Dizzy

by Cathy Cassidy

Book Overview

What would it be like to walk into your living room and see a complete stranger who says she's your mother? Dizzy hasn't seen Storm since she walked out on her and her dad eight years ago, but here... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142404748
• ISBN13: 9780142404744
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 247 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Dizzy book fan!!

I thought that the book "Dizzy" was so wonderful i loved the details they gave and i got really into the story. I thought that the book had drama you didnt know what would happened. The characters were Dizzy, Finn, Mouse, Leggit,Tess,Storm, and Pete. All characters were interesting i love every event in this book i recommend this book to everyone except the adults lol im not going to say more detail because i want everyone to read it themselves!

60's values with a twist of today...

Here is a fun twist on the mother/daughter, coming of age theme. Those of us raised by the flower children of the 60's have our own culture, as strong as the one our parents fought for. We grew up in the freedom without perhaps first having any structure or real rules to rebel against. We meet Dizzy, awaiting a sign from her estranged mother on her birthday; a card, a call. Lo and behold, "Storm" rolls in, seeing her daughter for the first time in years, and offering adventure. Dizzy happily leaves on a summer trip with her mama, only to appreciate the security and consistent support her less free-spirited dad has provided for her all along. She gets to know the "real" mother she lost, and herself as well. A wonderful, realistic, and beautifully told alternative view of family, as well as a needed window into the lives of those raised by the hippies of the 60's (who don't always share their parent's values).

A favorite in my home library........

Dizzy is turning 12. She lives with her father in a flat in England with an ordinary outer life and a mysterious background. The only memories of her mother are currently tacked to her corkboard, and her father--and his girlfriend--are quiet over the whereabouts of Dizzy's runaway parent. But things suddenly pick up speed when Storm, a hippie woman with wild clothes and a cocky attitude, shows up at the front door, who sweeps Dizzy right off her feet and whirls her around the green hills of Scotland in a patchwork van. I bought "Dizzy" last year in the 8th grade and read it in a matter of days. I adore this book. Cathy Cassidy, being British herself, is a genius when it comes to writing. Her style is fresh and simple, with sybolism that isn't put in your face. Yes, I found the beginning obvious as well, but I was able to get myself over this and enjoy the rest of the story. Many people might find this book slow and boring and action-less, but I loved following Dizzy around the forests with Finn (a boy with dreadlocks and his soul in a guitar), Mouse (a confused, trouble-making orphan), and Leggit (a scruffy, laughable dog) and throughout the festivals where she hangs out with fourtune-tellers and paints faces. And the story is very real, tackling subjects some authors overdo and exaggerate--parental disappointment, the confusing times between pre-teen and teen, responsibility, and the different sorts of love between family and friends. I loved the whole "New Age Traveler" topic and I guess this story can really show that love--and, unfortunately, disappointment--can come from all different walks of life, and that life really is just a spinning, ever-changing, dizzy experience. Cassidy's other books, Indigo Blue and Scarlett, are both very special reads, and she has also written Driftwood (only released in UK) and soon-to-be-published Sundae Girl (UK) and Lucky Star (UK) are bound to be heart-warmers. Read "DIZZY"!!!!

SO GOOD!!!! AMAZING BOOK!!

I read this book, and i just LOVED it! I looked at the cover and i thought it was going to be way different. But it turned out to be way better. Its definitly one of my favorite books by far. I loved the characters and in a way i felt like i was watching it and i was there. It was an amazing book. I would recommend it to people who like surprises and lots of fun and adventure! It is so worth the money.

A great read, and not far from the truth....

"Dizzy" is the twelve-year old daughter of a former hippy and an aging flowerchild. Her vagabond mother left Dizzy and her father when she was only 4, and Dizzy is struggling with her loss and trying to recoup a mother-daughter relationship when her mother arrives on her birthday and takes her away to join her freespirited livestyle. Her mother, "Storm" is a self-centered thrill-seeker who uses Dizzy and others and betrays their trust. Written in Dizzy's voice, this book is funny and sweet and also manages to present a dismal picture of substance abuse and mental illness. While the tone is juvenile and the plot somewhat predictable, the character development is rich and easy-to-relate to. There is a good message in the text: that 'being real' is more important than thrills and that love prevails over all. This book is a quick read and would engage youth grades 5 and up. BTW, some of the comments made by others make me realize that there are folks out there who don't know how common this sort of scenario unfortunately is. It may be meth and not grass that the parents chase after, but Storm's behavoir is all-too-common in our society with parents who breeze in and out of their children's lives as they enter and exit rehab and the revolving door of substance abuse. While Dizzy is more of a romp through hippie festivals, it would still be very easy for kids who do endure parental drug abuse to relate to the protagonist of this book and find solace in her story.