R My Name is Rosie

by Barbara Cohen

Feeling neglected by her innkeeper mother, Rosie reveals her feelings and dreams in a fantasy world called the Land of Three Roses which she and her bartender friend create together.

Genres: Young Adult, Childrens

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Barbara Cohen (1932-1992) was the author of several acclaimed picture books and novels for young readers, including The Carp in the Bathtub, Yussel's Prayer: A Yom Kippur Story, Thank You, Jackie Robinson, and King of the Seventh Grade.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: A rose is a rose is a rose. Rachel said that to me all the time. I didn't know what it meant. It was from some writer. Rachel was always talking about some writer. I tried to keep up, but I wasn't all that interested. Rachel and I are much less alike than she thinks. We care about different things. Her favorite book is Jane Eyre; mine is The Wind in the Willows. But I needed Rachel. There was so much I didn't know.

Premise/plot: R, My Name is Rosie is historical fiction set in either the very late 1940s or very early 1950s. It is definitely a coming of age novel. Rosie's family own an inn. Her mom manages the inn; her dad is dead. She has a brother (Dan) and a sister (Rachel). She's overweight. She doesn't have any friends her own age. She's feeling that different is always a bad thing. Rosie doesn't know exactly how to make her life a happy one, but, she knows one thing: A DOG WOULD HELP A LOT. Her birthday is coming up--as is Christmas. (But the family is Jewish and doesn't celebrate Christmas as a family, just Christmas as a business.) Will she get a dog?!

WARNING. There is a dog on the cover. I repeat a dog on the COVER. Proceed with caution.

My thoughts: Rosie doesn't have any friends her own age, but, the bartender, Tex, at the inn is her friend. The two make up stories together--a fantasy land. Every few chapters, this fantasy story unfolds for readers. So far the two have yet to finish a whole story and get to a happily ever after because one of them always gets bored and wants to start another story. I think these fantasy interludes were my favorite part!!!

One of the guests at the inn has a dog that Rosie sometimes gets to walk. (That's the dog on the cover.) Not much happens in this one in terms of plot. (Rosie goes to school. Rosie gets home from school. Rosie wants to go to a birthday party. Rosie doesn't get to go to a birthday party.) It is definitely character driven.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming but the plot seems kind of overly used.

[Diana]

I loved this book as a child