Parents Wanted

by George Harrar

Book Overview

Andy Fleck doesn't have much of a family. His dad has been in jail since Andy was ten and his mother gave him up to the state as "too hard to handle."

A kid with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Andy has learned one set of rules from his birth dad (how not to get caught) and another from the kids at the state-run home (how to manipulate adults). Placed with adoptive parents Jeff and Laurie, he has a chance to escape his...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571316337
• ISBN13: 9781571316332
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 8 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 8

Customer Reviews

It is very good to read! Really it is.

I loved this book and I keep reading this over and over I can never get enough of it. I really dont like to read but I picked this book up at a store and just read it over and over til it was time to close, which was about ten. So at the end I bought it because I just wanted to keep reading it. I have read the book at least 32 times. I love it because I wish I had a family like that. I might not have been in foster homes but I dont like where I am so to me this is a book that I wish I was in. I hope whoever reads the book realizes it is a very good book. 5 stars all the way. I am only 15 and I have not read too many books but this book got me into reading so it has to be good. I think I am repeating myself so I am gonna go. Later.

Excellent on many levels

Want to see life through the eyes of a struggling foster teen? Parents Wanted is probably the closest you can get short of experiencing it yourself. Written in first person perspective, the reader slides somewhat uncomfortably into 12-year-old foster child Andy Flecks shoes and shares the tribulations of a good-hearted kid who has been unfortunately dealt a less-than-fair hand in life. Given up by his ill-equipped birth parents, Andy has been bounced around from foster home to foster home (sometimes only lasting 20 seconds), his obnoxious and angst ridden behavior make him difficult to deal with- 'No adult has ever apologized to me for the way Ive been treated- why should I have to apologize to them for the way I act?' Finally, he has found a family he likes who are willing to give him a chance and not give up on him, but with his past track record, it is only natural for him to test their limits for proof that they truly want him as their son. Although written for young kids, Parents Wanted can be enjoyed on many levels. Young kids will identify with Andy and his views on adults and possibly learn a bit from his experiences and behavior. Adults will get good insight into the mind of an overactive teen (a refresher incase they forgot what they themselves used to be like) and be able to empathize with every other good parent working to show patience. A great book, especially to be enjoyed by those who have been touched by the experience of adoption.

A Compelling Read

Written from a 12-year-old's point of view, this is an absorbing story of a young boy's yearning for a place to call home and parents who'll love and accept him, warts and all. Rejected by his birth family (his mother doesn't want him and his father is in jail), Andy Fleck has bounced from foster home to foster home. Admitting, and sometimes seeming proud of being obnoxious, unreliable, and uncooperative, Andy knows he's a handful. Yet underneath that brash and tough exterior is someone who desperately wants a family. (...) A compelling read for both kids and adults.

The best book ever

I liked this book because it had a lot of things in common with me. My dad loved it too. The author knows what he's writing about. This book really understands what it is to be adopted when you are older. It was the best book ever.

Superb!!!

This is a great book for kids and adults. It offers a terrific insight into the way kids think. If you've ever wondered why kids sometimes behave in irrational ways, read this book and you'll see that there is a sort of logical thinking behind seemingly unexplainable behaviors.But this book is much more than that - it's a page turner! You don't find out until the very end whether this boy will stay with the parents he so desperately wants but doesn't know how to keep.