Slipping

by Cathleen Davitt Bell

Book Overview

Michael Kimmel is an average eighth grader who's too short to be good at basketball and too unmotivated to care about school. When the grandfather he barely knows suddenly dies, Michael can't... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1599903601
• ISBN13: 9781599903606
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
• Length: 215 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

Great read for any age!

This is a fabulous book that is so well written. I got instantly captivated by the story line and finished the book in 2 days. It is a great read not only for adolescents but parents should check it out as well. It will provide fascinating discussion between you and your child. As a former fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teacher who knows kids literature I highly recommend it.

Do yourself a favor--read this book!

I loved every page of this book. I carried it around with me like a transitional object for several days, getting in a page here and there while the kids were dumping all the soil out of the flowerpots or sticking forks in their eyes. The author handles the premise brilliantly, making it seem fresh and interesting (and plausible, too), and consoling without ever being cheap. And she has created a remarkably convincing (as well as lovable) 12-year-old boy as her narrator. This is one of those amazing works of "children's" literature that people of all ages can learn from and love.

Must read!

SLIPPING is a book you just have to read. We're part of a mother-son book club and were lucky enough to read this book when it was in manuscript form. We liked it enough to re-read it again when it went to hardcover (June 08). Cathleen Davitt Bell did a great job creating an interesting book. It is a new twist on fantasy. We wanted to keep reading it to find out how the main character handles school, friends, and family issues. We weren't able to put the book down until we figured out the "slipping" aspect. Great ending. We're still thinking/talking about this book and sharing it with friends. A must read. We hope there will be a sequel. -- Mom (42) / son (15 and a huge fantasy fan)

A must-read for middle grade readers AND their parents!

I was planning to read a few pages to see if I thought my nephew would like it, and I became so absorbed that I temporarily lost interest in the book I was reading -- Pulitzer Prize-winning Oscar Wao (which I also highly recommend)!! Slipping is everything a novel should be -- an engaging, fast-paced story with believable, interesting characters (no cliches here, the details make these people feel absolutely real) and a sense of humor. I'm giving a copy to my son's school librarian to make sure she gets it on all her middle grade reading lists this year. I can't believe this is a first novel, I can't wait to read the second from this talented writer!

Don't miss this! Seriously.

I started reading Slipping with the celebrity-consciousness of knowing I knew the author, but the story was so compelling I forgot her, myself, the subway commute, everything but that old absorbing joy, most bright during grade school I guess, of wanting to devour a book and nothing else. I raced through it happily, cheering at the masterful plot twists and the incredible attention to the feelings boys go through. A really fantastic read, I'm so impressed! I can't wait to share this book, and uh...when's the next one due?