Tender

by Valerie Hobbs

After her beloved Gran dies, fifteen-year-old Liv goes to California to live with the father she has never known and must adjust to his gruff ways and his life as an abalone diver, so different from her life in New York City. By the author of Carolina Crow Girl. Reprint.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Family, Death

245 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Valerie Hobbs is the author of many award winning novels for young adults including Sonnys War, Tender, and How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadnt Called You Back, for which she was designated a Flying Start author by Publishers Weekly in 1996. Hobbs was the winner of the 1999 PEN/Norma Klein award for an emerging voice of literary merit among American writers of childrens fiction and the Arizona Library Association Young Adult Author of the Year in 2003. Defiance, her most recent middle-grade novel, was given the 2006 most distinguished fiction award by the Childrens Literature Council of Southern California and has been nominated for twelve state awards. "

Reviews

[Stevie Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Tender, by Valerie Hobbs is about a 15 year old girl named Liv who has lived with her grandmother her whole life. Her grandmother dies early in the book, so she is forced to go live with her father in California, who she has never met. Later on in the book, her and her father realize hey need each other to survive after they get lost at sea. I really enjoyed this book because of it’s strong vocabulary and how much depth/detail it goes into. I would recommend this book for middle school and above.

[Leora Borell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book Tender by Valerie Hobbs. I decided to choose this book because I loved the cover and I enjoy a good drama. The author likely wrote this book because she is a teacher and understands the struggles teens have as they grow into the adult they will be.

This book was mostly about a girl named Liv and her relationship with her father. At the beginning,Liv’s Grandmother dies and she goes to live with her dad. Her father is basically a stranger and their are a lot of disagreements and misunderstandings. Towards the middle of the book Liv’s father needs her help because his tender has broken his arm. A tender is the lifeline for a diver. Liv begins to understand her father. I don’t want to give away the ending, but you should know that this story also, contains a love story. .

I liked how this book was written because there is a lot of dialogue. You get to see the personalities of all characters.A line from the book that highlights this style of writing is “She stops walking because Sam has. Sam stands there, looking up at Live through those cat-eye glasses, fists on her narrow hips. “Do you know anything?” “Huh?” Off-guard. Gran would never let her get away with “Huh?” It was always “Pardon?” or “What did you say?” Your always guessing! Guess this, guess that…”Sam says. “It is hard to know what you think about anything.”“ (pg.31 ). This line captures this writing style because you can see that Liv was usually proper and Sam just says it like it is. This book is similar to the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton because the characters are both growing into the people they want to be.

I, personally, liked this book because it had a good love story and I like how the daughter and father reconnect. Another reason I liked this book is that it had a quick, easy flow. You should read this book if you like a good drama with a few twists.

[Siena Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the books I read this quarter is Tender by Valerie Hobbs. Have you ever put your life at risk for someone who didn’t love you? After Livs grandma died, she moved to California with her father she had no connection with. She was closer to his girlfriend. She then had to rescue him in the middle of the ocean. Their bond became stronger and that’s when Bryan came long. Livs personality really shines through when Hobbs writes “All I ever wanted was my Chicago deep dish pizza. It’s been my favorite food every since I was three years old, when daddy packed it in my lunch.” This book is very entertaining throughout. There is not one dull scene. I think any middle through high school student would find joy out of this novel. Compared to Love Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur, they were pretty similar. They both kept me entertained with all of the out of the ordinary issues that popped up.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

i found this in a little free library and i think it might be a middle-grade book but idc i LOVED it. my godddd it was so sweet. cried several times. the writing was BEAUTIFUL. the story is gorgeous. this needs to be a movie like NOW!!!

[Elise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would not recommend.

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liv's mother died at her birth. At that event, Liv's father, Mark, handed her over to her mother's mother "like a bundle of laundry" and has had no contact with her since.

Now a teenager, Olivia--Liv--has to move from New York City to live with her father in rural California. When she meets her father for the first time, their lack of history together promises to be an immense obstacle to creating a relationship.

Liv cannot forgive her father for abandoning her and he is not willing to talk about it. His girlfriend Samantha, however, is more approachable and proves to be Liv's first new friend. Mark dives for abalone off the coast of Santa Barbara so when the young man who manages Mark's lifeline breaks his arm, Liv must fill in. It is turnabout: his life is in her hands this time.

I hardly know how to describe the author's style though that is precisely why the story is such a success. Here are three shots aimed toward that target.

Hobbs has an unerring eye for the detail that absolutely transfers to the reader the image or sound of the event she recounts. The silky fall of a scarf from a coathook, the consolidation of Chinese take-out into one of its boxes after the meal, the sound of disbelief behind a polite reply--all ring so true that I find myself remembering similar events in my life with the retrospective clarity she grants me.

She can show a character develop or change believably. To do so requires the ability to create a character with enough depth to embrace change, and the ability to convey the psychological truth of that character as they do so.

Hobbs writes in an unhurried manner; there are no missing bits as a story knits itself together. Whether it is the reaction of women in Samantha's beauty shop to Liv's dyed black hair with orange tips like flames, or the description of Mark's boat floating above him while she tends his air hose, Hobbs effortlessly creates small moments to advance nuances of the story. Yet she is also economical, with no gratuitous description or filler. She can successfully begin a new chapter after an elapse of several weeks or several hours.

Altogether this is a thought-provoking story , sensitively written, about people who are themselves tender and worth your time in getting to know them.

Genres: Adventure, People and relationships
Also: 8 1/2 or Better List

[Sofia Pintabona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Valerie Hobbs starts the book in New York. After her Grandma dies she moves to a small town close to Santa Barbara called Carpenteria, California to live with the dad that abandoned here when she was born. Her dad works as a diver collecting Abalone to sell and eat. The whole story is about how Olivia adjusts to life with having to deal with her father, Samantha, and Spinuchi, her fathers tender.

The whole plot structure of this book is boring. If I didn't have to finish this book for school, I would have stopped after chapter 5. The only exciting part is at the very end. All the characters lack any character development. There was one moment in the end where you could really see Mark's(the Father)struggles for about one page. Sam and Liv don't develop at all, just like the dad. The dad has the same facade for almost the whole book. There is no connection to any of the characters.

In my opinion this book was a waste of time. I personally would not read it again. I am the type of person that likes to read about suspense, action, and comedy. I love series like Percy Jackson! This book is too slow-paced for me.

[Molly Harnish · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning it was kind of hard to get into the book; Liv was not the kind of character you fall in love with & can relate to immediately. I definitely got drawn in towards the end, and it turned out to be a story of families drawing together, without the sappiness of "families drawing together", which is really hard to do. Liv definitely grew a lot over the course of the book. While that is something most people (especially me) look for in every book, it often doesn't deliver.

The ending was really superb. You don't expect this book to be - well, for lack of a better word, sweet - at the beginning, but it is at the end.

Some bad language. I'm surprised it was in my library's children's section.

Overall, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good, not-sappy-yet-sweet book with three-dimensional characters.

[Abby Nesheim · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book Tender, the main characters name is Olivia. Right after Olivia was born, her mom passed away leaving her with her immature father. Her father named Mark handed her over to his mom. Liv grew up with her grandma and is now in high school. One day she gets a call saying her grandma died. She is devastated and is forced to go live with her dad and his girlfriend. When liv arrives she is first met by Mark's girlfriend Samantha. Sam takes her home to drop off her stuff then they go for a walk. After they get some food they come back home and for the first time in while, Liv is reunited with her father. A little later, Mark's tender or person in charge of his lifeline breaks his arm leaving Liv in charge of literally Mark's life. This led Olivia and Mark to both grown as people and find out a lot about each other.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Liv, her mother died when she was born and her father didn't know what to do, so she was raised by her Gran. Thinking about her father made her wonder, does he really care about her?

I rated this book 5 out of 5 because I really connected with what Liv was thinking and saying. Most kids think that their parents hover way to much over them, but in this book you realize what its like for kids who have parents that don't talk to them all the time, ask them about their day,etc. It helps you realize what life would be like if your parent didn't show that they care about you.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young girl, Liv, has been raised by her grandmother after her mother died in childbirth. Her father left Liv with his mom. Unexpectedly, Gran has died. Liv is forced to leave New York and live with her father in California, someone she has never met. His lifestyle is different from what Liv has experienced. He lives from day to day diving for abalone. He dives for abalone. An accident brings both father and daughter together when they realize they need each other to survive.

[Holly Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the death of Liv's grandmother, she had to pack her bags and move out to California to live with her father. Her father was not home much, and his girlfriend Samantha helped her get used to her new surroundings. Then when her father's "tender" breaks his arm, she has to fill in for him, and figures out a lot about herself and her father.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

its a really good book so far. its about a girl whos mom died during child birth and the dad was so grieved he left her to live with her grandma. her dad was a diver. 15 yrs later her grandma dies of a stroke and she has to go live with her dad....... you HAVE to read it

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl who lives with her grandmother. One day she goes to school and she gets a note from the office that says her grandmother is in the hospital. She had a heart attack and dies. So now, she has to live with her dad (never met him before) in California.

[Edmund · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book I read was "Tender" by Valeria Hobbs. This book was mostly about how Olivia (the main character) adjust to life with having to deal with her father. The whole plot of the story was boring and I wouldn't recommend this book.

[Tiffani Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting and when the event at the end occured, not going to spoil it for anyone, I thought something happened. I kept reading and something different, from what I thought, happened. I would recommend this to anyone.

[hnadimpalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its interesting but you can bored pretty easily.........
And the style of writing is different...
The grammar is like messed up
good story though

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a long time ago but I do remeber a little bit about it and the fact that I really liked it.

[Kendell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good YF novel of a 15 yr. old girl who moves in with her dad. He hasn't seen her since birth and the author captures well the awkwardness of relating to teens and hard family dynamics.

[Bridget]

This book was the bestest ever made by Valerie Hobbs! Please recommed

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just remembering to add this now; don't remember much except that i liked it, and the fact that I remembered that much seven years later is enough to make me give it 4 stars.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually like books like this, but this book is defintly one of my favorites!

[Katelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay book. It was really touching but it lacked character development, though. I didn't even know that Liv had orange hair until she got her hair cut. Other wise, the plot was OK.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book rlly liked it

[Tecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still amazing

I read this book when I was in high school, and have wanted to re-read the book for years. It's still as emotional and powerful as I remember. Although, sometimes the sentence structure was choppy and there were spelling and grammatical errors. I would have loved to see more character development from the dad and more problem solving from the main characters, but the author did a good job of showing a dysfunctional family come together and try to find a life together amidst the angst and resentment from past mistakes.

[Bobbi Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Beautiful book about life and all of its twists and turns.