My Summer Reading Assignment

<p> This summer, I read the book Waiting For Normal by Leslie Connor.  One main theme I kept noticing throughout the book was hope.  The main character, Addie, just refuses to give up even when things get hard and she has this belief that eventually, it will all get better for her.  All of this is despite her neglecting and bipolar mother who is almost always gone, Addie's dyslexia, and having learned that one of her closest friends has cancer.  In Addie's mind, someday she can live with her step dad and stepsisters instead of her mother.  But one part of the story is nearly devoid of hope.  Addie's step dad, who treats her like a parent should act towards a daughter, has to move himself and Addie's younger sisters far away from Addie for his work, just before Halloween.  Addie has a discussion with her mother, who tells her that she is too old for Halloween.  She can't dress up or have candy, and on Halloween her mother is gone from their home, as usual.  This is the only point in the book where Addie has a low level of hope.  At this part of the novel, Addie realizes just how desperate and hopeless her situation is, and almost gives up.  But she soon is optimistic again, and stays that way for the majority of the rest of the book. </p>
Here is a link to an article about the novel.  It shows many different aspects of the book, such as a summary, quotes, themes, and character information.  This will give you a good insight to what the book is really about and give plenty of information.  You need to have an account on the website to read the whole thing, but you still get a good overview without one and you can't see any spoilers.  Waiting For Normal article

This is a short video to help summarize the novel.
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