Mother Number Zero

by Marjolijn Hof, Johanna W. Prins (Translator)

Fay was adopted when he was a baby and lives in the Netherlands. He knows only that his birth mother escaped the war in Bosnia and that he arrived in his adopted home with nothing more than a squeaky toy and a few clothes. His older sister Bing was adopted too, from China, where she was found abandoned on the street. While drawing birds at the aviary in the park, his favorite passtime, Fay meets Maud the new girl in town. Maud who urges him to search for his birth mother. With mixed feelings, Fay, along with his parents, pursues the search, but this creates mayhem at home, since there is no possibility of Bing ever being able to find her birth mother. Fay’s complicated feelings about searching for his mother and his ambivalent feelings for Maud unfold in this compelling story of finding your true identity.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Adoption, Childrens

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mother Number Zero by Marjolÿn Hof is the story of a young boy named Fejzo or Fey for short. Fey was given up for adoption as an infant, by a mother who escaped to the Netherlands from war torn Bosnia. He also has an adopted sister An Bing Wa, Bing for short, who came from China. Fey’s parents are very open with the children about their adoptions, the details they know, and what transpired. Fey loves to draw and wonders where he got that talent. As part of a school project, he makes a family tree and asks his teacher how to add his biological mother. He puts his birthmother as mother 1 and his adoptive mother as mother 2. However, he doesn’t feel that is correct. Yet, he wants to show that his birthmother came first. So, he calls her Mother Number Zero. This activity, a new girl in the neighborhood, and adolescent curiosity, start Fey thinking about what Mother Number Zero is like and he wants to find her. This sets off a whole series of events. His parents, while they understand, want him to wait until he is older. His sister Bing was abandoned in China and will never be able to find her parents, which makes her rebel. Fey, keeps having imaginary conversations in his head with Mother Number Zero, about why she let him go. He imagines her seeing him on the train or the street and instantly knowing who he is. Fey’s parents finally contact the adoption agency to look into contacting Mother Number Zero, but Fey needs to realize that he may not find what he is looking for.

This was an excellent book. The author really has an insider view of adoption and the questions that are raised, because she was adopted herself. She makes the reader really understand how an adopted child feels abandoned or rejected, even though they have a family. It also gives a great perspective from Bing’s viewpoint, as she will never be able to have the answers she seeks. I found Fey’s imagined meetings with his mother very real. It I also like that there wasn’t a happy reunion, but the ending was still very satisfying. The weakness in this story was that some of the side stories were a bit out of place.

This book is very appropriate for 4th or 5th grade students. It could be used for units of family, adoption, family relationships, or decision making. My only caution would be that some adoptive parents get very touchy about the subject. I used to do a family history project with 5th graders and some parents did not want their adoptive children asking the type of questions that Fey asked.

This book has not won any awards, but has positive Hornbook and Kirkus reviews. Additionally, this book was originally published in Danish, and the English translation was published in April of 2011. The author has previously won a USBBY award.

[Ilse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fejzo houdt van dieren en tekenen. Het liefst speelt hij met zijn vrienden in het park of zit hij daar vogels te tekenen. In zijn 12-jarige bestaan heeft hij nooit veel nagedacht over het feit dat hij geadopteerd is. Dan ontmoet hij Maud. Ze stelt hem vragen. Over waar hij vandaan komt. Over of hij eigenlijk wel weet wie zijn moeder is. Over waarom hij geen contact met zijn moeder heeft opgenomen. Vragen waarop Fejzo het antwoord zelf ook weleens zou willen weten.

Lees de rest van mijn recensie op:
https://ilsetenhave.wordpress.com/201...

[Sam Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird book, but one of the more plausible adoption-related stories I've read.

[cqmdh]

Giọng kể của người dịch khá giống giọng văn NNA.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Why did she do it? Why was I left behind?" are questions that many adopted children eventually ask themselves--even when they are content with their new homes. In the case of Fay/Fejzo, he spends hours sketching birds and collecting postcards of artistic renderings of animals. Maud, a new neighbor, encourages him to find out the answers to questions about his biological mother whom he calls his Mother Number Zero. This curiosity affects the lives of all those around him, including his parents and sister Bing, who herself is adopted as well. The story is told gently as Fay goes for counselling, and a search for his mother begins. But sometimes the answers we think we want aren't the ones we want, and Fay must reconsider his choices and their effect on those he loves.

While I enjoyed this book because of the honesty of Fay and Bing, whose situations are quite different--his mother came to the Netherlands from Bosnia; Bing was born in China--their parents are too patient to be real, and there are some holes and slight references that left me somewhat disoriented. Although I knew a lot about Fay, I also felt as though there was much more that I didn't know, including his relationships with his friends. Still, this one raises important issues about family, parenting, and identity.

[Mips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thema: adoptie, zoektocht naar biologische ouders

Voor Hanne:

- de haas van Albrecht Dürer:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia...
- het puttertje van Fabritius
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia...
- de pissende koe van Nicolaes Berchem: ?
onvindbaar! het zou een tafereel moeten zijn met geiten, slapende mensen en in het midden de bewuste koe...
Wie helpt ons?
- de eekhoorn van Hans Hoffmann
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia...
- het drijvende veertje van Melchior d'Hondecoeter
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia...
- de hertenkop van Velasquez: 'Meesters der schilderkunst, Velasquez, p.95'

[Hanne Govaerts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toen ik de titel van het boek 'Moeder nummer nul' las, dacht ik dat het over een 'stomme moeder' ging.
Eigenlijk ging het boek over een jongen, Fé, die geadopteerd was en graag wou weten wie zijn biologische moeder was.
Als ik zelf geadopteerd was, zou ik ook wel willen weten wie mijn moeder was.
Ik vond het wel erg voor Fé hoe zijn biologische moeder hierop reageerde.
Het was een mooi boek. Zelf zou ik ook wel zo'n beestenboek willen maken. We vonden bijna alle schilderijen op het internet! Alleen de pissende koe niet!

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book about the trials and tribulations of being adopted and trying to find your birth parent - why did she give me up? what will she be like? will we bond? what if she wants me back? do I get my talents from her? Like her novel, Against the Odds, Hof is wonderful at really taking into the world of the child and offering us access to the real complications that children face as they negotiate the world.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in the Netherlands, there are parts of the translation that will definitely be foreign to young readers, but the emotions that Fay, Bing, and Maud feel are very real and recognizable. The torment of curiosity and fear for adopted children who wonder about the circumstances of the birth comes across clearly.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fay and his sister are both adopted. He is Bosnian, she is Chinese. They look nothing like their Dutch parents. A new girl at school makes observations and starts asking questions of Fay. He is then prompted to begin a search for his birth mom.

Good choice for those trying to learn more about adoption, adopted kids, etc

[Heidi | Paper Safari Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great to get the conversation started about birth parents, their situations and what happens when one child is able to find their birth parent and the other isn't. The emotions were very realistic and the conversations were well done. This would be a great read for parents whose children are starting to question where they came from and also for kids 9 and up.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book bout adoption from the eyes of a middle school boy grappling with the subject. The emotion of the family and the interaction between brother and sister felt extremely authentic. The writing (perhaps due to the English translation?) and the plot line of young love felt pretty meh.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was "eh". Started out okay, but fell flat.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dissapointing,actually...hardly anything happens,,,but well-written.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok. Shows how finding a biological parent is not as easy as it looks on t.v., and how the search affects everyone in the family.

[Nayaab · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the beat books I picked out personally. Such a wonderful story. And a heart relching too. Shows a boy who's ready to take on the challenge of mom and love