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Someday Angeline #1
Someday Angeline
Nobody understands why Angeline is so smart. She could read the first time she picked up a book, she can play the piano without ever having had a lesson, and she even knows what the weather is going to be. But being smart is causing Angeline nothing but trouble. The mean kids in school call her a freak, her teacher finds her troublesome, and even her own father doesn't know what to do with an eight-year-old girl who seems to be a genius. Angeline doesn't want to be either a genius or a freak. She just wants the chance to be herself and be happy. But it's only when she makes friends with a boy the kids call "Goon" and the teacher they call "Mr. Bone" that Angeline gets that chance.
154 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1983
98 people are currently reading
1046 people want to read
About the author
Louis Sachar
96 books4,718 followersLouis Sachar (pronounced Sacker), born March 20, 1954, is an American author of children's books.
Louis was born in East Meadow, New York, in 1954. When he was nine, he moved to Tustin, California. He went to college at the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 1976, as an economics major. The next year, he wrote his first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School .
He was working at a sweater warehouse during the day and wrote at night. Almost a year later, he was fired from the job. He decided to go to law school. He attended Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
His first book was published while he was in law school. He graduated in 1980. For the next eight years he worked part-time as a lawyer and continued to try to write children's books. Then his books started selling well enough so that he was able to quit practicing law. His wife's name is Carla. When he first met her, she was a counselor at an elementary school. She was the inspiration behind the counselor in There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom . He was married in 1985. Hisdaughter, Sherre, was born in 1987.
Louis was born in East Meadow, New York, in 1954. When he was nine, he moved to Tustin, California. He went to college at the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 1976, as an economics major. The next year, he wrote his first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School .
He was working at a sweater warehouse during the day and wrote at night. Almost a year later, he was fired from the job. He decided to go to law school. He attended Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
His first book was published while he was in law school. He graduated in 1980. For the next eight years he worked part-time as a lawyer and continued to try to write children's books. Then his books started selling well enough so that he was able to quit practicing law. His wife's name is Carla. When he first met her, she was a counselor at an elementary school. She was the inspiration behind the counselor in There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom . He was married in 1985. Hisdaughter, Sherre, was born in 1987.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
February 28, 2007
This was my absolute favorite book growing up. I must have read it at least 60 times (seriously). I love it very very much and think everyone should have to read it.
July 1, 2012
I loved this as a kid. I read it so many times I'm surprised it didn't disintegrate. I could almost recite it. I don't know what I'd rate it as an adult, but my child self would give this 5+ stars! I found it to be a great, funny book. Angeline makes a best friend, gets along with adults more than other kids (I related) and is goofy. I loved that she liked peanut butter and lemon jello sandwiches. I loved that her dad was a super sweet trash man. I thought it would be fun to ride in one of those trucks too. Most of all, I loved that Angeline liked to read.
November 17, 2018
In this novel Sachar proves he can match his trademark charmingly relatable characters and satisfyingly full-circle plots to a slightly younger reader (I would say 7+).
Themes included:
-importance of friendship (with either peers/children or supportive adults) - and how simple acts of kindness can affect someone
-importance of good teaching (similarly the emotional and educational toll of bad teaching)
-how to deal with people you don’t understand/are intimidated by (even when they’re your child)
-how important it is to support someone’s dreams, even when they aren’t as ambitious as you might hope // how you can be heroic to someone even when you don’t think you are
There is soo much to unpick in this story, yet Sachar makes it look easy (and seamless to read). Once again each of the characters manage to tap into the experiences and feelings that surely most readers will be able to relate to, with such simplicity that it feels as if Sachar has at some point seen into your mind. I have yet to experience quite the same feelings reading books by other authors, as those I feel when reading Sachar’s. This book was a pleasure to read, and is one that will surely appeal to younger readers (or perhaps older readers who may be suited to a book with a larger font and lots of jokes, that is in no way patronising).
Themes included:
-importance of friendship (with either peers/children or supportive adults) - and how simple acts of kindness can affect someone
-importance of good teaching (similarly the emotional and educational toll of bad teaching)
-how to deal with people you don’t understand/are intimidated by (even when they’re your child)
-how important it is to support someone’s dreams, even when they aren’t as ambitious as you might hope // how you can be heroic to someone even when you don’t think you are
There is soo much to unpick in this story, yet Sachar makes it look easy (and seamless to read). Once again each of the characters manage to tap into the experiences and feelings that surely most readers will be able to relate to, with such simplicity that it feels as if Sachar has at some point seen into your mind. I have yet to experience quite the same feelings reading books by other authors, as those I feel when reading Sachar’s. This book was a pleasure to read, and is one that will surely appeal to younger readers (or perhaps older readers who may be suited to a book with a larger font and lots of jokes, that is in no way patronising).
March 2, 2021
My friend Tracey gives me kids' and young adult books for holidays. It's a longstanding tradition. Back when we used to work at the bookstore(s) together (oh my god, we worked at three different bookstores together), we would compare notes about which kids' books we liked when we were young and impressionable. We'd both read the Judy Blume oeuvre, obviously. We were very sympatico on Taking Care of Terrific, which I was able to take out of the school library when they told me I was too young for That Was Then, This is Now. I don't know where Tracey stands on Beverly Cleary, except that she hates Dear Mr. Henshaw, because apparently she hates books about young boys whose parents are divorced and who develop an unhealthy attachment to a novelist; for some unknown reason, I kinda like that one.
So for Christmas this year, I was again in the position of being gently nudged toward books of my youth that I may have missed. In this case, it's Someday Angeline, by Louis Sachar, who ... I MUST have read when I was little, right? You can't escape grade school in the 80s and 90s without experiencing Sachar, having a Roald Dahl moment, or getting traumatized by Cormier, right?
I don't THINK I ever read this one. It's another of those books about weird kids, for weird kids ... so right up my alley. The kid here is Angeline, whose first word is "octopus" and who I was convinced was some kind of fish psychic, like Aquaman. Spoiler: she is not Aquaman. But she is kind of a genius, and she's kind of weird because of it, and she has a truly awful sixth-grade teacher who tries to convince her class that Cleveland is the capitol of Ohio.
There's honestly a lot in here, from the aforementioned sadistic teacher, to lingering trauma, to the hardcore reality of high-pressure situations where there are no reasonable ways out. A lot of this book is silly (though there's an undercurrent of grief running through it you only grok when you're three-quarters of the way through), but it's honest. There are a few scenes where Angeline just straight-up loses her shit, and Sachar doesn't offer value judgments either way. It's freeing and draining at the same time.
If you're a genius and you don't understand why your teacher doesn't want you to live up to your full intelligence, that can be a kick in the teeth. When your dad is your hero but he hates what he does that makes him a hero, that wears you down. Ditto being called a freak in school, and being in need of a friend who gets you. All this is good stuff, oddly exciting stuff, writing that makes me want to swim in the waters of Sachar's writing some more.
So for Christmas this year, I was again in the position of being gently nudged toward books of my youth that I may have missed. In this case, it's Someday Angeline, by Louis Sachar, who ... I MUST have read when I was little, right? You can't escape grade school in the 80s and 90s without experiencing Sachar, having a Roald Dahl moment, or getting traumatized by Cormier, right?
I don't THINK I ever read this one. It's another of those books about weird kids, for weird kids ... so right up my alley. The kid here is Angeline, whose first word is "octopus" and who I was convinced was some kind of fish psychic, like Aquaman. Spoiler: she is not Aquaman. But she is kind of a genius, and she's kind of weird because of it, and she has a truly awful sixth-grade teacher who tries to convince her class that Cleveland is the capitol of Ohio.
There's honestly a lot in here, from the aforementioned sadistic teacher, to lingering trauma, to the hardcore reality of high-pressure situations where there are no reasonable ways out. A lot of this book is silly (though there's an undercurrent of grief running through it you only grok when you're three-quarters of the way through), but it's honest. There are a few scenes where Angeline just straight-up loses her shit, and Sachar doesn't offer value judgments either way. It's freeing and draining at the same time.
If you're a genius and you don't understand why your teacher doesn't want you to live up to your full intelligence, that can be a kick in the teeth. When your dad is your hero but he hates what he does that makes him a hero, that wears you down. Ditto being called a freak in school, and being in need of a friend who gets you. All this is good stuff, oddly exciting stuff, writing that makes me want to swim in the waters of Sachar's writing some more.
Read
May 9, 2020I loved this book (really, this two-book series) when I was a kid. And thanks to Covid-19, I've been doing some personal bookshelf de-selection. Yesterday I thought to myself, when was the last time I read this book, 1994? So I picked it up and read it. I admit I was worried it might end up having a healthy dose of misogyny or racism or something...
But GUYS. It totally stands the test of time. I LOVE this book! I think my favorite part is seeing how much it reminds me of Kate DiCamillo, one of my current favorite authors, and Terry Prachett, another favorite. I love tracing back and being able to say, a ha! I love THESE because I loved THAT.
In sum: an oldie but a goodie! Full of heart and corny jokes. Makes me so happy!
But GUYS. It totally stands the test of time. I LOVE this book! I think my favorite part is seeing how much it reminds me of Kate DiCamillo, one of my current favorite authors, and Terry Prachett, another favorite. I love tracing back and being able to say, a ha! I love THESE because I loved THAT.
In sum: an oldie but a goodie! Full of heart and corny jokes. Makes me so happy!
November 13, 2025
When a novel’s epigraph claims that it’s “a good story with lots of funny jokes” and that it’s “dedicated to everyone who can tell whether or not a book is any good—by smelling it,” then you know that what you have in your hands could well be something that’s entertaining, and may also be saying something important about the human condition.
Someday Angeline is one of those rare works – emotionally pitch perfect and sensitive, well paced and something that, turning on a sixpence, can make you cry because it makes you happy.
And though it proclaims itself a book for pre-teens it’s also a story for grown-ups who might need reminding what it could’ve been like for them when they were the same age as Angeline, and that surely can’t be a bad thing, can it?
Eight-year-old Angeline lives with her widowed father Abel Persopolis in a fourth-floor apartment a bus ride from Mitchell’s Beach and its pier, though she has never been to the beach, not even seen the sea. However, her first ever word was “octopus” and she seems to know all about anything that’s worth knowing without studying or experiencing it. She’s therefore a mystery to her father Abel who currently works, with his pal Gus, as a garbage man while Angeline is at school.
Nowadays we would safely say she is neurodivergent, but back in the early 1980s she was regarded as – and called – a freak: a third-grader who’s been moved to sixth grade because she’s so bright is still regarded with suspicion by her classmates and bullied by her inadequate teacher Mrs Hardlick. A fish out of water, as it were, she has no friends until she meets Gary from fifth grade.
Gary Boone likes telling corny jokes which Angeline finds hilarious, and by creating the portmanteau name Goon for himself manages to deflect unwelcome attention. Finding a kindred soul makes school a bit more bearable for Angeline, and being invited to join Gary helping his class teacher after school set up fish tanks – one with fresh water, the other brine – brings an added bonus: Gary’s teacher happens to be kind.
But why is she called ‘Mr Bone’? Angeline knows a lot, but there’s also much she doesn’t know. Why does her dad Abel find it hard to talk to her? Why does he oppose a visit to the beach so strongly? Why does he resent any close interest in his job, and why is Mrs Hardlick so ignorant and horrible to her?
To say much more about where Someday Angeline is heading would be unforgivable, but if you have any compassion about you it’ll wring your heart out and also send it soaring. Sachar tells his story with such sensitivity and insight into his characters; don’t let the apparent simplicity and humour of his telling lull you into thinking this isn’t a very profound story.
And, yes, there are lots of funny jokes! Curiously, Sachar wrote this before his daughter Sherre was born; but it may or may not surprise you to learn that, like Angeline, she too was attracted by the natural world, though Sherre apparently works with land animals rather than following Angeline’s interest in saltwater ichthyology. Someday, we hope, Angeline will find her true niche and occupy it with all the passion she possesses.
Someday Angeline is one of those rare works – emotionally pitch perfect and sensitive, well paced and something that, turning on a sixpence, can make you cry because it makes you happy.
And though it proclaims itself a book for pre-teens it’s also a story for grown-ups who might need reminding what it could’ve been like for them when they were the same age as Angeline, and that surely can’t be a bad thing, can it?
Eight-year-old Angeline lives with her widowed father Abel Persopolis in a fourth-floor apartment a bus ride from Mitchell’s Beach and its pier, though she has never been to the beach, not even seen the sea. However, her first ever word was “octopus” and she seems to know all about anything that’s worth knowing without studying or experiencing it. She’s therefore a mystery to her father Abel who currently works, with his pal Gus, as a garbage man while Angeline is at school.
Nowadays we would safely say she is neurodivergent, but back in the early 1980s she was regarded as – and called – a freak: a third-grader who’s been moved to sixth grade because she’s so bright is still regarded with suspicion by her classmates and bullied by her inadequate teacher Mrs Hardlick. A fish out of water, as it were, she has no friends until she meets Gary from fifth grade.
Gary Boone likes telling corny jokes which Angeline finds hilarious, and by creating the portmanteau name Goon for himself manages to deflect unwelcome attention. Finding a kindred soul makes school a bit more bearable for Angeline, and being invited to join Gary helping his class teacher after school set up fish tanks – one with fresh water, the other brine – brings an added bonus: Gary’s teacher happens to be kind.
But why is she called ‘Mr Bone’? Angeline knows a lot, but there’s also much she doesn’t know. Why does her dad Abel find it hard to talk to her? Why does he oppose a visit to the beach so strongly? Why does he resent any close interest in his job, and why is Mrs Hardlick so ignorant and horrible to her?
To say much more about where Someday Angeline is heading would be unforgivable, but if you have any compassion about you it’ll wring your heart out and also send it soaring. Sachar tells his story with such sensitivity and insight into his characters; don’t let the apparent simplicity and humour of his telling lull you into thinking this isn’t a very profound story.
And, yes, there are lots of funny jokes! Curiously, Sachar wrote this before his daughter Sherre was born; but it may or may not surprise you to learn that, like Angeline, she too was attracted by the natural world, though Sherre apparently works with land animals rather than following Angeline’s interest in saltwater ichthyology. Someday, we hope, Angeline will find her true niche and occupy it with all the passion she possesses.
July 6, 2022
my favourite book when I was younger, I have vey fond memories of reading this with my dad and laughing a lot
March 16, 2012
2.5 stars. Sachar worked in San Francisco in the early 80’s and you can see glimpses of the city in Someday Angeline. The huge circular fish tank that Angeline likes to sit in the middle of was in the Steinhart Aquarium at the old California Academy of Sciences. Cool Breezer, the fisherman that Angeline meets, is probably Cool Breeze, the hippie now fifteen years older from The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I think this explains why Louis is so off the wall (LSD!) and why I usually like his sense of humor but in this book, the humor did not resonate with me so much. Goon is full of great puns, and I’m a big fan of puns, but they didn’t make me laugh much like how they did not make Goons family and schoolmates laugh. This book is full of Sachar’s classic non sequiturs and there’s always an underlying sweetness in Sachar books, I like to call it Saccharine (see, I love puns), and I can see why kids would like this book but I thought it was only okay. Maybe I’d feel differently about it if I had read it when I was younger but I didn’t connect as much with the characters and the story wasn’t as compelling.
Like many Louis Sachar books, adults can be absolutely horrible and nasty to kids but the wonderful and kind adults who understand kids almost make up for the awful ones. Mrs. Hardlick won’t turn you into an apple like Mrs. Gorf and Mr. Bone is no Mrs. Jewels but she’s pretty great just the same. And there are themes that kids identify with such as parents trying to make connections with their kid, an outcast protagonist who wants to be normal, being working class, and dealing with heartbreak (not from a lover but from a dead parent, your teacher, or mean classmates).
I learned Louis Sachar probably smoked the marijuana like a cigarette once or twice while he was in San Francisco but he turned out just fine.
Like many Louis Sachar books, adults can be absolutely horrible and nasty to kids but the wonderful and kind adults who understand kids almost make up for the awful ones. Mrs. Hardlick won’t turn you into an apple like Mrs. Gorf and Mr. Bone is no Mrs. Jewels but she’s pretty great just the same. And there are themes that kids identify with such as parents trying to make connections with their kid, an outcast protagonist who wants to be normal, being working class, and dealing with heartbreak (not from a lover but from a dead parent, your teacher, or mean classmates).
I learned Louis Sachar probably smoked the marijuana like a cigarette once or twice while he was in San Francisco but he turned out just fine.
June 27, 2014
Wow, do I love Louis Sachar (and yes, we say Sacker!)
My own quirky smart 8 year old greatly enjoyed getting to know Angeline and has demanded I track down the sequel (Dogs Don't Tell Jokes). I appreciate that Sachar's writing is so fluid and mostly timeless, sticking to a few settings that haven't changed much over the last couple of decades: Angeline's apartment, her school, the city busses, and the aquarium. The story is simply about the interactions between people, which are also about the same as always, with oddballs finding it hard to fit in, but finding kindred souls here and there on the journey.
A disturbing detail is that the disturbed Angeline repeatedly runs away from school (not without justification), fearlessly navigating her large, oceanfront, unnamed city (roughly San Francisco, I presume?) and occasionally befriending random adult strangers. Instead of freaking out about it, I used this as a teachable moment to secure a promise of never even considering such behavior from my increasingly resourceful offspring.
My own quirky smart 8 year old greatly enjoyed getting to know Angeline and has demanded I track down the sequel (Dogs Don't Tell Jokes). I appreciate that Sachar's writing is so fluid and mostly timeless, sticking to a few settings that haven't changed much over the last couple of decades: Angeline's apartment, her school, the city busses, and the aquarium. The story is simply about the interactions between people, which are also about the same as always, with oddballs finding it hard to fit in, but finding kindred souls here and there on the journey.
A disturbing detail is that the disturbed Angeline repeatedly runs away from school (not without justification), fearlessly navigating her large, oceanfront, unnamed city (roughly San Francisco, I presume?) and occasionally befriending random adult strangers. Instead of freaking out about it, I used this as a teachable moment to secure a promise of never even considering such behavior from my increasingly resourceful offspring.
April 12, 2014
Oh my, but SOMEDAY ANGELINE is so adorable. My EL510 student who is hardest to please with the book selections for that class actually finished the whole book before our second class and declared that this book was fun, as compared to all the other books we had read before it (Mary Poppins, Kenny and the Dragon...). I liked the themes we could discuss in this book as well, about youth vs. genius, good/bad parenting, etc. The omniscient third-person narration was strange sometimes, and I didn't like how the adult romance was treated, but all in all, a solid thumbs-up for using this book for EL510.
March 27, 2008
my teacher gave me this book to find the social issue
Currently reading
March 4, 2009Thjis is book is going great so far
January 6, 2020
This book was odd without explanations.
November 26, 2025
This is a shorter book, really meant for the younger generation. But I had to reread this book. The topics it covers while keeping it kid friendly. The father is extremely related in wanting his child to be the best, but sometime it can hinder their relationship in the process. Definite recommend
December 21, 2020
I cried every time I read this book as a kid, even though I knew how everything turns out in the end. It’s rare to find a book that is so simple, short and easy to read, but elicits so much emotion.
Angeline is a character who would fit into a book for grownups — a girl who remembers what it means to be part of the balance. The adults don’t understand it and call her a genius, because if they label her, then they don’t have to understand it.
If this were a book for grownups, Angeline would be a symbol. But because this is a book by Louis Sachar, Angeline is a kid. She still has to figure out how to make friends. She has to decide if it’s okay to pretend to be something you’re not if it makes you less of a target. She laughs at dumb jokes and reads books about pirates and explodes with frustration.
The title refers to someday when Angeline is an adult and she has things figured out. The adults in her life say it to her. But as an adult reading this book, I know you never really figure it all out — even for a genius. And I think Angeline gets that, because her reply is: “You never know.”
I’m glad I could meet Angeline when I was a kid, but also as a grownup.
Angeline is a character who would fit into a book for grownups — a girl who remembers what it means to be part of the balance. The adults don’t understand it and call her a genius, because if they label her, then they don’t have to understand it.
If this were a book for grownups, Angeline would be a symbol. But because this is a book by Louis Sachar, Angeline is a kid. She still has to figure out how to make friends. She has to decide if it’s okay to pretend to be something you’re not if it makes you less of a target. She laughs at dumb jokes and reads books about pirates and explodes with frustration.
The title refers to someday when Angeline is an adult and she has things figured out. The adults in her life say it to her. But as an adult reading this book, I know you never really figure it all out — even for a genius. And I think Angeline gets that, because her reply is: “You never know.”
I’m glad I could meet Angeline when I was a kid, but also as a grownup.
December 1, 2011
Eh, I liked her more than the Millicent Min one. I mean, she's a pretty good genius, not the "oh, then the pi and the blah blah blah" and stuff like that, like how Brandon talks. She wasn't all that "mmmmm, I'm so smaaaahrt". And she didn't swear like Millicent. I did like Angeline because she rode in a garbage truck. I didn't like how she laughed at the corny jokes, because it was like, "they weren't funny!!" but some of them were, like the one that Gus told. I'm not going to tell them because that would spoil it.
And it wasn't too sad and not too happy like "hee hee hee we're all happy ho ho ho ho" Yeah, it was pretty good.
And it wasn't too sad and not too happy like "hee hee hee we're all happy ho ho ho ho" Yeah, it was pretty good.
May 28, 2024
I’d had the audio of this on hold for months, assuming it was a new Sachar. I’d heard no buzz about it, but figured, why not. Turns out it is not by any means new. It was one of his earlier books, written back in the 80s. It has that bonkers Sachar vibe, along with a very terrible and very wonderful teacher, not the same person. I can see a third-grader very much enjoying the weird and basic humor.
Read
October 22, 2008i loved it
November 30, 2009
I first read this book when I was 8 and to this day I still love it. It is one of the only books I can read over and over again.
January 28, 2010
i love this book. made me laugh out loud several times and brought tears to my eyes.
August 2, 2019
I still really love this!
May 27, 2020
Okay. Fine.
January 6, 2024
This was one of my favorite books. I’m so happy to read it again.
April 26, 2024
It was a nice quick read. Liked the main character and Gary Goon and can't forget Mr. Bone, she was awesome and probably favorite of many who read that book
May 18, 2023
I had no idea this book existed until recently. I grew up reading Dogs Don't Tell Jokes over and over again and had no idea it was a sequel to this book. I was happy to find that all my favorite characters were there and we get to see a closer look into their lives. The second book is more focused on Gary while this one is Angeline and her family. I was surprised at the somewhat dark subject matter it dealt with. Her dad is still very much still grieving for the loss of his wife and Angeline has a lot to cope with outside the norm of a small child.
It does make me miss a somewhat simpler time when teachers were trusted and respected and if they needed to extend a hand of friendship to a student that needed it, it wasn't looked upon as creepy or inappropriate. I'm not so naive to think bad things didn't happen in the 80's but I do miss kids getting to have a relationship with teachers outside the classroom. I had a swim party at my 1st grade teacher's house and still remember it very fondly.
I digress, it's a great book and another wonderful story by Louis Sachar. It's quirky and charming and doesn't pretend to be anything bigger than that.
It does make me miss a somewhat simpler time when teachers were trusted and respected and if they needed to extend a hand of friendship to a student that needed it, it wasn't looked upon as creepy or inappropriate. I'm not so naive to think bad things didn't happen in the 80's but I do miss kids getting to have a relationship with teachers outside the classroom. I had a swim party at my 1st grade teacher's house and still remember it very fondly.
I digress, it's a great book and another wonderful story by Louis Sachar. It's quirky and charming and doesn't pretend to be anything bigger than that.
August 13, 2019
When I was a kid I read a preview of this book, but could never find an actual copy. I grew up with the sequel, Dogs Don't Tell Jokes, which I'll be rereading after this. I only knew the part about Angeline saying octopus - the rest was new (but read familiar) to me.
I like Sachar's humor, but this book got kind of dramatic in ways I wasn't a fan of. It might be because of the time period during which it was written, but there were a lot of weird passages that felt like they wouldn't be written today. It's a kid's book, but it really doesn't have that much depth when tackling serious topics like the death of a parent, not fitting in at school, etc. I also really hated the father-daughter relationship - I know that was the point, but it was so frustrating to read.
I like Sachar's humor, but this book got kind of dramatic in ways I wasn't a fan of. It might be because of the time period during which it was written, but there were a lot of weird passages that felt like they wouldn't be written today. It's a kid's book, but it really doesn't have that much depth when tackling serious topics like the death of a parent, not fitting in at school, etc. I also really hated the father-daughter relationship - I know that was the point, but it was so frustrating to read.
September 19, 2020
Man, I love this author.
I read this book, only because Louis Sachar wrote it, and I loved Holes. This book is soooooooo dang sweet!
The emotions shown were beautiful and the humour had me off my chair at some parts. I really LOVED how the book ended.
The way Angeline was shown smart, but not emotionally ready for being an adult was great. I honestly thought, when I read the blurb, it'll be something like Matilda, But in no way, was it like that.
This is one book I could read again and again, laugh and cry with Angeline. The characters were greatly shown.
I'm a teenager now, and this is totally a children's book. But I have to say, this is one of the best and sweetest books I've ever read.
And I really have to say this, some children's books, like this one and the little prince, are more meaningful and sweeter than YA books etc.
I would recommend this book to anyone, and I've totally found a new favourite author.
I read this book, only because Louis Sachar wrote it, and I loved Holes. This book is soooooooo dang sweet!
The emotions shown were beautiful and the humour had me off my chair at some parts. I really LOVED how the book ended.
The way Angeline was shown smart, but not emotionally ready for being an adult was great. I honestly thought, when I read the blurb, it'll be something like Matilda, But in no way, was it like that.
This is one book I could read again and again, laugh and cry with Angeline. The characters were greatly shown.
I'm a teenager now, and this is totally a children's book. But I have to say, this is one of the best and sweetest books I've ever read.
And I really have to say this, some children's books, like this one and the little prince, are more meaningful and sweeter than YA books etc.
I would recommend this book to anyone, and I've totally found a new favourite author.
September 18, 2025
Someday Angeline is a quick read but very obviously a children's book and as a young adult I can't say it brought me much enjoyment. Angeline's family situation, her mysterious intelligence and the troubles at school fascinated me, but it was all conveyed in a much too simple manner and I found it disappointing that her knowing all that she did was never explained. Angeline laughing at all the corny jokes didn't help. There were perhaps a handful that I could chuckle at. "Mr. Bone" I shall always remember :)
If there was one message I got from the novel, it's that parents should just listen and talk to their children and explain the reasons behind their no-s. It was just frustrating seeing Angeline admonished for seemingly no reason. Nobody understood her.
Also, as an educator, it was embarrassing to see Angeline's teacher go about her work. The red flags popped up everywhere! I truly felt bad for the girl.
If there was one message I got from the novel, it's that parents should just listen and talk to their children and explain the reasons behind their no-s. It was just frustrating seeing Angeline admonished for seemingly no reason. Nobody understood her.
Also, as an educator, it was embarrassing to see Angeline's teacher go about her work. The red flags popped up everywhere! I truly felt bad for the girl.
June 26, 2025
"He didn’t want her to know that he didn’t understand, but what he didn’t realize was that she didn’t understand either, so that if he had just told her he didn’t understand, she would have understood, but when he told her he understood, then she didn’t understand."
For anyone who has ever felt misunderstood, especially growing up. Everything about this felt genuine down to the incredibly unreasonable teacher whose ire so many have found themselves on the receiving end of.
The part where she trashes the classroom and throws away all of the "garbage" will stick with me for life! 🤣🤣🤣
I love Angeline and Goon's friendship! I wish we were given more of her dad and Mr. Bone's relationship, but ugh so good!
"There are some people who are so cold and unfeeling, like reflections in a mirror, that they might as well be imaginary."
For anyone who has ever felt misunderstood, especially growing up. Everything about this felt genuine down to the incredibly unreasonable teacher whose ire so many have found themselves on the receiving end of.
The part where she trashes the classroom and throws away all of the "garbage" will stick with me for life! 🤣🤣🤣
I love Angeline and Goon's friendship! I wish we were given more of her dad and Mr. Bone's relationship, but ugh so good!
"There are some people who are so cold and unfeeling, like reflections in a mirror, that they might as well be imaginary."
August 21, 2025
I had to choose “a book you loved as a child” for a reading challenge. I distinctly remember this book from 3rd grade. I also remember my dog at the time ripping the front cover to tiny shreds and my mother taking each piece like a tiny puzzle and putting them all together with clear contact paper. That book is still somewhere!
What a pleasure to revisit this book as I am WELL past 8 years old. I see my humor was the same then as it is now. There are some plot holes, or things were simply ok in the 80s (like children leaving school repeatedly and the parent never finding out and no one questioning it… it IS possible…). But this book was fun, funny, and heartwarming. I highly recommend reading a childhood favorite, challenge induced or not!
What a pleasure to revisit this book as I am WELL past 8 years old. I see my humor was the same then as it is now. There are some plot holes, or things were simply ok in the 80s (like children leaving school repeatedly and the parent never finding out and no one questioning it… it IS possible…). But this book was fun, funny, and heartwarming. I highly recommend reading a childhood favorite, challenge induced or not!
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