Kidlet contemporary scifi!

I was gifted this by a friend who really liked this when they were younger. I made a joke about Matilda at the time, but this predates it re: precocious girls who have telekinetic abilities. The story is dated in some ways (using a phonebook to find someone? The across the hall neighbor considers astronauts as a thing that were science fiction twenty years prior?) but the feelings of being alone and wanting to find others like you are timeless, as is suddenly living with an estranged parent.

I have some questions about the world the story takes place in that aren't addressed, but that's what imagination is for I suppose (and would a ten year old be super curious about Big Pharma?) Anyway, good elementary level science fiction. ( )

A Classic Worth Revisiting

I read this for the first time nearly 30 years ago, when I was just a bit younger than Katie's age of 9. Its not overly invested in explaining why Katie is as she is, its more interested in showing us about how she relates to world around her.

In that way I can see how some folk have revisited this within the scope of Roberts exploring autism. Much like the X-Men were stand ins for everything from racial tensions to being gay, Katie's struggles with adapting to the world at large make her relatable on multiple levels.

She's gifted, quiet, precocious and emotionally detached (at least, against how other kids are). She draws comfort from reading, and wonders why exactly others find her disturbing. Including her mother, who she hasn't seen for six years (at least not regularly).

The first time I read this was also the first time I stayed awake all night reading. I barely noticed the time I was so absorbed in finding out of Katie would resolve the mystery of who she is.

Some of it is dated - there was no modernizing this as new editions released. Discussions about long distance telephone charges, having to use multiple maps to figure out where something was, and a phone book to find a person is all...well...a thing of the past. Certainly folk still use maps or phone books, but they would not be the first thing a kid Katie's age would suggest.

Left largely unexplored is Katie's father, Joe. He appears to be an adventurer some kind, as Katie mentions he was sometimes in Montana and sometimes in Texas. Maybe a salesman? Its left pretty vague other than "he was always on the move". ( )

This book will always have a special place in my heart because it is one of the first chapter books I remember reading. It is a simple story about a girl with telekinetic powers who is trying to find her place in the world. Not overly complex, but relatable enough for those who feel like an outsider. ( )

4.5 stars
Yes, I know, I'm 51 reading a kid's book. Thing is, a good book is a good book regardless of the age it's aimed at and this is a good book, hands down. For years, I kind of hoped Ms. Roberts would revisit Katie and her friends to see how things had turned out for them, but I guess she'd said what she wanted to say and there was no more to say.

Katie is an odd kid, it's true. She has unusual colored eyes and has the gift? curse? of telekinesis or the ability to move objects with only her mind. She's also a fairly serious person and prefers to read to being rowdy, for all that she really wants friends. As a kid myself, I didn't see some of her behavior in the book as problematical, but as an adult, she does come across as a bit of a brat, but given that some of the adults around her are less than friendly, and see her as a troublemaker even when she's not, I cannot say that I blame her either.

As an adult, listening to the audio version of this book, I found I could analyze what about this book drew me in as a kid and there was a lot. A sense of not belonging, being different, and an outsider are the main topics of this story, but also finding people who look beyond the surface and see someone they like and can get along with and are accepting. Katie found those things in the end, though I wish the book were a bit longer so we could spend time with the other kids and get to know them too. The ending, I have to say, is just a little too pat.

As a so called adult, I can put the ideas and thoughts of this book into a context that make sense to me now: I too was different; being asexual and aromantic does put one outside of the so called "normal" teenage experience of finding a boy/girlfriend, etc. I was and still am socially awkward, shy, and a big time introvert too. Sadly, I never did develop into a Tomorrow Person. I found my people after I got out of high school and joined a couple of SF clubs - most of them are still friends.

[ETA] This is a very Gen-X book complete with divorced or working parents, latchkey kids, and a lot of alone time.

Thanks for letting me wander down memory lane Ms. Roberts. I hope you have found your peace too.

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Absolutely loved this book. Wonderful elements of paranormal and simply being a preteen who doesn't quite fit in. One of my favorites from childhood. ( )