Look After Me

by Aoife Walsh

'But we don't know the first thing about looking after babies.' Phoebe's mum and dad are foster parents, and they're having a tough time. Her dad's moved out for bit, and her little foster brothers are playing up. So when Phoebe and her brother Adam find a baby abandoned in their den, they decide to try and look after her themselves . . .

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2014

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book! It's aimed mostly at 9-11 year olds but I think it would be a good read for anyone. It reminded me a bit of 'Slam' by Nick Hornby in the way it was written, which can only be a good thing in my opinion!

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very beautiful moving book about a girl from a family who foster children. Only things are not ok between their parents and they have separated. Phoebe and her older brother and their two foster brothers are all worried about what that means. Will the younger boys have to go somewhere else?
And then, one night they escape to their “shed” (summerhouse) when the parents are arguing. They are surprised to find one of their past, older, foster sisters inside. And even more surprised that she has a baby with her! Then she says she doesn’t want the baby and leaves.
Adam decides that he and Phoebe are going to look after the baby because it is just not the right time for their Mum just then.
And so begins a strangely choreographed system for Adam and Phoebe to be in the house, but in the shed looking after the baby while at the same time checking the internet on how to look after a baby, pooling their money to buy what she needs AND taking turns going to school during exam time!
As their love for the baby grows, so do the complications all around.

[Zay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish - absolutely hated the writing style of this book, it was so hard to follow with all the grammatical errors and lack of punctuation. It was in the style of a diary, but I couldn’t look past all the errors. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, everything was just so blunt and boring. It was an interesting plot, but so poorly written.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing a great YA book

[Sarah Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple yet thought provoking story ****

[Nahuatl P Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tear book, bur nice.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t bad, it was just not catchy. Really chill book to read

[Fiona R · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish

[Madeleine Sutcliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t tell me why I love this book so much but I reread it most years- it is both scarcely realistic and unbelievable at once.

[Aggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won the book in the GoodReads giveaway.

The book is aimed at 8-11 year olds and it was my first book by this author. I enjoyed the style of writing of the author and it is well-written. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the whole idea of teenagers (Phoebe and Adam) taking care of the newly born baby, found in their garden shed.

I somehow, thought of their Mum, as a very weak character, struggling to cope with fostered children and seperation with her husband. In addition, her inability to see that something is wrong...

I would not recommend it to my own children.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it- and learned a little British along the way! vest=onesie; nappie=diaper; ice lolly= not sure. Popsicle?