Desperate Measures

by Laura Summers

Vicky has always felt responsible for her mentally disabled twin sister, Rhianna, and their feisty little brother, Jamie. So when the foster care system threatens to split them up, they all run away together, heading for a distant relative's home. After a difficult journey, they arrive-only to find strangers living there. With nowhere else to go, they hide in a cave, and must survive by their wits. By the end of their adventure, Vicky is surprised to find that the sister she thought she was protecting is the one who saves her.

This touching, funny, fast-paced novel was short listed for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize. Vicky and Rhianna's engaging dual-perspective narration offers a refreshing view of people with disabilities, and their wild adventure and fierce family bond will resonate with readers.

Genres: Middle Grade, Disability, Fiction, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Laura Summers wrote Desperate Measures after observing that there were very few children's book protagonists with learning disabilities. A former teacher, she currently writes for television, and was recently nominated for a children's BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts award). She lives in North Devon, United Kingdom.

Reviews

[Sadia Anjum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desperate time call for desperate measures

Rating 5/5

It was my first teen book. And also it was authors first novel she had written many television shows for kids. She observed that there were very few characters with learning disabilities in childrens book and the reality that one of her own children is disabled.

Thw story is about two girls whi are twins Rhianna is brain- damaged at birth and Vicky is the one who take care of her sister after her mother's death. On their fourteenth birthday they get a nasty shock. Their foster parents can't cope and it looks as if Vicky and Rhianna and their younger brother Jamie will have to be split up.

Its a wonderful and emotional journey of a family finding their ways to live together. Vicky and Rhianna’s engaging dual-perspective narration offers a refreshing view of people with disabilities. readers will most definitely hang on to find out what happens in the credible journey. Its a quick read.

[Lauryn Turk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick, easy read. Something to sit and get through in one go. Although the topics were heavy the presentation of them through the eyes of the children made this a more manageable read.

Switching between the twins perspective gave you the unmatched and honest version of Rhianna compared to the often overly practical version of Vicky. Seeing the two twins come together and work side by side in both their thinking and their actions.

[Amelia Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true beauty. A story of love, loss and family. I thoroughly enjoyed this and I'd definitely recommend it!

[May <3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

i cried.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is about three siblings, Vicky, Rhianna (Re) and Jamie who lives with a pair of really nice foster parents. Their mother is dead and their dad is in jail, but only Vicky knows that. It stars at the birthday of Vicky and Rhianna, who are twins. Here you find out about how different the two girls are, since Re is seriously disabled. The beginning is not too long - the same day the kids are being told that their foster parents can't have them right now and they have to be splitted up for a while. Re must go to a special school and Vicky and Jamie will be put in different families. They decide to run away to avoid being seperated.

The story is told from two POV's. Vicky's and Re. That does a lot for the story. If it was only told by Vicky, you would soon find Re very annoying and dumb, because she's not like other kids. The fact that half of the story were told from her POV means, that you come to like her as well. But it couldn't be told by her alone, since Re sees the world a lot differently and doesn't understand a lot of things. The twins as narrators was a perfect mix.

In the beginning, Vicky seemed a bit superficial to me, but you can't blame her, she's a 14 year old girl. And later she showed lots of responsibility. I didn't like her in the beginning, but during the book i came to. It's really hard for her to take care of her younger siblings. Re can be a burden and Jamie can't control his temper at all and is pretty impulsive - definitely not an easy kid.
Re is really cute. The way she sees the world is interesting and I love the part, where she finally understands what death is and talks about the soul of her mother and a rabbit she found.

You get to know the two main characters a lot, but i don't think Summers is doing such a great job with the others. Vickys friend, Rosie, was really annoying. She was too much of a stereotype - seriously no one talks like that. Also Daniel. His story seemed so interesting, why didn't we get to know him better?

A light book I think, even though its a serious topic about a troubled family. Or maybe I just read it too fast.

[Arjun T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicky and Rhianna are twins but they couldn’t be more different. For their fourteenth birthday, Vicky wants a card from the hottest boy in school. Rhianna, brain-damaged at birth, wants a Furby. Instead they get a nasty shock – their foster parents can’t cope and it looks as if Vicky and Rhianna and their younger brother Jamie will have to be split up. How can they stay together? Desperate times call for desperate measures… Exciting, fast-moving and deeply affecting, this innovative story is Laura Summers’ first novel.


This book was very different from my usual reading list, and i was actually drawn in by the cover. Not by the blurb or whatnot. Anyway, i am so glad that i read this. It will stay with me forever because it is amazing. It goes over the main aspect of life situation that quite often children are put in.


I found it very touching, especially the fact that Re is brain damaged. But i also loved the adventure which was fantastic. The story was well written and the plot is good to read, but not original.


"A touching story, of brotherly love, and desperate measures!"


I read this a couple of weeks ago, as the review was hard to write. I suppose recently i have had a lack words in my head. I'm even having trouble with my novel, but Summers clearly doesn't have any problems because the book was a touching story of brotherly love and desperate measures! I like the perspective of the two sisters and would have loved maybe some chapters from jamies view but hey. I think Summers has done a fantastic job on Re as it must be hard to write as a brain damaged girl.


I think this book is also made to bring awareness to disability and i hope many will read this.

[Jenny / Wondrous Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Summers brings the subject of disability to the forefront, in her critically acclaimed debut novel Desperate Measures. Told from the perspectives of twins Vicky and Rihanna, the story takes us on a journey across the UK, and to a place where both girls, along with their brother Jamie, finally feel at home.

Vicky and Rihanna are very well written, with both girls dealing with Rihanna's disability in different ways. Vicky is her primary carer, and has more responsibility than she should. She's loyal to her sister, and is willing to put her own life on hold to help her. Rihanna is innocent and young for her age, and often doesn't understand simple concepts such as death. It's hard work for the children, and the lack of a stable home life makes things even more difficult.

Although the characterisation and topics explored are hard to find fault with, I did have some trouble with the plot. I found it fairly hard to believe that three children would be able to run away, and get as far as they did with hardly any money or supplies. I thought the people they encountered would have used common sense and alerted the police of their whereabouts, rather than send them on their merry way with some advice and well wishes.

I can see why Desperate Measures has been so highly regarded, as it really will make teenagers think about disability, and what it's like for the families involved. I'm looking forward to seeing what Summers writes next, and I'm sure she has a long and successful career ahead of her.

[Anushka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Desperate Measures
Author: Laura Summers
Genre: Award Winning Author

Vicky and Rhianna were twins who were completely different in every way. They lost both of their parents and were fostered by a loving family who had wanted a child for a very long time, but couldn't have one. However their foster parents cannot care for them any more and they have to find a family that would keep all three of them or they'd be split up forever. They had to make a very big decision: to run away/ to be split up. This could have been the most important decision they'd make in their life. They decide to stay together and go through many adventures together as they try to find one of their distant relatives and go and live with them, but to their surprise they find some strangers living in her house. They had nowhere to live and managed to barely survive using all their strength. Vicky had spent her life caring for her sister and younger brother and finds out that she also needs caring for when Rhianna saves her life.

This book is very moving as it shows the perspective of two completely different girl, one disabled and one who isn't. Desperate measures will take you on a journey with the characters, which you will enjoy thoroughly and it will get you mind to think in the same way that both characters do as well as let you know how different people think. It is an interesting and intriguing book, which will open your eyes to a different experience with Jamie, Vicky and Rhianna.

[Kristel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vicky has looked out for her twin sister as long as she can remember; Rhianna was deprived of oxygen at birth, affecting her mental development negatively. Despite this setback, the family was happy until tragedy struck: Vicky, Rhianna and Jamie’s mother passes away from cancer and their father finds himself unable to care for his children. The three kids stay at children’s homes for awhile and then are placed in a foster home—a good one. Just as Vicky feels like life is slightly stable, their foster parents suffer their own tragedy and the kids are shuffled out again. So they decide to run away and find their old, forgotten great-aunt. By switching back and forth between Vicky and Rihanna’s perspective of events, Summer crafts a wonderful story about family bonds. Equally riveting is the description of different characters interacting with Rihanna and her siblings’ reactions. Summer also paints a picture of the foster care system in the United Kingdom which isn’t entirely depressing—the foster parents are very kind and the caseworker only seems mean. Only thirteen years old, Vicky juggles her grief at the loss of her mother, her sister’s handicap, her little brother’s anger, and her father’s secret whereabouts that she keeps from her siblings. Poignant themes and issues thinly veiled by the easily readable writing and quotidian conversations in the book allow even middle readers to grasp the action of the story. Summer gives voice to the voiceless in this excellent narrative. Highly recommended for public and school libraries.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

When their foster parents are unable to continue to care for them, three siblings embark on a journey to the home of their elderly aunt rather than be separated. As often happens on these sorts of adventures, they find help in unexpected places and from the most unlikely individuals as well as bullies and cruelty. The story is told from alternating viewpoints from Vicky and Rhianna, 13-year-old twins, which affords the reader very different perspectives on the elements of the story. Vicky often feels responsible for the care of Rhianna and their younger brother Jamie since Rhianna has a learning disability and struggles with understanding the passage of time and death. But in the end, Rhianna has strengths of her own, and together, these three are stronger than when they are separated. I particularly liked the folks they meet along the way, including Elizabeth who lost her own brother long ago, and Daniel, who must face demons of his own at school. This is a well-written book that reminds readers that the bonds of family can surmont difficulties and disagreements. The ending with the children's father being reunited with them provides a hopeful ending for this family that has endured so much.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just read this book for the second time, I wasn't sure if it was one I had already read but after one page it all came flooding back. After reading that first page though, I could not just stop, remembering the story I really wanted to read it again.

I read this in the space of 24 hours but, to be fair, I am probably 14 years older than the target audience! Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it even though I already knew what was coming.

I enjoy the way that this is written from the points of view of twin sisters who experience things in different ways. They pass to each other when a new chapter starts, and there is no confusion anyway in the way that it is written, but if you were to get muddled up the alternating fonts helps

I wish I had found this author when I was younger, but I am glad that I was still able to enjoy her book at the age I am now

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vicky and Rhianna are twins. Jamie is their little brother. They are being fostered by a nice couple, but they will have a baby join the family soon. The children's social worker thinks its best to split the them up. They say no, she says yes. They do the only thing that will keep them together. They run away.

Reasons I like this book-

Reason 1- Vicky is the oldest and she thinks its her responsibility to take care of her sister and brother. She never told them the truth about where their dad is.

Reason 2- Jamie came up with the idea of running away. He took Rhianna to the secret fort. Vicky followed them there, scaring Rhianna (she thought Vicky was a monster).

Reason 3- When they run away, it starts an adventure that they will never forget.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desperate Measures is a quirky and bittersweet novel of family. Rhianna and Vicky just want things back to how they were, before their mum died, before their dad became AWOL. Before all the foster centres and foster homes they went to. When their current foster mother suffers pregnancy health problems, their social worker says they’ll have to split up. Deciding this is no option, Rhianna, Vicky and their brother Jamie decide to run away. What follows is an adventure of survival, and self-discovery, and most of all, what the past has made them in the present.

[Miguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this was a slow read. But I take it as a good way.

I love how the author alternates voices between Vicky and Rhianna. I get to see how they picture the world. And how they think of other people.

The premise is pretty cliche for me. Too generic and overdone. But this book seems a lot more serious and dramatic and intense. And surely enough, it is.

Especially, the fights between the characters. Such strong emotion.

Very heartwarming. Very inspiring.

Overall, enjoyed this read. Recommend it to children mostly.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually 3.5

Sweet little story about three foster kids who want to stick together (think Boxcar Children here) and decide desperate times call for desperate measures. Predictable at times, but still a good story that deals with some tough things in a "skimming the surface" kind of way. Enjoyed it. :)

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up 'cause it was a kids running away story, and those intrigue me. The main characters were very lifelike, fun to read about, and felt real, though some of the secondary characters felt two-dimensional. The plot was simple and engaging. I felt the end was rather unlikely but it was satisfying.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It was a great read, full of adventure! I loved the main characters Vicky, Rhianna and Jamie. I really recommend Desperate Measures to readers of any age, despite it being a children's book.

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

it starts out a little boring but it gets better as you go

[Kelly Spencer]

This was a very exciting and suspenseful book and I am very glad I read it.

[Emily Hammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the author did a really good job of keeping the readers in suspense.

[Bethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok book really easy to read nothing to dramatic good if your a teen trying to get into reading again. Would suggest for a new teen readers.

[Patty]

awesome