The Care and Keeping of Freddy

by Susan Hill Long

For fans of Kate DiCamillo and Sharon Creech comes this “both raw and warm in its compassionate telling” (Publishers Weekly) middle grade novel about a young girl, her pet bearded dragon, and the friends who make her summer one to remember.

Georgia Weathers’s worry machine has been on full blast since her mom, Blythe, took off in Lyle Lenczycki’s blue sedan. Earlier that same day, Blythe gave Georgia a bearded dragon named Freddy. Georgia is convinced that if she loves Freddy enough, Blythe will come home.

Georgia isn’t the only one with family predicaments. Her friend Maria Garcia’s parents have merrily moved out of the house and into a camper in the yard. Roland Park is the new boy in town. As a kid in the foster care system staying with the Farley family, he’s sure his stay is temporary. When the three friends discover an abandoned glass house in the forest, it becomes their secret a place all their own, free of parents and problems. But glass can be broken.

When everything around them feels out of their control, the question becomes what can they hold on to? And what do they have to let go? It turns out, there are some things—and lizards—they can count on.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Animals

240 pages, Hardcover

Published October 19, 2021

About the author

Susan Hill Long, graduate of Bowdoin College, resident of Portland, Ore., is the author of many children's books.

She is also published as Susan Hill and Frances Ann Ladd.

Reviews

[Kim Bautz · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is definitely a lot in this book. I think that it could have made the same impact without some of the secondary storylines. Still a good story though.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georgia Weathers won't forget the day Freddy, a bearded dragon lizard, came into her life. It was the same day that her mother, Blythe, left her. Ever since then, Georgia has tried to take care of Freddy, believing that if she does so, her mother will return. The author captures the voice and thinking of a naive middle grader like Georgia since Blythe is already remarried to Lyle Lenczycki. When she returns, it's with Lyle and a new baby, Rosie, with whom Georgia immediately falls in love. Blythe is charming and fun to be with, and she wants Georgia to move in with Lyle and her. But the more time Georgia spends with her mother, the more she realizes that she isn't particularly stable and that she might not be here to stay. As tempting as it is to follow her mother's path, Georgia also craves the familiarity and solidness of her father. There's a subplot concerning Roland Park, a foster child who struggles with his family placement due to how religious they are and the fact that they also have a young child, Winslow, and how friendships form between Roland and Georgia and Roland and Maria, Georgia's creative friend who loves writing stories and imagines everyone as princes and princesses. Although I wish there had been more information about Freddy, who seemed in danger of being abandoned just as Georgia had been, the story tugged at my heart and made me think about the meaning of family and community. Readers slowly come to realize just how irresponsible Blythe is as the story unfolds, and while it's understandable that she wants to follow her dreams, surely she owes some responsibility to her loved ones. It often seemed that she wanted Georgia around just so she could take over the child care responsibilities for Rosie. The author shows readers just how complex human beings are.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gotta say, I did not expect my reaction to this book. It made me surprisingly emotional. It's an age-appropriate look at some incredibly challenging times for three preteens. Georgia is our main character, who is taking care of a bearded dragon called Freddy. Her mom left her and Georgia's dad nearly two years ago to run off with a man called Lyle and she now has a new baby, Rosie. When Georgia's mom Blythe returns to town with her new family, and her continually unpredictable and harmful behavior, George struggles with the sense of abandonment she felt, navigating how to spend time with her mom and her new sister while feeling bad about leaving her dad and Freddy. This was definitely tough to read at times, as Blythe is certainly manipulative when it comes to Georgia's feelings. At the same time, Rosie's super intelligent best friend Maria is managing her household of seven kids with the help of her abuela and her big brothers, taking care of her three younger sisters because her parents have abdicated their parenting for the summer to move into the trailer in the backyard. Georgie and Maria are also becoming friends with a new boy, Roland, whose father is incarcerated and his mother was deemed "unfit" so he's just counting the days until his older brother is released from juvie and comes to get him from the foster family that is trying to love him fiercely, despite his walls. Georgia's dad killed me, he's such a sweet gentle man, and it's so lovely to see that portrayal of fatherhood. It's a difficult book to read, but addresses the reality of some family situations with care and thoughtfulness. The ending was very sweet. I honestly loved this.

Content warnings for parental neglect, possible mental illness and alcoholism

[Stephanie Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

A charming little book that presents differing and difficult family situations in a way that middle-grade readers can process and work through while reading. It’s a gentle book, and the observational quality of our narrator character will probably help young readers to absorb all that’s going on around her.

I decided to read this book to see if it would be good for my nephews, and perhaps get them interested in bearded dragons (I have one that they have yet to meet). Alas, Freddy, the bearded dragon in the title, has only a little role in the story, and his raison d’etre gets somewhat lost along the way. However, this is highly preferable to a situation I was fearing—that Freddy would be overly involved in some climax that might encourage harmful mimicry in young readers with lizards. As a pet, Freddy is delightful, and the author doesn’t encourage bad husbandry (which is surprisingly common in children’s books featuring exotic pets) so overall the bearded dragon representation is positive and I loved every moment he was on the page.

As a children’s book, this is solid; parents and educators may want to read it first, as the depiction of parental neglect is heartbreakingly accurate, but I think that children will understand it. As a bearded dragon book, it’s window-dressing, but nice and non-harmful window-dressing, which is depressingly rare.

[Karen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read the other reviews but am surprised they are not 4+
This book is age-appropriate - which is amazing considering the serious issues addressed, and highly readable.
A mom who seems to have Bi-Polar and manipulative narcissism together, who leaves her husband and daughter, remarries, has a baby, and returns to the small town she left her 1st daughter.
A foster care boy who is full of issues, lands in a family of loving and true Christians, and although a little over-the-top, they walk their talk.
Friendship is huge in this book, and it's beautiful (including adult & kid friendships). It's not happily ever after, but better because it's realistically satisfying. Despite all the problems in the world, most people are caring and helpful. I love this book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georgia lives with her father in a small coastal Maine town. Her mother Blythe took off a couple of years ago with an old flame named Lyle leaving a bearded dragon lizard named Freddy in her care. Georgia is anxious and confused and believes that taking good care of Freddy will insure her mother’s return. Summer proves eventful when Georgia and her best friend Maria meet new kid Roly and Blythe returns to town with Lyle and a new baby in tow. In addition to the cruelty of abandoning her daughter, Blythe is a complicated narcissistic, passive-aggressive character and Georgia must come to terms with this to move forward.

[Eileen Winfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mother is horrible (she buys her daughter a lizard to represent her love and then skips town for two years with another man to start a new family only to return with the new baby so the first daughter can be the live in babysitter).
The other adults are ok. The friends are genuine. I don’t know who needs to read this; maybe that will become obvious later… sigh. Basically an anxious through life being hard with a few nice moments.

[Patty Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If your students liked Kate DiCamillo's Raymie Nightingale collection, then this is a must read! Adults in Georgia’s life confuse her while friends, new & old, help her navigate the many changes she encounters. Life is messy for these complicated, layered characters. Love Rosie and Roly!