisters going to achieve their own personal become an actress, model, writer, vet… when they can’t even achieve their joint ambition – to reunite parents who are on different continents?

Genres: Childrens, Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Prolific English children and young adult author.

Had her first book published while still in high school, then studied theater at Webber-Douglas in London. Her most well-known work is the Point Crime novel Dance with Death. Others include Plague 99, After the Plague (previously "Come Lucky April"), Big Tom, Family Fan Club and Shrinking Violet, as well as the fantasy The Wizard In the Woods.

Today, Ure is very popular with British female teenage readers with novels such as Shrinking Violet, Family Fan Club and Passion Flower.

Ure has also translated Danish writer Sven Hassel's WWII novels to English.

Reviews

[Alexa]

so incredibly dull but i'll give it two stars for rose and rose alone

[Lark]

I really enjoyed Family Fan Club. Jean Ure writes strong, funny characters, and the dialogue is always spot on. The characters in this case gradually come into focus - Dad and Mum - both actors, and currently living apart, Laurel, in the throes of teenagerhood, Jazz, actor-in-the-making, sweet Daisy and clever Rose. The family set-up overtly echoes the March family and in fact the sisters put on a scene from Little Women for Mum.

Spoilers...

The story is meant to be lighthearted, and it is, but the incidents all fizzled just a bit for me. In real life incidents often d fizzle, but to have it happen repeatedly in a book is odd. For example, Daisy's cat goes missing in the rain ... and is discovered in someone's garden. Daisy gets drenched and chilled... and is warmed up in the bath. Laurel loses Mum's earrings ... but they are returned before Mum finds out. Laurel dyes Mum's wig ... but it washes out. Jazz gets a small telly part ... but we don't "see" her acting or know what it is. The most dramatic scene is where Jazz fronts a teacher who all-but accused Rose of cheating... but he's reasonable and agrees he was hasty.

It's good to read a book where the drama is not ramped up to the max, but this repeated lack of emotional/dramatic payoff is... odd.

[Nadya Mohamed]

I was rereading this and it is exmbarrassing (in terms of personal growth) that I liked this at the age of 9 or 10 and also at the age of 22! Though the dialogues are so hilarious and so entertaining, especially because I come from a family of many girl, where fights are rife. I agree that the story did not seem as dramatic now as it did back then but I am all for humorous conversations and banter.

[Nicola]

Maybe this book was too young for my daughter (11 years). We enjoyed it, but it didn't have much of a story, it was just "nice" though it flowed nicely and we got through it quickly. You knew what was going to happen from the beginning.

[MaiB]

This book had an unrealistic ending!

[Jannah]

Reread. Bought this 2nd hand for my young cousin recently and thought Id give it a reread since I remember enjoying it aged 12 or something.
Its a bit of a filler book, no particular depth. Its cute and sweet but at times quite boring. Reminds me of Jacqueline Wilson. One of those books that appeal only to the target audience..

[Sara]

This book is very nice.My favorite part was when they met their father and went to a restaurant and my favorite character is Jazz (Jasmine).

[Farah Abtar]

want to reread this!!

[Maeve]

Read this a while ago. Over all, the story wasn't that interesting and a bit boring at times, and as I love most of Jean Ure's books, this one was a bit of a let down.

[Amy]

Book I read when I was a preteen

[Malaika Opany]

Good books about four sister,showing there talents.