Rachel Robinson is a strainght A student and from a family of high acheivers, except for her brother Charles who wreeks havoc on the family when he is kicked out of boarding school. In addition, she must deal with friends, crushes and the perils of middle school.

I really connected to Rachel's character because I was also a dutiful daughter and dedicated student and I tended to be somewhat made fun of because of it. I also really like how Blume is able to capture the adolescent female experience time and time again.

This book has a lot of language

This came out in the 90s; I’ve never read it before. I wish I’d read it when I was younger; I would have appreciated this so very realistic story about a girl dealing with anxiety and a dysfunctional family. I also appreciated that things got a bit better at the end, but not unrealistically.

Read this before I read Just As Long As We're Together. I didn't realize it was a sequel when I read it. When I finally got to read the first book, I liked it better, but it's nice to get a closer look at Rachel and her family. Charles really made me laugh.

This is actually a re-read, as I am sure I read this when I was young, too.

I was a bit surprised that this book frustrated me. I felt like Rachel's problems were only touched on - even glossed over. How was she supposed to relax? Why did the family seem to be so on edge with the brother? I guess I didn't perceive her brother's actions as so completely over the top, but rather as a very bright (yes, probably gifted) boy who has discovered that the world often hides the truth from itself and he needs to confront that. In the end, the parents did do what they needed to do and the hiring of the tutor worked, but I would like to have seen more whole family resolution, too.

Since I am interested in gifted kids, I was also interested in the gifted angle for both Rachel and her brother. Rachel is the typical good-girl gifted female. She does everything right and people just seem to never see when she is foundering. Charles, on the other hand, is the quintessential bad-boy gifted kid. Rebelling, clowning around, sarcastic, refusing to take work seriously unless it is work that he has chosen. People don't see his needs either. They see him as a behavior problem. Their sister Jessica is never seen really beyond her acne and her helpfulness.

I liked this book better as a kid.

This was not my favorite Judy Blume book by far. It honestly felt kind of pointless and unfinished to me. Why was the brother such a jerk? Did he have an emotional problem, a mental health issue? Who knows because we never find out. It just ends.

Not one of my favorite Judy Blume books