Where People Like Us Live

by Patricia Cumbie and Tricia Levenseller

Book Overview

I want to shake Rita. She thinks all the screwed-up things in the world are happening somewhere else. But bad things are happening right here. It's a routine Libby's used to by now: pack up, move,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061375977
• ISBN13: 9780061375972
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 7.1"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

vivid storytelling

A very vivid picturization of life in a small town -- the loneliness, the despair, the summer, and the excitements (ponies!). Crystal-like prose brought life through Leebee's eyes to a heartfelt realization.

Great Storytelling

I really enjoyed this book. Libby and her family move a lot--like a lot, a lot. But it's okay this time because Angie lives across the street and from almost right away the two girls are inseperable. Sure, Angie almost gets Libby killed that first day; they're still best friends. Until Libby's presented with a secret of Angie's...a secret that she can tell and possibly lose her friend. Or not tell and risk not keeping Angie safe. What I liked so much about this was that, even though the 'secret: to tell or not to tell' bit is right in the summary, it wasn't right in the beginning of the book. Angie and Libby's friendship was set up very well--as was Libby's life and that of her family (her father's job and her brother's fascination with a certain celebrity, etc). Later, it seemed like things were obvious as to what the 'secret' was going to be (at least to me), but it still didn't ruin the story at all because the point of things was still going to be Libby and her reaction/actions/feelings and how things happened based on the choice she made. This was a young adult book but I loved that it was written very much as an adult book, that just happened to be written age-appropriately for teens. The story was told very well, very full of emotion and thought and I connected very well with the characters. It was so well written that at times certain scense truly did make me feel uncomfortable--and not just the 'big' ones either, even smaller ones that were just not...quite right were done so well that I just wanted them to be over so I could know what would happen. I would recommend this book to people looking for a book to read over the summer (with the talk of the summer, swimming at the lake, etc it's very fitting for the summer) that's not the typical fluff of summer reads.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

What would you do if you saw something that you shouldn't have? If you tell, then you might lose your best friend, but if you don't tell, then your best friend could be in deep trouble. This is the problem facing Libby. Her family has moved to Rubberville, a bleak factory town in Wisconsin. This is normal for Libby, since her family moves all the time. Libby is hoping that her father will find what he is looking for and will stay and put down roots. The first week in Rubberville, Libby meets Angie. They become fast friends, except for the big secret that Angie is hiding. I think that this book was very well-written and it made me think about the time my daughter had to tell about some scary things that her best friend was doing to herself. She had a hard time deciding what to do, but in the end did the right thing and helped her friend. Her friend was mad at the time, but within a couple of weeks they were best friends again. Friendship requires responsibility and sometimes it can be very hard and complicated. I would especially recommend this book to book clubs, because after it is read I believe it should be discussed. Reviewed by: Marta Morrison