Diary of a Frantic Kid Sister

by Hila Colman

Eleven-year-old Sarah, deciding to keep a diary, reveals her true emotions about her family, friends and teachers

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Coming Of Age

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Born in New York, Colman attended Radcliffe College where she honed her writing skills before embarking on a literary career.

Colman also wrote under the pseudonym Teresa Crayder.

Reviews

[Xenia0201 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. It was such a long time ago I read this; I must've been in 5th or 6th grade so we're talking 1986-87. Hila Coleman was a good alternative after you've gotten tired of reading all the Judy Blume books hundreds of times. Her stories are believable and were never sugar-coated.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book when I read it in the early eighties. It was the first book I'd read at that time (I was about 9 or 10) which discussed more adult themes. I read and re-read it because it felt naughty yet utterly realistic and appropriate to me at that stage of my life.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah feels left out. Her sister, DiDi, is older and gets to go more places, have parties and, of course, she doesn't want her little sister tagging along. In addition, her Mom seems to connect better with DiDi. But Sarah comes to understand DiDi when she starts to feel better about herself and that comes about because of her writing. She finds out that she writes fairly well.

I read this book over and over as a Tween.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book again because I remembered that everyone in the 3rd grade at Woodside Elementary wanted to read it because on page 15 it says the word "shit." I think Judy Blume's books capture this age group better.

[Elizabeth]

I loved this when I was a kid!

[Quietone317 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One my favorite book that I wish it was back in print!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was happy to find this contemporary of Norma Klein! It's my first Hila Colman, and I hope not my last.

First published in 1973, this book is written as a diary that covers the year from Sarah's eleventh birthday to her twelfth. Her sister Didi is fifteen and they do not get along. Sarah feels that her mother is closer to her sister, who is musical like her mother and has a boyfriend, etc. Sarah doesn't even want a boyfriend. I'm frustrated that the back blurb says she gets her first boyfriend, because while she does spend time with her friend Howard, and they get to be really good friends, there is nothing romantic between them. And at eleven, that's great!

Sarah also imagines what it would be like for her sister and/or her parents to die, and feels so angry that she wants to kill someone. Her feelings and arguments are all believable and relatable and honest in the vein of books from this decade.

I love the parents' subplot with the mother having been a concert pianist and wanting to give piano lessons now. The husband remarks on women's lib and says he doesn't want his wife working, etc. Sarah cheers for her mother and has learned from Margaret Mead that women can be mothers and still have a career. Dad has some evolving to do in lots of ways.

I look forward to hunting down the sequel!

[Jacinta Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know you shouldn’t judge older books by today’s standards, but a lot of things in this book did not age well. Even ignoring that, though, I’m not entirely sure who the target audience is. The main character is 11, but some of the things she mentions seem geared toward older readers. But almost no plot point is fleshed out past a brief mention. I’m usually a fan of epistolary novels, but this one seemed to be written in that format to allow the author to avoid delving too deeply into a real plot.

[fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book!!
I have read this book several times, this book talks about so-called “adult” subjects which arouse our curiosity as children. Christine's subjects and "problems" are common, one might believe that an ordinary child wrote this diary. A form of intimacy is actually present

[Sarah Holl · Rating 4 out of 5]

v good