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What's Best For You
Three children try to adjust to a new life after their parents divorce.
Paperback
First published October 31, 1990
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About the author
Judie Angell
25 books14 followersBest known for her books under the name Judie Angell, Judie Angell Gaberman (Also wrote under pseudonyms Fran Arrick and Maggie Twohill) writes novels which blend serious emotions with humorous circumstances to explore both common and unique issues that young people face--in their families, with their peers, and with authority figures. Most of Angell's protagonists are experiencing transitions, and they tend to be clever and creative in meeting the challenges involved in moving toward adulthood.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 28, 2025
3.5 stars
Published in 1981, this story centers on 15-year-old Lee as she spends the summer with her dad. Her parents had divorced six months before, and now her mother is moving to NYC, with Lee's two younger siblings, to get a job and start grad school. The plan is for Lee to join them in the fall when her summer job ends.
I appreciate the layers of this story. Lee is working at a summer camp, her three best friends are with her, and all of them are part of the "Shuffleboard Generation," spending weekends with their dads. Lee's dad starts dating, and so does Lee. The kids don't get to see each other regularly, and middle child Allie is having some real issues (she is compulsively helpful, and protective of little brother Joel).
I like that Lee has never gotten along with her mom, that every conversation turns into and argument, and that it's not just because of the divorce. They've always been that way, and at the end of the book, there's no great change. They still don't get along. It feels real and not overly sentimental.
Uncommonly, this book has a third person omniscient narrator, and we get glimpses into the parents' heads, and the younger siblings' heads too. It's a complete family story of adjusting to new lives.
Also, geez, when your kid runs away in a huff in the 80s, taking trains and taxis alone, and there's no way to get a hold of anyone except a landline...
Published in 1981, this story centers on 15-year-old Lee as she spends the summer with her dad. Her parents had divorced six months before, and now her mother is moving to NYC, with Lee's two younger siblings, to get a job and start grad school. The plan is for Lee to join them in the fall when her summer job ends.
I appreciate the layers of this story. Lee is working at a summer camp, her three best friends are with her, and all of them are part of the "Shuffleboard Generation," spending weekends with their dads. Lee's dad starts dating, and so does Lee. The kids don't get to see each other regularly, and middle child Allie is having some real issues (she is compulsively helpful, and protective of little brother Joel).
I like that Lee has never gotten along with her mom, that every conversation turns into and argument, and that it's not just because of the divorce. They've always been that way, and at the end of the book, there's no great change. They still don't get along. It feels real and not overly sentimental.
Uncommonly, this book has a third person omniscient narrator, and we get glimpses into the parents' heads, and the younger siblings' heads too. It's a complete family story of adjusting to new lives.
Also, geez, when your kid runs away in a huff in the 80s, taking trains and taxis alone, and there's no way to get a hold of anyone except a landline...
Displaying 1 of 1 review