Shelter

Shelter, by Beth Cooley, is a book that I will never forget. It's different from most books that I read because it shows how people can grow when taken out of their comfort zone, and it has lessons that you can learn. Shelter is a book that I think all 7th graders should read, especially girls. One reason I loved this book is because people had unexpected events happen to them, yet they kept going and managed. For example, Lucy and Jimmy's dad died in a car wreck. He had financial problems, and they had to leave their nice neighborhood to a shelter in what seemed like no time at all. Lucy, a sixteen year old, thought this was very hard because she had to go to a new school, and she lost all of her friends because they didn't wasn't to hang out with a poor person. Jimmy, who was five years old, had to become more independent because his mother wasn't at home all day like before. I know I would have had a very hard time if I were in this situation. He had to be more careful because he would go out with his friends at the shelter without a parent. The mom of Lucy and Jimmy also changed dramatically. She had to get a job because, before, the dad made all of their money for them. This was very hard because she didn't have a good education. Crystal, a seventeen year old girl who lived at the shelter, also had an unexpected surprise. She got pregnant!! This was a great shock to her because she would have to take care of her child at seventeen. Imagine doing that!! All of these events made these people better. Crystal became nicer, and the mom was more fun to be around when she worked. Lucy became less snobby, and Jimmy grew up remarkably fast. I was amazed to see how all the characters got through all the extremely surprising events. Another reason I loved this book was because it taught you lots of things. First, this book taught me to look in the good of people and events. Crystal, for example, seemed mean and insensitive, but, once you got to know her, was nice and sweet. Do you know anyone like that? I'm know I have. When the shelter burned down, everyone thought it was tragic. It turned out that it made the shelter better because they had to organize a fund raiser which brought everyone in the shelter together. Once they raised the money, they got nice new furniture along with a good new place. Lucy's "guy" friend also seemed nosy and more like a spy, but Lucy gave him a chance. He turned out to be a really great guy. This book also taught you that you have to go with the flow. For example, when Lucy's dad died and had financial problems, their family had to make sacrifices. They didn't complain much about moving into a shelter which was good because they couldn't change it. When the shelter burnt down, instead of falling apart, the people at the shelter worked together to build the shelter back. Lastly, the mom wasn't naturally smart. She went with the flow and decided to manage a restaurant instead of trying to g

Beth Cooley's SHELTER tells of a father's death and a family's loss of both their father and their home. As Lucy finds her circle of friends vanishes as her home life deteriorates, she has only courage and faith left - faith that her mom will find a job, and she'll make new friends. SHELTER is the moving story of a young girl's adjustment to terrible challenges, and makes an absorbing read.

Lucy Durbin had it all, even if she didn't know it. She lived in a comfortable home, attended a swanky school, shopped for fun with her wealthy friends, and took ballet lessons. She had the life of your typical privileged American teen. Lucy's life changes virtually overnight. Her father dies in a car accident and her stay-at-home mom discovers their financial stability was only a mirage. There's a mountain of debt, no life insurance, and a huge mortgage. Soon Lucy, her mother, and five-year-old Jimmy are on a quick downward spiral which ends at St. Agatha's shelter. Lucy tries to resent her mother, but it's impossible. Cindy Durbin is more lost than her daughter is. She has no education, has never worked a day in her life, is used to a comfortable lifestyle, and worries especially about little Jimmy, who is small for his age and has been very coddled as the youngest child. Living at St. Agatha's are women and children down on their luck. There's a high school dropout with a young child and a woman whose boyfriend was arrested for a meth lab in her basement. A Romanian mail order bride arrives after climbing out her bathroom window. Lucy is a wonderful character with a compelling voice. As the eldest child, one who has to help her mother more than she should, she's hardworking and determined to make it. Here's what she thinks after her sixteenth birthday celebration in the shelter: "I lay awake for a long time thinking about the day. Being sixteen really meant something. It meant more than just being able to drive or get a job. It meant taking charge of your life. Or screwing it up. At sixteen Crystal was pregnant, Jan was dealing, Tina was on the streets. I might be in a shelter, but I wasn't messed up. I could make things happen. Good things." Lucy does make good things happen--for herself and for her mother. Jimmy actually thrives in his new environment, allowed to grow up for the first time in his life. "Shelter" is technically a Young Adult novel, but the content is tame enough for readers as young as eleven. It's a beautifully written novel with a very important message. But, don't get me wrong, "Shelter" is not a preachy novel in any way. It shows, rather than tells, that anyone is just a step away from bad luck and the collapse of their comfortable life. What you make of that luck is what matters. Lucy accepts help, finds friends and compassion in places she least expected it, and discovers herself in return.