Three Lives to Live

by Anne Lindbergh

Book Overview

A time travel novel about a young girl and her imaginary twin.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316526282
• ISBN13: 9780316526289
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 183 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Three Lives to Live

This is wonderful book written by Anne Lindbergh (the daughter of Charles Lindbergh)about a girl, Garet Atkins (age 13) and a mysterious laundry chute. Garet lives with her grandmother Gratkins (short for grandmother atkins) when suddenly a third person enters their lives. Daisy Atkins, a strange girl wearing an old fashioned peach-colored party dress falls into Garet's basement and into her life. This story is a autobiography that Garet is writing for her 7th grade english teacher. Daisy's true identity is never explained to Garet and she is determined to figure out just who this prettier, smarter, more polite, "twin" is.

Be fifty years ahead of your time!

It is a great pity that Anne Lindbergh has been forgotten so soon after her death; she was one of the few writers who carried on the wonderful tradition of children's literature that started with E. Nesbit. Lindbergh writes the kind of children's fantasy that doesn't involve elves, dragons, or even wizards. In her books, ordinary children (or teens) stumble across something magical and make the best possible use of it. The magical something, in this case a laundry chute that transports you (or replicates you - it's complicated) fifty years ahead of your time, is not always fully explained. Why a laundry chute should be a time stutter, or why a height chart should allow everyone who is 5'5" to travel to the future, is left unclear, and in Lindbergh's fiction that works. The basic plot of Three Lives to Live is this: Garet Atkins is an orphan, living very happily with her grandmother Gratkins, who is also her best friend. Then one day, when Garet is peacefully reading in the basement sink, a girl her own age comes flying out of the laundry chute, wearing an old-fashioned peach-colored party dress. To Garet's surprised resentment, Gratkins knows the girl's name (Daisy), takes her in and insists on enrolling her at Garet's school as Garet's twin sister. Garet documents all this, including her increasing jealousy of the pretty, popular, and opportunistic Daisy, in the autobiography she is writing for her English class. As as result, Garet spends a lot of time struggling with Mrs. Magorian, her well-meaning, incompetent teacher, who patently doesn't believe a word of the autobiography. These scenes will induce flashbacks in anyone who has ever had a truly terrible middle-school English teacher. When Garet writes a hilarious conversation between herself and Daisy using only "said" and "asked" as verbs, Mrs. Magorian insists that she rewrite it. She gives Garet, as examples, a list of verbs starting with "beg, bellow, blubber, blurt," and Garet duly sticks them into the dialogue at random. This is funny even for younger children; as read by older children it becomes very pointed satire. The entire book is like this - perfect for many different ages, and worth re-reading as an adult.

Highly entertaining

I first read this book in third grade and have loved it ever since. It's cute, mysterious, and humorous. The narrative is frank engaging, and full of energy. The main character is someone you can identify with, as she's a normal middle school student whose life as been totally messed up. It's worth buying and reading.

This book is incredible.

I think that this book is an excellent story. It helped me to realize my own identity and overcome my fear of books and dyslexia. Furthermore it helped my to firmly master the English language! Thank you Anne!!! Anne Lindbergh should be awarded a prize for this masterpiece of writing!

My favorite book as a kid

My dad purchased "Three Lives to Live" for me when I was nine. I didn't want it. But somehow, I ended up reading it anyway. And I read it over and over and over for the next 4 years. The story is totally original and the telling is very fresh. I really fell in love with that book. Whenever I was feeling down, I'd pick it up and read it because it would always make me feel better. I've recommended this book to many friends over the years and I haven't found one who didn't enjoy this. Great book.