I Started Crying Monday

by Laurene Kelly

Laurene Kelly’s first young adult novel introduces us to fourteen-year-old Julie, who is struggling with a terrible home life, but could never imagine the horror that is about to destroy her family forever. She dreams of a new life, away from her abusive father, but when her mother doesn’t arrive to meet Julie and her brother Toby after school as planned, her hopes are shattered. She is told there was an accident, but something more is wrong...

Genres: Young Adult

119 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Laurene Kelly has worked with abused children and women in refuges for many years and now works part time as a carer of children. She is the author of a trilogy of novels, I Started Crying Monday, The Crowded Beach, and Still Waving. Her books are widely read in secondary schools.

Her interest in young adult fiction derives from a wish to give hope to teenagers in our often chaotic and confusing world. She is a contributor to the anthology Australia for Women. She lives in Tasmania and is working on a new novel.

Reviews

[Shelley van der Ploeg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Loved this! I don't usually read YA fiction, but this book came to me highly recommended from a work colleague. So glad I read it, so much emotion from a tiny book. I also loved that it's been written by a Tassie author and there are two more books in the series!

[Watermelon Daisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Started Crying Monday would’ve been a brilliant book if it was longer.

For starters, I barely cared about Julie. I realise the whole story was concise and written in the fewest words possible, but that didn’t help my impression of the main character. From my perspective, she was just another kid at school with problems. No personality, no depth –there was nothing allowing me to relate to her.

Also, the sentence structure was terrible. Short sentences without commas, even when they’re required. Not to mention, the book had trouble transferring emotion with the lack of longer sentences. It was painful to read.

By the end of the book, it was nothing different. Girl realises how much her family means to her, etc, etc. No depth, no emotion. I realise what Julie’s going through is tough, but it’d be easier to sympathise if she wasn’t such a dull character.

[Herena_m · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book That ive recently started reading, Called I Started Crying Monday, written by Laurene Kelly, Genre Family Crisis... Is a great book/novel if your going through a tough time with your family

[Monique Cherie Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING REview soon!!