Itch

by Michelle D. Kwasney

In 1968, after the death of her beloved Gramps, Delores "Itch" Colchester and her grandmother move from Florida to an Ohio trailer park, where she meets new people and, when she learns that a friend is being abused by her mother, tries her best to emulate her plain-spoken grandfather.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Abuse, Friendship, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens

236 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[OK Dad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story here.
My 11-year old picked this up to read in her middle school library, finished it and enjoyed it. She kept it around the house for several days, urging me to read it. Alas I never did and she had to return it.

But she never let quite let it go.

I kept telling her that I would get it on her Nook so I could read it and save it for her little sister when she was ready...but then the Nook went missing.

Fast forward to last week. She checks it out again from the library, sticks it in my face to read it and won't let that tiger tail go.

So I read it in one sitting.

Love this writer's style. Plot opens and unfolds in a slightly predictable manner...but the ending was a surprise even to old fictionphile.

Love it that my middle schooler loves reading and books enough to start recommending good reads to me.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for the 11-13 year old age group. It's a story of a young girl just about to start 6th grade but is uprooted and must move to Ohio from Florida.
The young lady is sweet and the story is well drawn out - for that age group. The author does a fine job painting a picture of a girl in transition running into obstacles with new friendships and how, specifically, to help a new friend through a very serious issue.

I would recommend it for both boys and girls. There is a sweet crush in the book that is reminiscent of those times!

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

ITCH shows you how to live and look at life. The main character, Itch moves out of her comfort zone, literally, and starts a new life in Ohio in a trailer park. After making a new friend, a famous baton twirler, she notices odd bruises appearing every week. After witnessing something Itch had never seen before she has a rude-awakening and starts to take action. Not hoping to hurt her friend anymore, mentally or physically.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kwasney, Michelle D. Itch, 236 p. Henry Holt, 2008.

Itch is all out of sorts. Her beloved grandfather has died and now her grandmother has moved has household from sunny Florida to a trailer park in frozen Ohio. Plus, Gram has decided to sell Gramps car; Itch isn’t sure she can take much more. She meets a popular girl at her new school who seems friendly enough, but soon realizes that everything is not right in Gwendolyn’s life, either. In fact, her problems may be so big that Itch is afraid to say a word to anyone who might be able to help.

While this book deals with death and loss, it also covers the idea of taking a chance and asking an adult for help when you know that something is wrong. Younger students who are fans of Frances O’Roark Dowell or Betsy Byars should enjoy this selection.

EL, MS – OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Cindy, Library-Teacher.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008...

[🌚Cara🌝 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's still a good book even though I rated it 3. Stars

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, quick read about a girl that moves from her home down in Florida to Ohio after her grandfather dies. In Ohio Delores, or Itch, has to get used to this new climate and just an entire new way of life. On her first day she meets Gwen, this beautiful girl that performs at the town's talent show and wins. She later befriends Gwen but finds out that Gwen's home life is not all what it seems.

This is an interesting take on child abuse in the 1960's. It's not too harsh that a younger audience can read it but an older audience can still appreciate it. I did feel like things were a bit rushed after the abuse is revealed but that's okay. And I did like the fact that it was the mom doing the abusing. It switches things up a little bit for me.

I also learned something new about contacts reading it. Because I was confused when one of the characters commented that she planned on getting contacts at her next birthday. Sure enough, in the 1960s contact were around, they were just very expensive!

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wacky, fun, heartwarming, yet sad tale. Delores Colchester, known better as Itch faces new challenges as she tries to fit in, in her new town, and new home. She starts to fit in and is almost happy again. She has great friends, a loving family and fun teachers, but she soon see’s that all is not what it seems. This book really helped me see into some other issues that I wasn’t aware about. You learn about courage, and how to speak up when others can’t. This book was very powerful and touched me. The reading is relatively easy, but the story plot can be a bit hard to follow. I would recommend this book to anyone in middle school. It will really open your eyes to some things that happen in our world that we are quite ignorant to. Amazing book, and I would definitely read it again! Hope you read it!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Itch was devastated. First her beloved Gramps dies, then her grandmother uproots her from the only home she has ever known in Florida. They end up in a mobile home in Ohio. Everything is different as Itch tries to find a way to make new friends and yet not lose the old. The fortune teller tells her she will have 3 friends and a penny in her future. She really likes Wendy, but she can tell something is wrong. When she finds out the truth, she must follow Gramps advice and do what is right even if it feels wrong. Can she find the courage behind her convictions? This novel deals with growing up, friendships, and following the truth in a very good manner. Good read for upper elementary and middle school readers.

[$hanel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew it!!!! This book is touching and a classic! It almost made me cry at one point. Itch is about a girl named Delores (known as Itch) who has moved from Florida to a mobile home in Ohio. Moving to a whole other state means "starting over" for Itch. When Itch moves to Ohio she meets a girl named Gwendolyn who is popular and has many friends and is perfect in just about every way. Itch and Gwendolyn go to school together and become really good friends until a day when Itch is at Gwendolyn`s house and Itch sees the bad side of Gwendolyn`s life and is sworn to secrecy not to tell anyone about Gwendolyn`s other side. Will Itch be able to help Gwendolyn and her major family problem?

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because it is set in the 1960's this will be labeled historical but the main characters struggle to belong in a new school and help her friend who is being abused by her mother is as current as any contemporary realistic novel and the author's note tells how to contact help if you suspect child abuse. Overall a good story even though sometimes the story did not ring true - the cover should have had a picture of Gramp's Chevy Bel Air which defined Itch more than the trailer they moved into in Ohio.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Itch addresses the topic of child abuse as seen through the eyes of 11-year-old protagonists Delores and her new friend Wendy. The author's note provides a hotline phone number and website information to report child abuse and/or neglect. Throughout the story, Delores introduces her "favorite words" list and uses them in context of the story. These words are listed at the end of the story--a different approach to introducing unfamiliar words to readers. Saves the reader from either skipping over the word or actually taking time to look the word up in the dictionary.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Itch is abandoned by her mother and lives (happily) with her grandparents. When Gramps dies, she and Gram move from Florida to an Ohio trailer park. At her new school, she becomes friends with Gwendolyn, a popular and beautiful girl who participates in talent shows and pagents. But Gwendolyn is hiding a secret, an abusive mother. Courage is the theme here, and I always fear that books make too light of resolving the horrible problem of child abuse. "Speaking up takes courage, Gramps said." But it's not always that easy.
A good book from a local author.

[Judy Desetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. This one deals with child abuse, but is not overly graphic. It shows the main character, Itch, finding out that a new friend is hurt by her mom. I like that the point is to share that information with an adult and let them deal with the issues. Abuse should never be kept a secret. It also deals with moving to a new town and the difficulty of the adjustment as well as developing new friends.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delores, "Itch", has to move from Florida to a trailer house in Ohio after her Grandfather dies. She must start 6th grade without a BFF. "itch" meets Wendy - rich, talented and very popular. "Itch" and Wendy soon form a friendship, but then "Itch" realizes that Wendy's life at home isn't what it should be. Wendy is covered in bruises and never wants to make any kind of mistake that might upset her mother. Very touching story with the subject of child abuse as seen through an 11-year-olds eyes.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far i'm only 20 pages in but the characters are being well described, and the places seem really in my head. In some paragraphs, I see myself, which shows that the authors is already connecting to her audience, a.k.a me.

Now that I'm done reading Itch, i feel that it is one of those books that any teacher, or person working with kids should read. It teaches you that just because you don't see the issues with the child, it doesn't mean that there, not there. We all need to have our eyes opened for situations, displayed in the book.

[Sarah Guyette · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet story about a 6th grade girl who has to handle a lot of change, more than most kids have to deal with. she rises to the occasion. I think this book probably has a limited reach, as my 13 yo boy probably would lose interest and im not sure my 9 yo could emotionally handle some of the problems faced by delores. and its a very different world in 2014 than in 1965ish when this story takes place, so my kids might not understand the courage that delores displayed. I'm all about reading children's lit this summer

[Nico · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Itch” by Michelle D. Kwasney is a heartwarming story that follows the life of a 6th grade girl named Delores. Delores lives in Beaver Creek Florida in a beautiful home with her grandma and grandpa, until her grandpa passed away. Delores must move with her grandma to a trailer park in Ohio, and start a new life there. At first, Delores isn’t accepted by the new school and the new faces, but soon meets a new friend, Gwen. Delores starts to think life is looking up until she finds out a dark secret about her new friend.

[Mrs. Hassig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could really relate to "Itch" in this book because she got her nickname from having poison ivy and that happens to me at least two or three times a year! Itch loses the person most dear to her and then is forced to move away from everything that reminds her of that person. Then she goes to the fair and meets a fortune teller. She pays to find out if she will have a friend in this new place. Not only will she have several new friends but one will be a boy!! But people sometimes hold secrets that even friendship can't change. Itch learns this the hard way.

[Ragan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice little coming of age story set in the late 60's. The issue of child abuse is dealt with in this book. But it is done in a way that isn't super disturbing, if you know what I mean. This would be a good book for kids to read to gain awareness of this issue, but at the same time not be traumatized by the details. Overall it is a sweet story of friendship and dealing with the longing for things lost.

[Vi Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twelve year old Itch (Delores) is being raised by her grandparents in Florida. This is because her mother just up and disappeared when Itch was a baby. Grandpa suffers and heart attack and dies suddenly. Grandma sells the house and moves to Ohio to be near her cousin. Itch has lots of adjusting to do: new friends, new house/city, and no grandpa. She soon discovers her new friend from school is harboring a deep secret: her mother is physically abusing her. What should Itch do?

[Readersaurus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Itch is both believable and likable as an almost pre-teen finding her way in a new town. I enjoyed this story for the author's skill in accurately portraying grief over Gramps' death, child abandonment, and physical abuse in a way that 10 - 13 year olds can understand without it being too scary. Unique (or rare) in this genre is the idea that people who do horrible things might not be rotten through and through.

[Sheryl]

Itch, a 6th grade girl, moves from Florida to Ohio with her grandmother shortly after her grandfather dies. Desperately missing him and her best friend, she soon befriends a group of girls which includes Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn, nicknamed Wendy, seems to have a perfect life, until Itch begins to suspect that Wendy is being abused by her mother.

This book deals with moving, with death, with abuse, and with having to start all over again.

A very well-written book; I couldn’t put it down.

[Barb Keltner · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great family story, set in the 1960's. My favorite lines were the main character remembering how her beloved grandfather taught her, "Doing nothing really is doing something. It's choosing to remain quiet when you know full well things aren't right. Speaking up takes courage." This young lady thinks about what her grandfather taught her when she learns that that her good friend is being abused.

[Heather Shuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequoyah nominee: 2010-2011 (Intermediate)
Reading Counts Reading Level: 3.5
Lexile: 630
School Library Journal Age Recommendation: Grades 5-8

I really enjoyed this book, but I gave it four stars because I found it slow in the beginning. I had to push myself to keep reading it, but I'm so happy I did! This is a touching and engaging story that deals with grief and child abuse in a thoughtful way. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could.

[Rosanise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would reccommend this book to anyone who likes books. It was really good. Itch moves to a new state after living in Florida with her Gram, and becomes friends with Gwendolyn, an abused acrobat. Itch helps her face her fears and get help. This was a very touching and tender book, it was funny, it was everything!

[Clara Dearmore Strom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Itch has been abandoned by her single mother, and lives with her grandparents in Florida. When her grandfather dies, her grandmother moves them to Ohio. Itch changes her name to Delores and attempts to fit in to her new school and make a new best friend. She learns what real friendship is when she has to stand up for her new friend.

[Chan Kah · Rating 4 out of 5]

made me cry
at the part where
itch and her grams are in the bel air
which is their late gramps car btw
talking

and blood sisters
wow

and way to go bailey
if your drawings are good as described as
why not you jump out of that book
and join me and the rest at
sota

huh think about it

lol

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this! It was surprisingly good- quick read- another good middle school realistic fiction- coming of age but not sappy. Reminds me of Wendy Moss-type books. Great messages regarding keeping the people you love close even if they have passed away AND for telling when abuse occurs. Yes, two heavy themes, but very nicely done.

[Charlou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Itch and her grandmother move from Florida to Ohio the summer after 5th grade when her beloved grandfather dies. She discovers her new friend doesn't have the perfect life she seems to and must find the courage to speak the truth. Set in 1968, but not historical fiction as such. The 'secret' and confrontation comes across honestly and realistically.

[Julie Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for young adults about finding courage and growing up-not just on the outside, but on the inside. As a teacher, I love the main character's favorite words list: she makes the words "loquacious" and "enigma" sound like delicious candy. The author even includes the list as an appendix to the book.