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The Likes of Me by Randall Platt from Books In Motion.com
Cordelia Lu Hankins is the half Caucasian, half Chinese and all albino. She has grown up in a remote lumber town with her distant father and a giant stepmother nicknamed Babe (after Paul Bunyan's blue ox), convinced she is ugly. Then, in the summer of 1918, when she is fourteen, she falls in love with the dashing Squirl. One day they meet on the mountain and Cordy receives her first kiss, as well as a wild ride down a log flume that gets Squirl fired. Determined to follow him, Cordy runs away. She begins an exciting adventure that takes her to the sideshows of Seattle's Luna Park, where her unusual looks bring her fame. But her journey also brings tragedy in this thought-provoking coming-of-age novel with remarkable, original heroine.
Audio CD
First published February 8, 2000
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About the author
Randall Platt
15 books76 followersJUST WHO IS THIS RANDALL PLATT?
(hint: Not a guy!)
Randall Platt writes fiction for adults and young adults and those who don't own up to being either. Platt, a lifelong resident of the Upper Left Hand Corner, has been a full-time writer for twenty-five years which is certainly long enough to know better. But since Platt finds no shortage of fascinating characters and stories springing from the beautiful Pacific Northwest, the books just keep coming. Which explains why nearly all Platt’s novels take place in Washington or Oregon, the exception being Liberty’s Christmas, which takes place in Texas during the Depression.
Platt's novels have won several awards including twice winning the Willa Literary Award and twice winning the Will Rogers Medallion for best young adult literature. Platt has also received the Keystone State Reading Award, been a finalist for the PEN Center USA award as well as the Washington State Book Award. Platt is a sought-after speaker and presenter at conferences, schools, and libraries, specializing in fun and honest answers shot straight from the hip.
Platt’s latest novels have two things common - they take place during World War II and feature a strong female protagonist who stands up, stands out and resists. The paperback edition of Incommunicado, set during the first turbulent months of World War Two and dealing with Japanese internment, releases in the spring of 2017.
The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, also releasing in the spring of 2017, is an intense young adult novel of street kids surviving and resisting on the Nazi-occupied streets of Warsaw.
Twice Hollywood has called Platt - her first novel, The Four Arrows Fe-As-Ko was filmed by Sullivan Entertainment as Promise The Moon. Another novel, The Cornerstone, has been optioned for feature film by actor/director Tom Skerritt.
Several times a week Platt puts away the words and heads for the nearest handball court or hiking trail.
More information than you ever wished to know about Platt is available at www.plattbooks.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, as well as the usual book websites.
(hint: Not a guy!)
Randall Platt writes fiction for adults and young adults and those who don't own up to being either. Platt, a lifelong resident of the Upper Left Hand Corner, has been a full-time writer for twenty-five years which is certainly long enough to know better. But since Platt finds no shortage of fascinating characters and stories springing from the beautiful Pacific Northwest, the books just keep coming. Which explains why nearly all Platt’s novels take place in Washington or Oregon, the exception being Liberty’s Christmas, which takes place in Texas during the Depression.
Platt's novels have won several awards including twice winning the Willa Literary Award and twice winning the Will Rogers Medallion for best young adult literature. Platt has also received the Keystone State Reading Award, been a finalist for the PEN Center USA award as well as the Washington State Book Award. Platt is a sought-after speaker and presenter at conferences, schools, and libraries, specializing in fun and honest answers shot straight from the hip.
Platt’s latest novels have two things common - they take place during World War II and feature a strong female protagonist who stands up, stands out and resists. The paperback edition of Incommunicado, set during the first turbulent months of World War Two and dealing with Japanese internment, releases in the spring of 2017.
The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, also releasing in the spring of 2017, is an intense young adult novel of street kids surviving and resisting on the Nazi-occupied streets of Warsaw.
Twice Hollywood has called Platt - her first novel, The Four Arrows Fe-As-Ko was filmed by Sullivan Entertainment as Promise The Moon. Another novel, The Cornerstone, has been optioned for feature film by actor/director Tom Skerritt.
Several times a week Platt puts away the words and heads for the nearest handball court or hiking trail.
More information than you ever wished to know about Platt is available at www.plattbooks.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, as well as the usual book websites.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 29, 2023
I might be biased cause I read this back in middle school and it was like THE book that made me realize I wanted to be a reader. So it’s got a special place in my heart. Rereading it as an adult I still really liked it and can totally understand why my 13 year old self felt so strongly about this book.
March 24, 2015
Read it in middle school and loved it. It is a powerful book. Such an amazing and unique story.
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September 5, 2025I was completely obsessed with this book in 8th grade! The protagonist does a lot of kinda dumb things and makes some assumptions based off of complete ignorances and therefore captured my youth completely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2009
Synopsis- A girl named Cordelia who has lilac eyes, snow white hair, and is albino with no color at all, meets a boy named Squirl. When he is fired from the logging camp she lives at, she runs away to join him in Seattle. There she joins a carnival of freaks and learns a shocking secret.
Classification-
Audience:13-15, aimed towards females
Purpose:Moral messages, some entertainment
Medium:Graphic Novel
Genre-Setting:Realism
Genre-Style:Tragedy
Genre-Plot:Action
Criticism:
This is a book of action and romance. It takes place at a logging camp with a freak of a girl named Cordelia(Cordy) who's half Caucasian, half-Chinese albino. Its an original teenage angst story. I think Cordelia's a good inspiration to teenage girls. This book teaches teenage girls that being different is nothing to be ashamed of, but could even be a source of personal pride.
Classification-
Audience:13-15, aimed towards females
Purpose:Moral messages, some entertainment
Medium:Graphic Novel
Genre-Setting:Realism
Genre-Style:Tragedy
Genre-Plot:Action
Criticism:
This is a book of action and romance. It takes place at a logging camp with a freak of a girl named Cordelia(Cordy) who's half Caucasian, half-Chinese albino. Its an original teenage angst story. I think Cordelia's a good inspiration to teenage girls. This book teaches teenage girls that being different is nothing to be ashamed of, but could even be a source of personal pride.
September 27, 2008
Wonderful story of an albino who travels with a carnival and encounters some interesting people and places along the way
March 25, 2013
Great for middle schoolers. Deals with themes of differences, self-respect, and navigating the waters of those who truly care about you vs. those who will use you.
October 25, 2014
#childhood
July 2, 2020
Love it!!
This book was amazing. It really made you think about how many people do feel about people with albinism. It’s sad that many people are not educated about this but it all starts with us.
This book was amazing. It really made you think about how many people do feel about people with albinism. It’s sad that many people are not educated about this but it all starts with us.
March 4, 2019
I love this book SSOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!! I don’t even know where to start. It’s such a beautiful and heart tugging story. jUst reaD It!! I read this book in 2012 and it’s still my favorite book.
May 21, 2020
This was awful. I actually threw it away. How does she live in a whorehouse and not ever understand what goes on there? What? It's like a cartoon of a bad YA novel, the whole thing.
November 30, 2020
Been awhile since I read it. This book came to me at a point in my life that inspired me. I understood Cordy's struggle with finding her way and knowing who she was. Definitely a good book for young people who need to be inspired in that way. I also had considered running away myself around that time, but instead I ran to the world of books. I was also around the same age as Cordy at the time
Bonus: this was the book that helped me realize I wanted to be a writer. And I got to meet Ms Platt at Writers conference shortly after I read so I got to have some conversations about writing and the book itself in a way
Bonus: this was the book that helped me realize I wanted to be a writer. And I got to meet Ms Platt at Writers conference shortly after I read so I got to have some conversations about writing and the book itself in a way
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews