One Square Inch

by Claudia Mills

Cooper’s grandfather gives him and his little sister, Carly, deeds to square inches of land in the Yukon. Carly uses them to invent her own imaginary kingdom of Inchland—far away from the silence of their home, where their single mother stays in bed all day. When their mom comes out of her season of sadness bursting with sometimes-frightening energy, Carly retreats into Inchland while sixth-grader Cooper tries to control the chaos. But can Cooper really keep Carly—and himself—safe?

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Juvenile, Realistic Fiction

168 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2010

About the author

Claudia Mills is the author of Nixie Ness, Cooking Star, 7 x 9 = Trouble!, Zero Tolerance, Write This Down, and many other books for children. She was born in New York City in 1954. She received her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College, her master's degree from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University. She also received an M.L.S. degree from the University of Maryland, with a concentration in children's literature. She had a second career as a professor of philosophy at the Colorado at Boulder, until leaving that career in 2014 to write full time. She now teaches in the graduate program in children's literature at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. All of her books have been written between 5 and 7 in the morning while drinking Swiss Miss hot chocolate.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/claudi...

Reviews

[Collette · Rating 3 out of 5]

WOW! This is a very powerful book, and I feel there aren't enough books out there (especially fiction) that are written so well about a sensitive topic. It's the story of a family who is trying to deal with the mother's bipolar disorder and depression. Though it's not actually named in the storyline, the inside cover identifies bipolar disorder, and I think the author treats such a touchy subject with both respect and honesty.
I wouldn't give this to just any child, despite the reading level being about 3rd to 4th grade. On the other hand, I also wouldn't shy away from recommending it to anyone who has a family member with any mental illness or disorder. The author portrays the mother and children quite honestly and realistically, and I feel this is an important book to be published and available in any children's library. I'm just not sure I'd recommend it to any child, due to the sometimes-scary portrayal of violent mood swings and accidental parental neglect. What might comfort one child who's dealing with similar circumstances might scare another child into thinking their parents might start acting that way.

[Lillie Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would be a good book for teens to understand bipolar symptoms. Was interesting but also sad...

[Kayla M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for people that like fantasy. I could pick this book up and read it over and over. I would definitely anyone who likes fantasy read this book.

This book is about two kids that have to face their mother that has a problem but doesn't think she does or doesn't want to admit it. In this book she takes on to many challenges, disappoints her kids, and cant pay the bills. Her kids are very embarrassed by their mothers actions. So they make an imaginary land called Inchland this is where they can get away even from their mother. But because of her problem, she destroys their magical land. Carly runs off and then they finally find her at Coopers friends house. Then they definitely know she has a problem and call their grandpa for help. Carly and Coopers mom faces a very difficult disorder. This disorder she faces, well you will have to find out!

What i like about this book is how it is written and how the story goes. The book is written so great there are no cliffhangers,but it does want you to read more and more. The story is very flowy it all fits together in a way. Another thing i like is the characters interact very well in this story. For example Cooper goes to a friends house and their mom leaves without telling Carly, so Carly is scared and calls cooper he comes right home. Here are some thing i like about the book.

Some different things about the book I did not like were that Carly and Coopers mom takes on to many jobs in her life. For example she volunteers to make the oven and the cage for carlys play (Hansel and Gretal), while she also is making a quilt, and shirts for dolls. While shes doing that she doesn't have anytime for Cooper and Carly. That was the only thing i liked about the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read books. This is a really great fantasy story.This book is also 6 points! Enjoy your reading.

[Rosalyn Eves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently attended a week long writing workshop with Claudia Mills (who is, by the way, a fabulous human being and an amazing teacher), so I thought I'd better at least read some of her books before attending. This is her most recent book. While I don't always pick up middle-grade books, I was impressed by this one, which deftly tells the story of a young boy, Cooper, whose mother's bipolar disorder is increasingly spiraling out of control. Alongside the story of his mother's manic behavior, readers see the unfolding relationship between Cooper and his little sister Carly, who build a fantasy world called "Inchland," inspired by the deeds their grandfather got as a child to "one square inch" of land in Canada, part of a promotional by (I think it was) Quaker Oats. Reading this book as a mother, I was horrified by the challenges Cooper had to face as his mother becomes increasingly unreliable (she was their sole parent)--it wrenches my heart to think about how difficult it must be for children who *can't* rely on their parents. That said, I think the novel does a wonderful job realistically portraying these challenges while still preserving some light-hearted moments to counter-balance the potential darkness of the central plot.

[JaNeal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was meant to be written. Having said this, it is a pretty serious read for a children's book. It might be scary to some children as it opens up the world of mental illness in some vivid ways. For children who are already dealing with such challenges, it will likely bring peace and comfort.

The story is about two children dealing with their mother's bi-polar disorder. I have workshopped with Claudia and think she is a remarkable lady and talented author/teacher. The characterization of the mother is incredible as the author walks a shaky line that carefully blends the logical (making the mother believable) and the illogical in the mother's thinking and behavior.

The story gives hope but not a fairy-tale ending. Written with sensitivity and skill, this is a book that is sure to help many as they cope with this serious illness. A good read for adults and teachers who would be served by seeing a child's perspective of this disorder. Well worth my time reading.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has seriously almost beat out There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom as my favorite, and that's incredibly hard to do. I suppose it's because of the bipolar aspect, but even if I weren't connected by that unfortunate disease, it's an amazing book. This book was just sitting on the shelf at the library and I picked it up read the inside flap lo and behold, the main character's mom has bipolar.

11-year-old Cooper and his 7-year-old sister, Carly, deal with their mom's depression, then she snaps out of it, seems normal, then gets manic. Cooper is protective of Carly as any big brother would be, and is dealing with their mom's undiagnosed bipolar as any 11-year-old boy would- unsure of what to do and too afraid and embarassed to talk to another adult about it.

...to be finished later...

[Addison Children's Services · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because my sister owns a square inch of Alaska that she earned as a summer reading prize forty plus years ago. She has never done much with her property and I was curious to see how they would develop the property in the book. It turns out they had eight deeds so eight square inches and created the Kingdom of Inchland. Inchland plays a pretty insignificant part in this book; for all that it is the title. Mostly the book is about an eleven-year-old boy and his seven-year-old sister dealing with their single mother's increasingly deteriorating loss to bipolar disease. Really pretty depressing and I can't think who I'd recommend it to, unless I knew that a kid was dealing with mental illness in the family. Well written, but uck topic.

[Lisa the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

After hearing that this book dealt with the issue of bi-polar disorder I couldn't wait to read it. One of my dearest friends battled this issue for years. I was looking to discover more about something that is so destructive.

However, this story was told from a child's point of view and how he watches, without understanding, his mother's extreme high and lows and how scary it is to try to make sense of a world he is living in that has no sense or even predictability.

It was not what I was expecting or wanting, but I really enjoyed the perspective and insight.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This kid's-eye-view of a mother's mental illness goes down easily in spite of its chlling premise. Eleven-year-old Cooper and his little sister Carly watch their mother's behavior become increasing erratic, until we realize that her bipolar disorder could be endangering them. I hope this gets the readership that it deserves. Claudia Mills does a great job making a tricky topic accessible to younger readers without being didactic.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is somewhat sad, and somewhat happy. The main characters get along well, while some don't. I like this book, because what they talk about in it, is true, and whether you make a decision to tell people about your problems, only you can decide. This book shares information about real life events, that might give you the courage to stand up for others.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful look at mental illness and how it can affect kids' family lives. I was really impressed with how true-to-life all of the adults are in this book.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving story of a family touched by bipolar disorder told through the eyes of an immediately likeable middle school boy.

[Mary E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

engaging; quiet; a serious subject presented clearly without telling too much for middle grade.

[Shelley Pelc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accurate portrayal of bipolar disorder behavior told from a child's point of view. Good book for bibliotherapy, but not sure kids will enjoy it as a recreational read.

[Linnae · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Cooper, his little sister Carly, and their mother who has bipolar disease. Emotional and well-written.

My full review is here:
http://www.ofbooksandblooms.blogspot.com