Lucy would do anything to have a normal life. She would like to have sleepovers with her new best friend, Kaylie, in her own house and maybe invite her crush and perhaps interested boyfriend, Josh over. But she has a secret that she must keep from the world – her mother hoards stuff. Her mother’s mental illness is so bad that she does not smell the odor of rancid garbage or see the towering piles of books, newspapers, and magazines all over the house. Because of this, Lucy and her older brother and sister have never had friends over and Phil and Sara escaped as soon as they could. Then the unthinkable happens and Lucy has to figure out how she can keep the family secret. The ending raises more questions than it answers for this reader but students will learn about the real mental illness of compulsive hoarding. ( )

I could not put this book down! Heartwarming and heartbreaking, this book about keeping secrets and the impact of family on all aspects of growing up kept me riveted.

The book takes place within 24 hours, but it feels like a lifetime by the time the novel finishes. A grand, sweeping, all encompassing look at the disease of hoarding and the toll it takes on the family.

A must read! ( )

Hmmmm....this was a strange one. Hoarding mother. House stuffed with things that she can't throw away. Daughter living with this secret. Quick read and interesting from a psychological point of view. ( )

This book sat in my to read pile for far longer than it should have. Lucy is extremely likable and I found myself on her side from the beginning. This makes her choices all that much easier to stand behind.

This is a quick read, perhaps too short really. I would have been happy with some more flashbacks and more about what happened to Lucy 'after'. This shortness makes the book feel like a snapshot rather than a story.

Still, I really enjoyed this and would recomend it to others. ( )

timely topic - lots of students i work w/have a fascination w/hoarders (as i do although the show seems to have tired me of the subject). anyway, this book started off promising - characters were well drawn-out and believable - but the ending was abrupt and a little ridiculous and contrived. disappointed. ( )