I Am an Artichoke

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Despite the serious subject matter-anorexia and dysfunctional families-this accomplished first novel sparkles with deliciously wry humor. Narrator Sarah, 15, thinks that a summer job in New York City as a mother's helper is just the ticket to get her away from her ``terminally bland'' suburban family. Her fantasy is to work for an ideal family (composed of ``a basic father, a mother who was like your basic mother only nicer, and two cute basic little kids''). Instead she winds up with the redoubtable Mrs. Friedman and her wraithlike 12-year-old daughter, Emily, who barely eats and spends every spare moment pedaling furiously on an exercise bike. To her dismay, Sarah soon learns that she is a pawn in the power struggle between Emily's parents and that her real job is to get the anorexic girl to eat. Although Sarah doesn't effect a cure, by taking charge at a crucial moment she points the Friedmans in the right direction and-just as important-sees herself and her own parents in a new light. In a slangy, deadpan narrative spiced with astute observations of characters and scenery, Frank brings a fresh, funny and vibrant new voice to YA literature. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)

Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr

Fifteen-year old Sarah takes a summer job as companion to twelve-year-old Emily. Emily's family is dysfunctional to the max, and Emily is protesting with her only weapon-anorexia. Fairly normal Sarah must test herself and her own self-image in the process of trying to help. Lively dialogue and a few colorful characterizations brighten this story of a difficult problem. 1996 (orig.

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-Sarah, 15, takes a summer job as a mother's helper in New York City to escape from her boring and annoying family. She quickly realizes that she is in over her head at the Friedman's, with 12-year-old Emily suffering from a serious eating disorder and her divorced parents pitted against one another over her treatment. Frank paints a painfully realistic portrait of anorexia, divorce, families, growing up, and friendship, albeit a portrait tempered by flashes of humor. She is particularly adept at capturing adolescent speech and thoughts, as Sarah struggles for the maturity to handle the situation by peeling thorny layers of her real self, comparing herself to a poem about an artichoke that she had written several years before. When Sarah realizes that she can't deal alone with these people so enmeshed in issues of power and control, she takes Emily home to her own family, which she begins to appreciate. Frank's novel is wonderfully rich and multilayered; there are no simple reasons nor easy solutions. Young people will be drawn with fascination into the dynamics of the characters. The ending is perhaps a bit too neat and positive, as it may not be clear to readers how very long Emily and her parents' road to recovery might well be. Still, it's a fine first novel.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME