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The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous

Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks

Merilee leads a Very Ordered Existence. V.O.E., for short.

Her schedule (which must not be altered) includes, among other entries:

  • School (horrendous)
  • Litter patrol (30 minutes daily)
  • Lunch (PB&J and a pickle)
  • Bottle return (Friday only at the Piggly Wiggly)
  • Dame Fiona's meditation show (Saturday only, 6:00 AM)
  • The V.O.E. is all about precision.

    Merilee does not have time for Biswick O'Connor.

    Merilee does not have time for Miss Veraleen Holliday.

    He with his annoying factoids and runny nose. She with her shining white shoes as big as sailboats. Both of them strangers who, like the hot desert wind that brings only bad news, blow into town and change everything.

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    • Reviews

      • Publisher's Weekly

        September 3, 2007
        Crowley, the mother of a teenager on the autism spectrum, shows an astute understanding of her characters' psychologies but tries to encompass too much in this first novel, narrated by a girl with Asperger's syndrome. Merilee Monroe, a 13-year-old who is obsessed with dragons and filled with “astonishing” words she cannot express out loud, finds a soul mate in Biswick, an eight-year-old damaged by fetal alcohol syndrome, the son of a visiting poet. Merilee's growing affection for Biswick is beautifully drawn, but subplots regarding other citizens of Jumbo, Texas, their eccentric behaviors and the emotional baggage they carry, grow burdensome. The novel's slow-moving plot and shifting focus present other potential obstacles. On the other hand, both the dialogue and Merilee's unique thought process come off as authentic, compensating for some of the novel's weaknesses. The town of Jumbo—home to famous “ghost lights” that appear in the middle of the night and the legendary “conquistador tree,” under which a treasure is reputedly buried—adds an aura of mystery that coincides with a theme about miracles. The biggest miracle of all is the one Crowley handles with the greatest skill: the change that occurs in Merilee as she ventures at last beyond her “very ordered existence.” Ages 10-up.

      • Booklist

        September 1, 2007
        Marilee is different. She craves order, repeats words, and disdains hugs. She doesnt like the unexpected in her life. One day young Biswick and his poet father come to town. Small and like an alien, the inqusitive, needy Biswick brings a disruptive urgency that changes Marilee. Crowley makes an impressive debut with a story that captures the human condition as seen through the eyes of the good (and not so good) folks of Jumbo, Texas. Her strength lies in the way she kneads scenes and characters, giving them a fullness that moves beyond mere reality. Crowley has created a finely honed secondary cast, but her stars, Marilee and Biswick, are problematic in that neither feels like an authentic representation of a child with a syndrome (Biswick has fetal alcohol syndrome; Marilee, Aspergers); both are bright, articulate, and clever. Marilee says she wants to be alone, but she easily takes to Biswick, and Biswick, though called a retard, merely seems eccentric. This is, however, still a beautifully crafted story that will give children much to talk about.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

      • The Horn Book

        January 1, 2008
        Thirteen-year-old Merilee's highly structured life in Jumbo, Texas (home to colorful characters galore), is disrupted as she slowly opens her heart to a plucky little boy disabled as a result of fetal alcohol syndrome. Merilee, whose brain is "wired differently," has Asperger's syndrome, and her first-person narrative voice is memorable. The story's leisurely pace suits its small-town setting.

        (Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

      • School Library Journal

        Starred review from October 1, 2007
        Gr 5-8-At 13, Merilee Monroe is trying to sort out her life, while keeping her distance from her family, when a new boy comes to Jumbo, TX, disrupting her Very Ordered Existence. Biswick, a few years younger than Merilee, inexplicably attaches himself to her. He attends a special school, which he explains to Merilee is the result of his mother's drinking while she was pregnant. Merilee exhibits characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome and is not accustomed to being befriended. She has a schedule and she means to keep to it, in spite of the many interruptions that result from Biswick's persistent interest in her life. The cast of characters includes a grouchy grandmother who is especially nasty to Merilee, a saintly mother, a distant father, a creepy younger sister who is perhaps embarrassed to have a sister who is so different from the norm, and a cook who is dealing with her own issues, but recognizes the uniqueness that makes both Merilee and Biswick special in the most positive sense of the word. Without mentioning Asperger's, Crowley gives readers a window into this puzzling syndrome. School-wide bullying, absent parents, foster care, alcoholism, and senility all affect the people in Merilee's small community. Rich writing and multilayered plot and characters are the hightlights of this special book."Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD"

        Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

    Languages

    • English

    Levels

    • ATOS Level:4.7
    • Lexile® Measure:800
    • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
    • Text Difficulty:3-4

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