No and Me

by Delphine de Vigan

Book Overview

Parisian teenager Lou has an IQ of 160, OCD tendencies, and a mother who has suffered from depression for years. But Lou is about to change her life-and that of her parents-all because of a school... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1599904799
• ISBN13: 9781599904795
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

BookWhisperer Review: No and Me

This is a truely incredible novel about the reality of life for a homeless girl and her impact on the family that wanted to save her. The detail and presentation of this author on such a truely controversial topic had me at the edge of seat throughout the story. The two main characters of this novel are incredibly detailed allowing the reader to feel the story. Lou, is a young girl that is trying to survive in a life of devistation and heartbreak; it appears as though to cope she is on a mission to discover a place where hope, joy, and happy endings really do exist. Unfortunately, her dreams lead her to the saving No. No is a homeless eighteen year old. As the story unfolds No's life is a tragedy, and I felt the struggle within myself to hope that she could find a safe and comfortable home. It soon proved that you can dress a fox like a cat, but nothing can change that a fox is a fox. No was able to acclimate herself for a short time in this family's life, but soon her true colors showed through as she began regressing to her old habits and lifestyle. As things began to unravel I felt compelled to as a mother to protect Lou from her friend; I could forsee that this could foresee obstacles that would hinder Lou's future. My most concerning obstacle was that as No began regressing to her old lifestyle that it was possible, even probable, that Lou was going to follow her friend with her compelling need to save her. Also on my list of concerns was that with a troublesome past and lack of education Lou's future would potentionally be hindered by the baggage. Like the saying, "you take the good with the bad", No being apart of Lou family for a short time proved to be benefical as well. I believe that it was best that this family experience the addition of No, but I do believe that it was something that could not last. This book will leaving you thinking long after the last page, and will be nearing impossible to forget. I love to read books that create so much emotion in the character and the reader that you will feel exhausted once completed. This is absolutely without a doubt one of those novels.

Book Review: [...]

My eighteen-year-old daughter commented to me the other day that homeless people are "so annoying"...I felt utterly exhausted because I've always tried to instill a sense of compassion in my kids. Anyway, after a brief discussion of the multitude of reasons that people are homeless, I hope a left her a little less judgmental of the people in question. I bring this up because a big part of this story is Lou finding out that simply providing a house for No to live in isn't the end to all her problems. Sometimes there is a little bit more to the story... After No moves in with Lou they are both able to open up about the heartbreaking stories they both have to tell. Throughout it all an unlikely friendship blossoms and under the influence of No's unflinching description of life in the big bad world, Lou expands her views of the world around her. When No's past comes back to haunt her, Lou is forced to face the fact that giving No a home and friendship can't fix everything (again, something I also expressed to my daughter). I really, really, really enjoyed this book. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time I felt that story's main theme expresses that people who step up to the plate, no matter what their age, CAN make a difference in someones life. Even if its something small we can still make a change....a tiny ripple in the pond so to speak. Well written and character driven, this is a story that will resonate with readers of all ages. Recommended!

Courtesy of A Trillian Books

On the surface No and Me seems like a run of the mill Young Adult novel of a teenage girl dealing with both a family tragedy and growing up. Dig a little deeper though and this book is so much more than that, largely because of two factors. The first being the simple yet emotion filled writing style. The story is told not just from a first person point of view but it really did read as if an intelligent teen was retelling it - including those unique rambley off-topic moments, which all just added to the character and effect of the book. In some ways it reminded me of Catcher in the Rye. The second aspect of this book which made it unlike so many others was Lou herself. Her character was very much like the protagonist in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (Mark Haddon) in that she used intellectual means, such as mathematical problems, for coping with the emotions of every day life. I really liked how Lou was extremely intelligent but at the same time had issues functioning with normal life. At one point she states that she has an IQ of 160 but can't tie her own shoe laces. She doesn't socialise well and dreads the presentation she has to do in front of the class. She collects food labels to compare the ingredients and conducts various experiments at home just to satisfy her curiosity. Through Lou we also get to know No, the homeless girl who eventually comes to live with the family, and Lucas, a boy in Lou's class. No clearly has her own issues to deal with - living on the streets and then adapting to family life - as does Lucas. Lou and Lucas are complete opposites in their class at school. Lou is two years ahead and Lucas is two years behind. Lucas is the only one who really pays attention to Lou and it makes a unique friendship. There is also the interesting contrast between the naive Lou and the tough, streetwise No. All three are great characters in their own way. Personally I really enjoyed No and Me but I can see that it is probably one of those love it or hate it kind of books. I'd definitely recommend it if you liked the above mentioned books or if you're looking for something a little bit different.