What do you think?
Rate this book
And This Is Laura
Laura, the only one in her family with no special talent, discovers she has the gift of seeing into the future
183 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1977
6 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Conford
68 books67 followersEllen Conford was an author for children and young adults. Among her writings are the Annabel the Actress and Jenny Archer series. Her books have won the Best Book of the Year Citation, Best Book of the International Interest Citation, Best Book of the Year for Children, Parents' Choice Award, and more.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Read
February 4, 2019I bought this book for nostalgic reasons; I remember reading it in middle school. A charming book about a girl who develops the ability to see the future.
September 15, 2008
Laura is boring. Laura is plain. Laura is average. Laura has ES-FUCKING-P. This is why the book about her rather her more popular, overachieving siblings. They can't give you tomorrow's winning lotto numbers!
September 24, 2012
I read this book in middle school, and I found it again at St. Vincent De Paul. Loved it! Laura feels that she's ordinary. She gets straight As in school, but feels that isn't enough. Her sister, Jill, bowls and has been in every high school play. Brother Douglas is on the debate team and plays piano. Dennis, the youngest, is counting to a million and recites commercials. And This is Laura--the title comes from Laura, who worries that when she is introduced, that her mother and/or father will introduce her in that way. Laura develops psychic powers. Proud and a little scared of this ability, when she is called upon to visualize where her lost brother Dennis disappeared to (which she had a premonition of) she is relieved that he was indeed at the mall, and is not hungry for supper because he filled up on snacks in the movie theater, all of which Laura saw. After assuming her parents would be proud of her, she is shocked to learn that they don't think of her as "And This is Laura." Regardless of her talents (or perceived lack of them) they love her for who she is. Laura realizes that she was trying to label herself, the way she labeled her sister and brothers by her talents and abilities. SPOILER ALERT! At the end, Jill asks Laura to look into the future, since she's been doing it for others. Laura sees scenes of when she was a little girl, seemingly acted out on a stage. The first and second acts go by, but the third one never begins. She looks at the bottom of the program and sees words indicating the future will come when it comes: "all in good time." We are left with the feeling that with Laura's slightly unconventional, but loving family, that she will indeed go on to be a good person, the kind of person her parents will be proud of. (And already are.)
As someone who feels she has hunches, or psychic visions or premonitions every so often, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was a nice escape. Even though I hated middle school, this was one of the books I really got into. The dialogue was funny, the characters seemed believable, and it was just plain good fun. Maybe a bit idealistic in terms of school situations (no bullying, no drugs or gangs) but this book was written over 30 years ago, before those elements really became glaring problems in our schools today. This is a nice, lighthearted read. If you love young adult fiction, definitely check this one out.
As someone who feels she has hunches, or psychic visions or premonitions every so often, I really, really enjoyed this book. It was a nice escape. Even though I hated middle school, this was one of the books I really got into. The dialogue was funny, the characters seemed believable, and it was just plain good fun. Maybe a bit idealistic in terms of school situations (no bullying, no drugs or gangs) but this book was written over 30 years ago, before those elements really became glaring problems in our schools today. This is a nice, lighthearted read. If you love young adult fiction, definitely check this one out.
October 28, 2020
One of my favorite Ellen Conford novels, which I've read many times since I was a kid. Even though the main character is twelve, and just started junior high, she's smart, witty and hilarious. Her motley and multi-talented family members add a lot of flavor, and her quest to stand out among them makes for a fun read.
*Re-read with my nine-year old. He loved it, too. The dialogue is so funny and the book perfectly paced and plotted.
*Re-read with my nine-year old. He loved it, too. The dialogue is so funny and the book perfectly paced and plotted.
September 5, 2014
Another great choice for reissue from Lizzie Skurnick! I really didn't think I had read this as a kid until I got to the part about the little brother's pith helmet - unless there's another book from this era with a kid brother and a pith helmet, because I remembered nothing else about this. But I remember having no idea what a pith helmet was.
October 26, 2014
Fast-paced and fun, this doesn't plow any new ground. The protagonist is the only person in a large family who feels talentless, until she realizes she's got a Gift- she can see the future! It's a super-quick read, and engaging throughout.
September 18, 2023
Questo libro apparteneva a mia mamma e da piccola l'ho letto e riletto tantissime volte. Rileggerlo adesso, a distanza di anni, mi ha fatto un certo effetto: ho ritrovato le mie scene preferite (in primis quella della colazione) ed è stato piacevole scorrere le pagine sapendo quello che avrei trovato dopo. È stato come ritrovare un vecchio amico.
Read
March 19, 2019The problem with having a 12 year old protagonist is that they are 12 years old and, in this case, self-involved and bland. Even her suddenly having ESP isn't exciting when you have to get through so much droll first. This was a DNF for me.
August 11, 2010
As Laura copes with her family, she just stands in the background, not sharing the popularity of her own blood...
You see, in Laura's family, they have great, cool talents that others are very fond of... Whereas Laura is just announced as that only... "And this is Laura..." that's it! Not like her siblings or even her parents...
But as time comes, filled with yearning to at least be an ounce extra-ordinary, she finally gets her wish! She gets an excellent talent, however quite weird it is...
it's only later on that she finds that it may not be all what she thinks ... It was greater than what she have thought it to be... Too great...
An excellent book, sharing the feelings of a troubled teen who just wants attention... the plot was great and the characters were quite fascinating!!!
You see, in Laura's family, they have great, cool talents that others are very fond of... Whereas Laura is just announced as that only... "And this is Laura..." that's it! Not like her siblings or even her parents...
But as time comes, filled with yearning to at least be an ounce extra-ordinary, she finally gets her wish! She gets an excellent talent, however quite weird it is...
it's only later on that she finds that it may not be all what she thinks ... It was greater than what she have thought it to be... Too great...
An excellent book, sharing the feelings of a troubled teen who just wants attention... the plot was great and the characters were quite fascinating!!!
March 24, 2008
I just finished this today, and I remembered why I loved this so much as a kid. It says something about Ellen Conford that I read her book in 1988 and in 2008 (holy crap, 20 years later!) and still enjoyed it! It's up for grabs if anyone wants to read it. It'll take you less than a day to read, trust me.
Read
January 26, 2011Childhood favorite, to reread. Reminded me of Paula Danzinger, good-humored, not so dry or so New York, more functional families.
September 2, 2018
Esp.I wish it was real.
December 24, 2018
Still have it on my keeper shelf
November 5, 2025
I would have liked this book in my younger days but as an adult it was hard to swallow.
I can say I can relate to some things Laura was going through, like not fitting in with many classmates or family, while trying to figure out who you are and where and when, if ever, will you fit in. The secret gift that was revealed was a little over the top and too convenient. This should have been figured out when she was younger.
I am still giving it three stars because it is an interesting story and again, I would have liked this story a lot more if I had read it when I was younger.
I can say I can relate to some things Laura was going through, like not fitting in with many classmates or family, while trying to figure out who you are and where and when, if ever, will you fit in. The secret gift that was revealed was a little over the top and too convenient. This should have been figured out when she was younger.
I am still giving it three stars because it is an interesting story and again, I would have liked this story a lot more if I had read it when I was younger.
August 20, 2025
Originally published in 1977 - very 70s vibe, about finding your own thing and finding confidence in being who you are and not comparing yourself to others. Noticed creepy references for a kids’ book: mention of Playgirl and marijuana, a teenage girl imagining herself seducing her sister’s friend’s hot dad, and this same dad complimenting a 12-year-old as he notes his daughter’s friends are getting more attractive as they get older.
March 2, 2025
Laura starts having visions, and her friends and family think she’s psychic! Soon, everyone wants Laura to give them a “reading” about their future. What happens when Laura gets a scary vision about her younger brother? And now on to the next Ellen Conford book!
September 6, 2020
This was utterly ridiculous.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
October 13, 2025
Ellen Conford is one of those unsung YA authors of the 70's and 80's overshadowed by the more dazzling Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. I was in elementary school, maybe 5th or 6th grade in the 1980's when I discovered this book on a school library shelf and read it for the first time. It quickly became one of those "comfort reads" for me. A nice story about a regular girl, like me, with a satisfying ending that felt natural; a feel-good story that I enjoyed revisiting over and over during my growing-up years.
It's been a LONG time since I last checked in on these old friends to see how they were doing.
I wasn't disappointed. I'd almost give this a 5 star rating if not for the occasional swear word drop and a questionable comment made by a male character (Beth's father) to Laura.
Told completely in first person, Laura's POV, she often breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader in her narrative which, as a young child, I thought was fascinating. I'd never read a work of fiction before where the main character was allowed to do that. Laura Hoffman informs us when it comes to her "America's Got Talent" family, there is absolutely nothing special about her AT ALL. Mom's a best selling writer, Dad the brilliant scientist, oldest brother Douglas (16) the musician, older sister Jill the budding actress, even little brother Dennis (7) is a child genius when it comes to reciting TV commercials. Not sure what his talent would be today if these characters were rewritten for the 21st century. Reciting the wise catchphrases of online video and influencers maybe? Would his parents even let him have his own phone? We'll leave that for another discussion.
Laura has decided to join the junior high school drama club. It is only a few weeks into September when our story begins and Laura never had any close friends in elementary school so she doesn't know a lot of people in this large feeder school. We are also never told exactly where in the United States this story takes place. I suspect somewhere on the East Coast where it snows a lot. As for what Laura looks like? She has dark hair. That's it. That's all we get.
Laura finds a new friend in Beth who has also joined the club. Their drama teacher expects Laura to be the next Jill Hoffman and blow everyone away with her family's acting skills. To make Laura feel even worse, she and Beth visit each other's houses and meet their respective families. Laura envies Beth's perfect little normal family with a father who could easily pass for Carlisle Cullen, a lawyer mom and a nice bratty little brother who does absolutely nothing interesting while Beth is starstruck when Laura introduces her to the rest of the Hoffman clan. Beth is invited to stay for dinner and Laura feels so invisible that night, sitting at the dinner table with the family (because this book was published in 1977 and, yes, you are that old!) she suddenly has a psychic vision about her father which later comes true. Beth practically falls out of her chair in awe.
Thanks to Beth and another girl at school, Laura is coerced into doing readings for her classmates because word quickly spread about this Marvel comic/Twilight talent and now everyone wants their future read but the visions aren't always sunshine and roses. One classmate appears to have died (*spoiler alert* nobody dies in this story) and Laura even has two foreboding visions about little brother Dennis. She is also scared to death about acting in this junior high school play and not being as good as her older sister, so the reader must keep turning pages to find out what happens next.
This is a fairly clean read, very dated with everyone using landline phones, references to TV commercials you'll need to go look up on YouTube and nobody questioning the fact that every single character Laura meets all come from unbroken family units with a married mother and father.
It is interesting to note that Laura's psychic talent in this 1970's story was more whimsical back then whereas today, it would put her instantly on social media and the plot would be more focused on Laura's complications dealing with Hollywood insta-fame and fortune. Her family would quickly be reduced to hovering in the background, their own talents and contributions to the plot forgotten. There would undoubtedly be a "woke-moment" for Laura too and the whole book just wouldn't be as good or fun to read.
Thank goodness we get a nice, tidy little feel-good comfort tale of a twelve year old sixth grade girl discovering that her parents actually love her and her siblings not for the brilliant things they can do but for the content of their characters, that they are all growing up to be a productive members of society as young men and women with self-worth.
In a 21st century world shouting at our vulnerable youth that superficial looks and talents are all that matters, this might just be a valuable book to pass on to the next generation.
It's been a LONG time since I last checked in on these old friends to see how they were doing.
I wasn't disappointed. I'd almost give this a 5 star rating if not for the occasional swear word drop and a questionable comment made by a male character (Beth's father) to Laura.
Told completely in first person, Laura's POV, she often breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader in her narrative which, as a young child, I thought was fascinating. I'd never read a work of fiction before where the main character was allowed to do that. Laura Hoffman informs us when it comes to her "America's Got Talent" family, there is absolutely nothing special about her AT ALL. Mom's a best selling writer, Dad the brilliant scientist, oldest brother Douglas (16) the musician, older sister Jill the budding actress, even little brother Dennis (7) is a child genius when it comes to reciting TV commercials. Not sure what his talent would be today if these characters were rewritten for the 21st century. Reciting the wise catchphrases of online video and influencers maybe? Would his parents even let him have his own phone? We'll leave that for another discussion.
Laura has decided to join the junior high school drama club. It is only a few weeks into September when our story begins and Laura never had any close friends in elementary school so she doesn't know a lot of people in this large feeder school. We are also never told exactly where in the United States this story takes place. I suspect somewhere on the East Coast where it snows a lot. As for what Laura looks like? She has dark hair. That's it. That's all we get.
Laura finds a new friend in Beth who has also joined the club. Their drama teacher expects Laura to be the next Jill Hoffman and blow everyone away with her family's acting skills. To make Laura feel even worse, she and Beth visit each other's houses and meet their respective families. Laura envies Beth's perfect little normal family with a father who could easily pass for Carlisle Cullen, a lawyer mom and a nice bratty little brother who does absolutely nothing interesting while Beth is starstruck when Laura introduces her to the rest of the Hoffman clan. Beth is invited to stay for dinner and Laura feels so invisible that night, sitting at the dinner table with the family (because this book was published in 1977 and, yes, you are that old!) she suddenly has a psychic vision about her father which later comes true. Beth practically falls out of her chair in awe.
Thanks to Beth and another girl at school, Laura is coerced into doing readings for her classmates because word quickly spread about this Marvel comic/Twilight talent and now everyone wants their future read but the visions aren't always sunshine and roses. One classmate appears to have died (*spoiler alert* nobody dies in this story) and Laura even has two foreboding visions about little brother Dennis. She is also scared to death about acting in this junior high school play and not being as good as her older sister, so the reader must keep turning pages to find out what happens next.
This is a fairly clean read, very dated with everyone using landline phones, references to TV commercials you'll need to go look up on YouTube and nobody questioning the fact that every single character Laura meets all come from unbroken family units with a married mother and father.
It is interesting to note that Laura's psychic talent in this 1970's story was more whimsical back then whereas today, it would put her instantly on social media and the plot would be more focused on Laura's complications dealing with Hollywood insta-fame and fortune. Her family would quickly be reduced to hovering in the background, their own talents and contributions to the plot forgotten. There would undoubtedly be a "woke-moment" for Laura too and the whole book just wouldn't be as good or fun to read.
Thank goodness we get a nice, tidy little feel-good comfort tale of a twelve year old sixth grade girl discovering that her parents actually love her and her siblings not for the brilliant things they can do but for the content of their characters, that they are all growing up to be a productive members of society as young men and women with self-worth.
In a 21st century world shouting at our vulnerable youth that superficial looks and talents are all that matters, this might just be a valuable book to pass on to the next generation.
October 12, 2017
I haven't read this in forever (may have to check it out again), but this was the story that started my love for fantasy...even moreso than The Wizard of Oz. I love how Laura is a normal girl with one extraordinary quality. A good, good book.
July 19, 2016
A bit of a stretch with the whole psychic angle and a 12 year old girl discovering her "powers".
It wasn't outstanding literature, but I enjoyed it. When I was between the ages of about 10-14 the supernatural type of stuff fascinated me. I would have LOVED this book back then.
It wasn't outstanding literature, but I enjoyed it. When I was between the ages of about 10-14 the supernatural type of stuff fascinated me. I would have LOVED this book back then.
February 26, 2016
Loved this book! A girl with psychic powers developing at the onset of puberty...I could relate! So happy to finally remember the name of this book, it's stayed with me all these years. Ellen Conford is a wonderful writer!
February 22, 2009
Constance, it occurs to me that this hasn't come up previously in our ongoing discussion titled "Books Where They Put On a Play".
May 30, 2009
Laura dislikes being the only "ordinary" member of the family. Then she discovers she has psychic powers and getss "visions" of the future. Grades 4+
Read
August 9, 2011Maybe my favorite of her novels.
April 29, 2012
Cute, compulsively readable story about a girl who wants to stand out in a family full of exceptional children. Ellen Conford is just the best.
July 14, 2013
One of my favorite books during the tween/teen years -- loved its message about how we are all extraordinary, even when we think we're not. I've always remembered it!
Read
October 3, 2014One of my favorite Lizzie Skurnick books so far. I read this as a kid and liked it; as an adult I appreciated the non-saccharin warmth of it.
October 16, 2014
I'm rather surprised that people rate this as high as they do. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't all that great, either. I found it a bit boring.
June 26, 2015
Not sure if this is one of the first Ellen Conford books I read, but definitely one of my favorite.
Okay so they're all my favorite, actually. What's your point?
Okay so they're all my favorite, actually. What's your point?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews