The Zebra Wall

By Kevin Henkes

Book Overview

When ten-year-old Adine's mother has a new baby, eccentric Aunt Irene comes to stay and shares Adine's bedroom--events that require a great deal of adjustment.

The Vorlob family is making preparations. Preparations for the new baby, soon to arrive.

Getting ready includes painting a mural in the baby's nursery and making a list of possible names. Adine, age ten, is used to the routine--she has four sisters already: Bernice, Carla, Dot, and Effie.

This time, however, the routine is broken. In more ways than one. Most significantly, Aunt Irene will be staying with the Vorlobs until Mrs. Vorlob is rested and back on her feet.

Aunt Irene arrives, as does the baby, but nothing goes quite as expected. Especially for Adine.

Multiple award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Kevin Henkes brings his insightful, gentle, real-world insight to middle grade novels, including:

Billy Miller Makes a WishBird Lake MoonThe Birthday RoomJunoniaOlive's OceanProtecting MarieSun & SpoonSweeping Up the HeartTwo Under ParWords of StoneThe Year of Billy MillerThe Zebra Wall

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060733039
• ISBN13: 9780060733032
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.2" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

The Zebra Wall

The Zebra Wall By: Kevin Hankes Reviewed by: E. Shim Period: P.6 This story is about the Vorlorb family. The main character is Adine Vorlorb who is ten-years-old. She has 4 younger sisters. Their names are in order, are; Adine,(age 10), Bernice, (age eight), Carla, (age seven), Dot, (age four), and Effie, (age 2). There was also another baby coming, and they were expecting it to be a girl, since they already had 5 girls in a row. Whenever the family was having another baby, they would make a list of names that they liked. Alphabetically, this next child would have to start with the letter 'F'. Later on her mother goes to the hospital and the girls are forced to stay at home with their most hated aunt, Aunt Irene. Soon to find out that Adine's mother had a son, not a daughter. When her mother had brought the baby home, they couldn't decide what to name him, so they left him with the name 'Baby' until they could think of one that they all liked. Adine doesn't like Aunt Irene or her ugly cat Deedee, so one day when it was raining and she was home because she was sick, she scooted Deedee out the back door and closed the door on the cat, when she knew it was pouring cats and dogs outside. Later she overhears that Aunt Irene was so thankful for having such wonderful nieces, and Adine feels guilty, runs outside, and brought back Deedee. At the end, Aunt Irene and Adine have a special bond between each other, and become best of friends. Adine's mother gives the opportunity for Aunt Irene to choose Baby's real name. Aunt Irene chooses the name Zachary, the name that Adine wanted to name her little baby brother. I liked this book because it explains to me, as a reader that she felt isolized from her aunt's own 'world'. It explained to be what goes through a 10-year-old's mind when she sees a family member that she doesn't exactly approve of. One quote that I absolutely fell in love with is when she is talking with her sisters about Aunt Irene, "She is so BOSSY," said Adine." I like this quote because I feel as if this scene is a mere image in a mirror of me, when I talk about an adult that I don't exactly approve of. Another quote that liked was when Aunt Irene and Adine was talking, a the author wrote a very good description about what was happening to the teapot, and I felt as if I was standing right there looking at the teapot, "The teapot was piping hot; steam rose from its spout like a chimney smoke." I love it when an author gets a little object and turns it into a big idea when he or she adds a lot good descriptive words. My most favorite part of the book was when Aunt Irene finally told everyone in the family what she was going to name her nephew. I liked that part because Aunt Irene had thought about her oldest niece, and how Adine felt. The least part of the story was when Adine and her sisters were talking very badly about Aunt Irene and drawing mean pictures of her. I hated that part of the story

"mom gimme that book!!!!!"

the zebra wll gives you a good idea of what children with ginormous families (and a pregnant mother) are going through. it is a FANTASTIC book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By Emily, age 8

I love this book it is one of the best I have read

I think this book was very good. I like how Kevin Henkes writes all his book. I think He should write a sequel on The Zebra Wall. Maybe he could have a miracle come in The Vorlob family. I think they should end up being able to have more children and have it be another girl, and redue the F wall.