The Unmaking of Rabbit

by Constance C. Greene

A lonely eleven-year-old boy living with his grandmother tries to come to terms with the facts of his life as he waits in vain for his divorced mother to take him to live with her.

125 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Born on October 27th, 1924, Constance C. Greene, the daughter of newspaper reporters, published A Girl Called Al (Viking, 1969) the story about a very intelligent girl who is an under-achiever and latch key kid, although Greene says that at the time of the writing the term wasn't being used yet. Al was a likable character and other books followed.

One of Greene's most popular books, Beat the Turtle Drum (Viking 1976), came from personal experience. At the age of eleven, Greene's sister died. The story relates how a young girl learns to cope with the accidental death of her sister. The book was adapted for television in 1976 as Very Good Friends and was shown on the ABC After-school Special.

Greene also wrote other juvenile and adult novels, among them Nora: Maybe a Ghost Story and Isabelle the Itch.

—Leslie Greaves Radloff

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always loved this story about a lonely 11 year-old boy named Paul who lives with his somewhat caustic but loving grandmother. Greene is a fine, unsentimental writer with a keen ear for dialogue and a gift for characterization - Paul's grandmother is an especially vivid creation who feels wonderfully true to life. When I was a kid I really rooted for young Paul to find his way - even more so as an adult. Revisiting this was a total pleasure.

[Terris · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet book! This is a middle grade book about eleven-year-old Paul, who lives with his grandmother. This is a story of learning about life, how to deal with difficult situations, how to stand up to bullies, and making new friends. I loved Paul, and I really enjoyed this book!