Libby on Wednesday, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Read-a-thon # 5

[rachelmanija]

In this children's book by the author of The Egypt Game, precocious writer Libby was home-schooled by her eccentric, intellectual relatives in their rambling house, until her mostly-absentee mother decided Libby needed to be socialized and enrolled her in school. Libby was bullied and miserable, and matters seemed to get worse when she got stuck in

Comments

[rushthatspeaks]

I WANT HER TREEHOUSE. Just saying. This want has not remotely decreased with age.

Also, I am pretty sure her father and Elliott are together, though it took me years to notice that.

[rachelmanija]

The treehouse is so great! I want it too!

I also wondered about her father and Elliott. Though absolutely nothing is hinted at putting them together, Elliott is inexplicably present and her mother is inexplicably absent, so there's a kind of relationship-shaped narrative gap.

[rushthatspeaks]

The things that make me think Christopher/Elliott are a) Christopher brought him home in the first place and b) when Libby asks Gillian if her parents are ever going to get divorced Gillian is like 'no, they've always been really good friends'. Which is not the same as them still being, well, even actually together.

It's hard to say, though, because Libby is definitely too young to be noticing some of the more complex family dynamics that could be going on (I want to know how Cordelia feels about living there, more...)

[bookelfe]

On rereading this as an adult, I pretty much assumed Christopher/Elliott were a couple for all these reasons (and because Libby is so worried about having to explain Christopher and Elliott to her friends, which I think is a sign that she's aware of more complex undercurrents, even though she doesn't know exactly what they are).

I also desperately wanted a thirties room when I was a kid, even more than I think I wanted a treehouse.

[rachelmanija]

Yes, that was so great! She was an orphaned heiress, but Tierney had neglected to actually mention that in the story, and was annoyed when everyone pointed out that there was no way for the readers to know that.