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The Right-Under Club
On an ordinary summer day, five girls realize that although they are right under their parents' noses, their complex family lives make them feel like leftover meat loaf.
Presto, the Right-Under Club is born, along with their motto—"We R There 4 U." They meet every week in the cozy confines of Tricia's tree house, where each girl takes a turn revealing her Right-Under problem. The others write down solutions that are discussed, dissected, and discarded until the best one remains. Then it's time to put the plan into action—for better or for worse. After all, what's the worst that can happen when five girls band together to help each other?
Christine Hurley Deriso explores the complex world of stepparents, halfsiblings, and custody battles, capturing the girls' angst and confusion while demonstrating their innate resilience and optimism.
From the Hardcover edition.
Presto, the Right-Under Club is born, along with their motto—"We R There 4 U." They meet every week in the cozy confines of Tricia's tree house, where each girl takes a turn revealing her Right-Under problem. The others write down solutions that are discussed, dissected, and discarded until the best one remains. Then it's time to put the plan into action—for better or for worse. After all, what's the worst that can happen when five girls band together to help each other?
Christine Hurley Deriso explores the complex world of stepparents, halfsiblings, and custody battles, capturing the girls' angst and confusion while demonstrating their innate resilience and optimism.
From the Hardcover edition.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Christine Hurley Deriso
14 books71 followers“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”—William Wordsworth
One thing that strikes me about my writing is that the process has changed very little since I first started jotting down stories around age six. An idea fills my head and whines, cajoles, begs or bullies until I pay attention. Sometimes the ideas are so charming that I scoop them up in a hug. Other times, they’re so annoying that I snap, “What?” at their insistence. But either way, I can no more walk away from one than I could walk away from a child in need.
The ideas originate in my head, but they seem to have a mind, an essence, an existence of their own. I feel more like a vessel than an owner. Succumbing to these ideas’ insistence to flow through me is profoundly joyful, but also utterly involuntary. And that hasn’t changed since I was six.
What has changed, I hope, is my wisdom, my insight, my courage . . . my head’s ability to make enough sense of these ideas to shape them into something meaningful, even the ones that scare me. Especially the ones that scare me.
I’m guessing you’ll glean from my books that I love all words, any words.
Whether I’m writing for a young child, a tween, a young adult or a Ph.D., I try hard to move my reader . . . to make his world a little bigger or his heart a little fuller. Hopefully both.
So there you have it: I love words and I love ideas, and if I didn’t love them, they’d badger me anyhow.
Thanks for sharing the experience with me.
One thing that strikes me about my writing is that the process has changed very little since I first started jotting down stories around age six. An idea fills my head and whines, cajoles, begs or bullies until I pay attention. Sometimes the ideas are so charming that I scoop them up in a hug. Other times, they’re so annoying that I snap, “What?” at their insistence. But either way, I can no more walk away from one than I could walk away from a child in need.
The ideas originate in my head, but they seem to have a mind, an essence, an existence of their own. I feel more like a vessel than an owner. Succumbing to these ideas’ insistence to flow through me is profoundly joyful, but also utterly involuntary. And that hasn’t changed since I was six.
What has changed, I hope, is my wisdom, my insight, my courage . . . my head’s ability to make enough sense of these ideas to shape them into something meaningful, even the ones that scare me. Especially the ones that scare me.
I’m guessing you’ll glean from my books that I love all words, any words.
Whether I’m writing for a young child, a tween, a young adult or a Ph.D., I try hard to move my reader . . . to make his world a little bigger or his heart a little fuller. Hopefully both.
So there you have it: I love words and I love ideas, and if I didn’t love them, they’d badger me anyhow.
Thanks for sharing the experience with me.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 24, 2013
This was a book my sister recommended, and she said it was kind of a "girl book". I would have to agree. The club is a group of girls with complicated families, death, divorce, and remarrying. I don't have any experience with that, but it was a really good story. The girls formed a little psych group to work out their problems. I liked it a lot!
July 9, 2009
excellent book about 5 kids struggling with blended family issues. It's spot on with it's characters and their struggles and will strike a chord with any school age kid trying to come to terms with the artifical nature and difficult issues of step-families.
November 4, 2010
Not worth reading-at all.
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October 22, 20140e7fe896-8896-41f2-91fc-23c4904f6017
October 10, 2022
I think it is an amazing book about people who feel like they don't belong. I like this book because it is about a bunch of people who have similar problems. I would highly recommend it!
June 23, 2011
Very good book for girls 10+!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews