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"If you think it's hard keeping track of all the Steps in my life, try being me."
"The Steps" in Annabel's life are her "bazillion" stepbrothers, stepsisters, and half siblings. She is spending her Christmas vacation in Australia with her dad and his new family, and she hopes beyond hope that she can convince him to come back to the United States with her.
But as Annabel realizes how much happier her dad is in Australia, she has to reconcile her jealousy of his new family with her desire to be a part of it. Can she share her father with them without losing him entirely?
Annabel's account of her stay in Australia is funny yet tender, and is certain to ring true to anyone with a family that isn't quite traditional. Rachel Cohn, whose perfect grasp of teens' feelings came through so strongly in Gingerbread, now proves that she understands preteens just as well.
12-year-old girl travels to Australia to visit her father and his new family with hopes of winning him back. "The author of Gingerbread once again creates a funny and feisty narrator caught in a complicated family situation," wrote PW in a starred review. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Donald Barker
reviewed The Steps on February 16, 2012
The Steps
This review pertains to the 2003 hardcover edition.
This first-person narrative is about twelve-year-old Annabel, a Manhattan pre-teen navigating radical changes in her family. Her parents, Jack and Angelina, divorced following a rocky marriage. Jack moved to Australia to live with his second wife, leaving Annabel in New York with Angelina. Annabel is jealous of her Australian blended family, particularly towards twelve-year-old Lucy. When Annabel has a chance to visit Australia, she envisions ways to get Jack back to the U.S. Determined to dislike everything about the strange new family blend, she and Lucy embark upon a transformative, radical adventure.
The cover is very appealing and amusing, showing a family tree of the bazillions of steps, (stepbrothers, and stepsisters) with Annabel in the middle. The narrative is very pleasant, funny, and seems appropriate for the character. There are no excessively bitter, violent, or offensive occurrences. There is one brief scene referencing a change of life. Culturally, there are many opportunities to sample Australian culture. Characters find accents amusing, and terminology confusing at times, e.g. brushing teeth vs. cleaning teeth.
Kirkus Reviews suggest an age range of 11-14. The Lexile rating is 860L. For slightly younger readers, Shug (Jenny Han, ISBN: 9781416909439, Lexile 680L) is about a twelve-year-old girl with bickering parents and similar preteen themes. Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan (ISBN: 9780064410441, Lexile 820L) is about a boy sent to live at an unusual home school, featuring similar themes of blending with different families.
In a classroom setting, themes related to diversity of families serve as a basis for activities. Students might engage in a quick-write, including definitions, phrases, etc. to define family. Small groups might discuss their ideas, then creating a larger poster for a gallery-walk activity. Groups or individuals then rotate to the posters, adding new ideas. Other themes include jealousy and conflict resolution, and tolerance towards cultural differences.
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