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One Whole and Perfect Day

One Whole and Perfect Day
View Larger One Whole and Perfect Day
Judith Clarke
In Fiction
Ages: 12 and up
Pages: 248
List Price: $16.95
Cover: Hardcover
Published: 3/1/2007
ISBN: 1-932425-95-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-932425-95-6
Freakish, thought Lily. That was the word for her family. Not freaks exactly, but getting there.Sometimes Lily wishes she weren't so sensible. If she were less reliable, then perhaps she'd have more fun. As it is, her hardworking but flaky mom and her dreamy older brother count on her to run the house. She wishes things could be different, but how can she change her responsible ways? Perhaps, she thinks, she should fall in love!Meanwhile, her scheming grandmother is planning a family party and, as is typical, Lily worries. Her fears are not entirely unfounded. Her grandfather has recently disowned her brother, and her brother has a new girlfriend who might not fit in. Her mother will probably bring the loony Mrs. Nightingale from the adult day care center where she works. And these are only the predictable complications. Lily is beginning to understand how easily unimaginable things can happen, too. Back to the question of love, what is this new feeling Lily experiences when Daniel Steadman is near? Could it be the cure?

Awards

  • Michael L. Printz Honor Book
  • Selected for the 2008 USBBY-CBC Outstanding International Books List
  • "Special Recognition" received from The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College (Paterson, NJ) for the 2008 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People.
  • Best Books for Young Adults —YALSA/ALA
One Whole and Perfect Day was awarded a spot on Best Books for Young Adults 2008 list, which is sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Books on this list "meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens", as stated on YALSA's Web site.
Judith Clarke's One Whole and Perfect Day has been named a Michael L. Printz honor book for 2007. The Printz award is given to books that exemplify literary excellence in young adult literature.

Reviews

Starred review "Writing with the same warmth and humor that characterized her earliest novels (the Al Capsella series), Clarke introduces a new cast of endearingly eccentric characters who are drawn together to enjoy 'one whole and perfect day.' ...Filled with surprising turns of events and serendipitous encounters with strangers (who ultimately take on significance in the story), this book celebrates rekindled friendship and blossoming romance."
     —Publishers Weekly

Starred review "Clarke's sharp, poetic prose evokes each character's inner life with rich and often amusing vibrancy. ..."
     —Horn Book

Starred review "While Lily's voice dominates, this quiet, moving novel rapidly shifts points of view, giving each family member as well as several secondary characters a voice. As in Kalpana's Dream (BCCB 4/05), with which this book shares characters, the eloquence lies in the perfect, fluid movement from character to character and the success with which the book ties all of those characters together in a conclusion riddled with elements of coincidence and destiny. Reminiscent of Perkins' Criss Cross (BCCB 9/05), this Australian import will appeal especially to fans of strong character development and alternating points of view; the birthday-party plotline lies secondary to the portrayal of the characters' internal lives, and readers willing to follow that development will wholly embrace the gentle pacing and pointed exploration of the way lives interconnect."
     —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books