California Holiday: Or, How the World's Worst Summer Job Gave Me a Great New Life

by Kate Cann

Dear Mel,

Okay, it's not a dream job. The kid is alright, but her mom treats me like a personal slave/shopper/chef. And she's vile to the pet iguana who is now my only friend -- sad or what? Maybe I'll run off to San Francisco -- maybe my next postcard will be from there Wish me luck

xoxo,
Rowan

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060561610
• ISBN13: 9780060561611
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Entertaining and Enjoyable

Rowan is a British teenager from England. She's like any ordinary girl, just making her way through life and enjoying the experiences along the way. On the other hand, one experience is not so pleasant. Living with her brother is a drag. He annoys Rowan all the time and is a little pest. Rowan can't be in England anymore with her family and just has to get away. She decides to become a nanny and go to America. She has never been to America and she hasn't been a real nanny before. Rowan finds a job in Seattle for a family with a little girl. Nothing is going right with this family and the only friend she really has at this point is a pet iguana, who is being trapped upstairs in a cage of this Seattle family's apartment. Rowan decides she can't take it anymore and she has to protect the iguana because the family wants to get rid of it. Her next adventure is to San Francisco, California. She meets a boy, Landon, after her first bus ride and he takes her with him to Truckee, California. Rowan is starting to really like Landon, even though he is kind of a jerk. Will her time at Truckee be the greatest thing that has ever happened to her? Will she finally meet her true love? I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of meaning to it that was completely real. This girl is trying to truly find herself and where she belongs. Where will she be in life? That is what really makes this book complete. This is an enjoyable and fun book to read. I recommend it to anybody who loves some romance and humor all mixed together. Kate Cann is an extraordinary author with a way of bringing books to life.

Will She Stay or Will She Go?

Rowan wants to get away from her parents and her brother who is good at everything. She decides to quit college and become a nanny. Rowan gets a nanny job in the United States for a family with one little girl, Flossy. At first she thinks this is going to go really well, and she is going ot become really good friends with Sha, the mother. Rowan can't take all of the fighting, she thinks Flossy should be able to do what she wants and not go to dance class, have a nature diary. Now that Flossy's parents are fighting all of the time and she has to do so much more than just take care of Flossy she is thinking about quiting. When Flossy's grandmother comes to visit she talks to her a lot about leaving and her grandmother tells her to go for it, but she doesn't want to leave Flossy. Will she go find another job or will she stay for Flossy? Some things I liked about California Holiday is all of the drama after Rowan goes to California and all of the suspence of what was going ot happen next. I would recommend this book to people who also like the other holiday books from Kat Cann.

I LOVED IT!!

This book is about a 20 year old girl named Rowan who wants to get away from her stressful life in England. So she decides that she wants to work as a nanny in Seattle, Washington. Well that doesn't work out so she runs away with this hot guy to Truckee, CA. This book has a lot of emotional ups and downs with Rowan trying to find love over the summer. I would recommend this only to age 13 and up.

Greatest Summer Read Yet!

I am a big fan Kate Cann. Last summer she did not disappoint when I read her Spanish Holiday and Greacian Holiday. So naturaly I was excited to learn she had another holiday in the works. And she definitely did not disappoint! I absoultly LOVE this one. I completely identifed with Rowan. It makes me just want to get out and go out on self finding adventure of my own. This holiday is about a young girl in college (as usual) who isnt doing so well at home with her family so she decides to exscape away to America as a nanny. Only to find things for her there arent any better. So exscapes away to California and finds a Hot guy along the way. Which is always a plus! In California her hottie helps her get work and its a never ending are 'they going to get together' game. I really enjoyed reading this one. If you loved Kate's other Holiday books and are just a hopeless romantic then your are a shoe-in for this book. Trust me it will shock you, make you cry and laugh all before the 2nd chapter. This book is completely 10 Stars!

should be called "American Holiday"

It should be called "American Holiday," because she only spends half of her time in the book in California. If you can get over that fact, it is a good read. It is very descriptive and I felt like I was right there.