How to be a Real Person (in just one day)
But no one knows...
Kara Biggs is a list maker: how to get up and go to school, how to get out of doing an oral book report, how to avoid having a teacher-parent conference. And how to be a real person—especially when part of her life doesn't feel all that real anymore.
Through the course of one day, Kara's life gradually reveals itself: her father has moved a few hours away for a job, and Kara is left at home with a mother who is spending more and more time in bed and less time taking care of herself and Kara.
But no one knows just how sick her mother has become, not her father, her teacher, or her best friend, and Kara is determined to keep it that way. She can take care of her mother herself, and be as real a person as she can—until her two desires collide in a painful yet hopeful finale.
Click here to see illustrations relating to the story.
This book, intended for ages 10 and up, was published in February, 2001 in hardcover by Knopf Books for Young Readers.
A Scholastic Book Club selection
An American Library Association Quick Pick for Young Adults nominee
Intriguing one-day format makes for a fast-paced and climactic story.
Bank Street Best Books of the Year (starred choice)
"The rather flippant tone of its title belies the depth and substance of Warner's fine novel. Written in the credible voice of 11 year-old Kara, the narrative unfolds on several planes. Warner has shaped a haunting, ultimately hopeful story, whose heroine is indisputably real."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)