Who Owns Kelly Paddik?

by Beth Goobie

Kelly Paddik is locked up. Sent to a secure facility because she is a "danger to herself," Kelly wants only to escape. But her painful past continues to haunt her until she is forced to face up to the most painful memory of all. A searing look at one girl's struggle for self respect.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Abuse, Ebooks, Mental Illness, Teen

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Beth Goobie is best known for her quirky and dark young adult novels. She's published several of them, beginning in 1994. Her novel Before Wings won the Canadian Library Association's Young Adult Book Award in 2000, and was chosen by young readers for the Best Books list of the American Library Association.Much of the turmoil in Goobie's life has been laid bare in two books for adult readers, Scars of Light, which is autobiographical poetry, and The Only-Good Heart, a book of short stories. Both are built on the theme of cults, abuse, and emotional torture. They were, she says, both therapeutic for herself and a warning to others.

Reviews

[Billie Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

first of all, i love beth goobie. i love who she is and what she stands for. if you want to know about her, it's all there in her books for adults and online.

this book is from the orca soundings series, which is "a teen fiction series that features realistic teenage characters that focus on contemporary situations and problems." from what i've seen, they are generally novella-length. who owns kelly paddik is a frank look at child sexual abuse, ptsd, and institutionalization from the perspective of a teenage girl who is dealing with all of these things.

the story is told from the perspective of kelly paddik herself; her thoughts, feelings and perceptions as she comes to terms with her own situation. there's nothing really more to it, as it's only 89 pages long. i consider goobie to be an authority on the darker side of childhood and young-adulthood, so i trust the integrity of her voice. these kinds of topics need to be explored more in young adult literature, and i applaud orca soundings for their commitment to doing so.

[Brenda L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story/novel from the point of view of a teen girl who has been sexually abused and has tryed suicide. Kelly Paddik is a young teen, when she is sent to the Mary-Mound School For Girls, an enviorment sure to keep her safe. Before Kelly can even step on its grounds, she tries to make a run for it. Quickly she is caught and thrown into a jail-like room. Inside that enclosed space, she longs for the next time she can run.

Kelly has already written a story for every girl she's met, Terri, who she calls Pit Bull because of her dog like feautures, is the queen of the home. Chris, who is the teachers pet, is on wrong terms with Terri. Kelly tells herself to stay away from who will bring her the most trouble, Terri. During a break in the gym, where the girls can rollerblade, an "accident" occurs where Kelly gets pushed and everyone sees what she's done to herself, the slash she inflicted on herself.

As Kelly is still searching for her escape, she is forced to dive deeper into her past, where she was sexually abused by her father, at the age of five. Kelly is forced to answer this question from her senior, "Who owns Kelly Paddik." She finds out that Terri, knows a way out and is going to get there before her. She wishes she was Terri until Terri is dragged back to the school for girls, looking as if she hadn't had a shower in a week. In a one chance fall, Kelly gets her hands on the master key of the house, she puts it somewhere she knows no one will find it.

As Kelly is able to answer that question more and more, she decides to give up the key. She had already figured out that they had changed the locks. Kelly wanted to be like Chris, with the fight and determination to work hard so she could be sent to a group home. She feels as though, she knows the answer already, her dad doesn't own her, she does, Kelly Paddik owns herself.

[Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who Owns Kelly Paddik By Beth Goobie is a book about a mentally unstable girl named Kelly Paddik. She is placed in a mental hospital when she is only a teenager. The book was fast paced and had an overall good story to tell. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, quick read.

[Gunner Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The type of book I will be talking about is a fiction book.The name of the book you already know Who Owns Kelly Paddik. There are many themes scattered around the book but the most prominent. The one I found was that things in the beginning might be bad but there is always a way to turn bad thing into good things. That is the message to the readers to move past the bad and you might find some good in it.
The plot of this book on what she is doing in the girl's home and how she can escape this place. She begins her story as her parents get a divorce because of the abuse she received from her father.The she goes to the girl's home where she meets Chris a friend till the end in Chris’s words.But then at the girl's home she also meets and enemy her name is Pit Bull because that is what all the girls at the home call her. Later in the book her mom wants to see her but at first Kelly refuses but later gives in and talkes to her mother about the past. Will they make up and forgive her mother or will Kelly push her mother?
The next fragment in the book is the part where Kelly is confronted with a discussion of her life. Pit Bull find a way out of the girls home.Pit Bull want Kelly to distract Sister Margaret in her office. If Pit Bull escapes that's one less bully to worry about at the home.But if she doesn't escape the Pit Bill will blame Kelly and beat her up. Will Pit Bull escape or will she hurt Kelly?
The character that really inspired me on the book was of course Kelly as her shift of emotions throughout the book.She has a friend named Chris the only person she trust at the home. One qualites of Kelly is she is courageous because she stand up for Chris when Pit Bull bullies them both. She is caring when Chris hurts her knee skating. Last Kelly is lonely because before she got to the home all she had was a pet rock she could tell her secrets.
This was a very suspenseful book with choices that Kelly must chose. I agree with mostly all the ways that the author put Kelly into scenarios that she choices. Also it leaves the reader questioning if she actually made the right decisions. Some things I disagree with is that the authors is how he should expand on the character's relationship with the rest of the girls at the home. In issue that this book raises is that all kids have the same bad outcome as Kelly. I am relating this book to how society treats girls homes at the standards of living for kids Kelly’s age.
I had mixed emotions going into this book as Kelly had to solve problems and help friends in need. I was mostly sad going in the beginning hearing her black story about her life and all she had to go threw. I would suggest this book to anyone how like a big suspenseful book.With lots of griping decision. Also if you like the rush of knowing something is happening but only Kelly knows the truth of her past.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some good writing, but I seem to be hitting a bunch of books with absolutely annoying main characters and this is one of them.

While the backstory is never fully fleshed out, we do get enough of the story to move on with the story.

The writing is good and so is the pacing, however, fewer 'main character shrugs' or less 'internal thinking voice: would be also appreciated. This character spends more dialogue in her head than out and I thought this was a bit of a cope out for this character.

Not bad, but that main character UGH!

[Brayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book easily caught my interest. Its a short, quick read with a good story to tell.

[Hannah Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very emotional, and I really enjoyed it because of the fact that in the beginning of the book, Kelly Paddik was a quiet girl with a bad past. But by the end of the book, she was calm and was handling her past in a much better way than before.

[Yobani Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who owns kelly paddik?

The last place Kelly Paddik wants to be is in a lockup. All she can think about is flying free through any door or window she can unlock. During her time at Marymound however she makes a friend gets help from social workers and even learns to begin. As a victim of sexual abuse survival and escape are the only things Kelly has learned from life. with the help of Sister Mary a social worker and a friend named Chris she begins to realize that she can’t keep running from her problems. When Kelly finally gets her chance to escape the girls facility she decides that running away won’t dissolve the awful memories that haunt her. Instead with the help of Chris Kelly attempts a new strategy trust. Kelly learns that Chris has also dealt with sexual abuse and by talking about her ordeal has learned to survive it. In the end Kelly learns that her father and his abusive tendencies no longer own her. And most importantly just as Sisters Mary poster proclaimed Kelly finally learns to love herself.

[Joanna Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelly, recently recovered from a suicide attempt, is placed in a group home where she is forced to confront her past. As the novella progresses, it becomes clear that there is abuse in her past that eventually caused her to run away from home, and leave behind two siblings who she misses very much. This short novel is fast paced, offering less in the way of character development. Recommended for hesitant readers. Darker themes may make this novel more appropriate for public library youth collections than libraries in K-12 schools. Discussing themes of sexual abuse and suicide may be difficult in a public school setting, and this novella certainly inspires such discussion.

[Christie Strowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a high/low book that has a high interest level, but it is for students with lower reading abilities. The story deals with abuse and family problems. It is about a young girl, Kelly, that is placed in a group home because of child abuse. When she starts to cut herself, she is placed in a school for girls where she must overcome her fears and understand that no one owns her. This is a great story about teenagers overcoming obstacles in life.

[Meaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I have really liked the Orca Soundings books thus far, but this one didn't cut it for me. I think it was partly because I'd read so many similar stories before, and partly because the ending seemed really rushed and way too happy. It would have been more believable if there had been more detail -- but the Orca Soundings books are supposed to be really short. The other characters at the residential treatment center were definitely believable though, as was Kelly herself.

[Lauren Viddler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very emotional, and I really enjoyed it because of the fact that in the beginning of the book, Kelly Paddik was a quiet and disturbed girl with a terrifying past. But by the end of the book, she was controlled, calm, and was handling her past in a much more effective way than before. I recommend this book to everyone!

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a girl name Kelly Paddik , she going to a school called MARYMOUND SCHOOL FOR GIRLS. She doesnt like it. She hate it soo much. She always think that she going to be there forever and ever. She wants to escape but,she couldnt because the windows are shut with bars and wires with spike. She wants to be free like the other girls

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl learning to come to terms with an abusive past. I really liked it. It made me cry a lot, but that just means it was very heart felt and well written. It's also really short so a good quick read if you don't feel like getting into a long book.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

They makes you feel so happy and sad at the same. Its about a girl who has to move into a group home. And she doesnt like it because it reminds her of a prison that she cant get out of. She makes trys to think of ways to get out ,but at the end she finds out that the place is not that bad.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

that this girl ran from home and then they took her to jail and thats not a place for her then she said she leaving and then she sneaks out

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/200...

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent realistic fictional novel.

[Chris Welch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Student suggested this book-quick read

[Chandni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was really moving as well. It felt like a gutpunch in some scenes and I really liked Kelly Paddik's story.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow result sad story but inspiring at the same time

[Ayah Alezaim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book but it was hard to understand what Kelly wants

[Elyssa James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good because it was about a girl trying to find out who she was. She went through some tough time but at the end she finds her answer. This book was really good.

[Elisbeth]

What do you think about the place that you are right now? Do you want to be there or you wan to escape from there?

[Nini · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute story with a great message, but way too short.

[Evelyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is another of my favorites books read. This book insipres you to make better choices.

[Payden Davis]

I liked this book a lot and it was very inspirational.