Bad Tickets

by Kathleen O'Dell

Book Overview

Friendship, faith, family, feminism, and 1960s counterculture all contribute to the heartfelt, thoughtful pages in this latest novel by the acclaimed author of Agnes Parker . . . Girl in Progress. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375838015
• ISBN13: 9780375838019
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 231 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

FABULOUS BOOK!!

I loved this book and could not put it down. It's all about what happened to girls in the 60's and how they had such limited choices to make, even though they were on the verge of so many wonderful changes. I could really relate to the characters. They sound just like me and my friends, and I loved all the summer of love adventures. Fun, heart-aching, and beautiful writing.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Mary Margaret Hallinan is not sure of much but she is sure of one thing: she does not want to end up like her mother. Her mother (who Mary Margaret thinks is slightly mental) has four children and spends her days being very unhappy, ironing shirts for her father -- who has clearly turned out to be a bad ticket. At least that's what Mary Margaret's new best friend Jane would call him. Jane is fun, fearless, and adventurous. Everything that Mary Margaret is not. Mary Margaret is trying to leave her good girl Catholic ways behind her (well, maybe not completely) and get on track to a fabulous future. Set in 1967, the Summer of Love, it's the perfect time for Mary Margaret to do a little soul searching. With Jane by her side, Mary Margaret meets all kinds of people (cute boys!) and has some awesome yet dangerous adventures. By the end of the summer she has found one of the hardest things to find -- herself. BAD TICKETS was awesome and I suggest it to anyone who is a fan of the 60's. It will leave you changed somehow and thinking about what life and love are really all about. Reviewed by: Michaela Pallante aka "Mickey"

Living and Learning

I got this book for my niece, but I had to sneak and read it myself first. I enjoyed it immensely - the well-crafted, funny, and spot-on descriptions of life in the 1960s, the unsparing details of the sometimes rough teen years, the bittersweet lessons learned, Mary Margaret's unbreakable connection with her cast aside childhood friend Elizabeth, and the solid core of an independent young woman we see being shaped. I love that this book doesn't stray into sentimentality when it easily could have. Two thumbs up, and I can't wait to read more from Kathleen O'Dell.

Bad Tickets

I love Bad Tickets. Kathleen O'Dell brings her characters to life with humor and compassion. I enjoyed learning about another time in history, And quickly realized that no matter the date, choices and decisions may be hard but always full of excitement. This book is a great read and I highly recommend it.