What do you think?
Rate this book
Libby on Wednesday
Libby is sent to public school to be "socialized" after years of being educated at home.
196 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Zilpha Keatley Snyder
60 books440 followersZilpha Keatley Snyder was an American author of books for children and young adults. Three of Snyder's works were named Newbery Honor books: The Egypt Game, The Headless Cupid and The Witches of Worm. She was most famous for writing adventure stories and fantasies.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
May 25, 2020
The first word that entered my mind when I finished the book was Disturbing. It was terribly disturbing and a cold shiver ran down my spine, 'Foreboding’.
Libby has been sent to Morrison Middle School to socialize, to mix around with other children, but she is not doing so well, distress fills her when at school.
Libby lives in a strangely put-together house, we have Gillian her grandmother, Cordelia her grand aunt, Christopher her father and Elliot an adult man with no connection to any member of the house, Mercedes Libby’s Mother lives in New York because she acts in plays.
Everything seems to be running its course, the same snide teasing, the same sneering laughter, until Libby wins the First Prize for a story writing competition and the Judge suggests that the prize winners should form a workshop to improve their writing as well as learn new techniques.
At the workshop Libby realises that most of her group have problems. Alex is battling palsy, Tierney is the ugly girl whose family is super good looking, only Wendy belongs to a totally normal family.
Throughout the book Libby had been dropping hints about Elliot, the man who has no blood ties with anyone in the family, the Man who Cordelia calls ‘The Man who came to Dinner’.
Why is Libby so paranoid about bringing her friends home and they seeing Elliot?
Oh yes, Libby dropped so many hints and Libby is one intelligent child.
Was there some relationship Libby did not her friends to see?
But the most worrisome, most scary is G.G’s life at home. When he comes to the Lab with his face bashed up. When he writes that chilling story about something he was supposed to do but couldn’t because he was too late to do it.
At that moment out of the blue, Susan Vega’s song popped into my head and I breathed out,
‘My Name is Luka…
Later the kids save G. G from a concussion or maybe dying after his Father has beaten him in a drunken stupor when they rush to his house and find him unconscious.
G.G returns to the workshop and feels his Father is on the mend…
My blood goes very cold, six months and on the mend from violent alcoholism?
I am an adult and G.G just a little boy pretending to be a ‘big boy’.
Libby has been sent to Morrison Middle School to socialize, to mix around with other children, but she is not doing so well, distress fills her when at school.
Libby lives in a strangely put-together house, we have Gillian her grandmother, Cordelia her grand aunt, Christopher her father and Elliot an adult man with no connection to any member of the house, Mercedes Libby’s Mother lives in New York because she acts in plays.
Everything seems to be running its course, the same snide teasing, the same sneering laughter, until Libby wins the First Prize for a story writing competition and the Judge suggests that the prize winners should form a workshop to improve their writing as well as learn new techniques.
At the workshop Libby realises that most of her group have problems. Alex is battling palsy, Tierney is the ugly girl whose family is super good looking, only Wendy belongs to a totally normal family.
Throughout the book Libby had been dropping hints about Elliot, the man who has no blood ties with anyone in the family, the Man who Cordelia calls ‘The Man who came to Dinner’.
Why is Libby so paranoid about bringing her friends home and they seeing Elliot?
Oh yes, Libby dropped so many hints and Libby is one intelligent child.
Was there some relationship Libby did not her friends to see?
But the most worrisome, most scary is G.G’s life at home. When he comes to the Lab with his face bashed up. When he writes that chilling story about something he was supposed to do but couldn’t because he was too late to do it.
At that moment out of the blue, Susan Vega’s song popped into my head and I breathed out,
‘My Name is Luka…
Later the kids save G. G from a concussion or maybe dying after his Father has beaten him in a drunken stupor when they rush to his house and find him unconscious.
G.G returns to the workshop and feels his Father is on the mend…
My blood goes very cold, six months and on the mend from violent alcoholism?
I am an adult and G.G just a little boy pretending to be a ‘big boy’.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2014
I picked up a copy of this after asking all my friends to recommend books that have homeschooled characters in them. I knew nothing else about the book, and it turned out I was getting into something a bit darker than I expected.
I enjoyed the story, even if it was somewhat predictable and stereotyped -- a bunch of misfits turn out to be more complicated than they appear on the surface, and become friends. However, there were several problems.
First, the portrayal of homeschooling was good, but the portrayal of a homeschooled kid's social life was not. Libby was interested, enthusiastic, and well-educated. But before starting school, she apparently had no friends outside her family. That's just unrealistic -- she should have had friends from her neighborhood, from clubs and activities (ballet class?), and maybe from homeschool groups as well though I guess those were more rare in the 1980s than they are today. Still, her mother's insistence that Libby go to school to become "socialized" is one of the most stereotypical arguments against homeschooling, and it bothered me that by the end Libby agreed with her, even after being bullied and educationally stunted at school.
Second, the story of G.G. and his father was tied up too pat. That was an extremely serious and dangerous situation, and it seemed to me that six weeks at an alcohol rehab facility was not going to solve the problems there. Much of the abuse seemed premeditated -- leaving the boy home alone until after midnight, setting up tasks for him to do that he was going to fail at to justify later physical violence -- not just random alcohol-fueled rage. Putting G.G. back with his father and a belief that everything was going to be better now was really upsetting to me.
I enjoyed the story, even if it was somewhat predictable and stereotyped -- a bunch of misfits turn out to be more complicated than they appear on the surface, and become friends. However, there were several problems.
First, the portrayal of homeschooling was good, but the portrayal of a homeschooled kid's social life was not. Libby was interested, enthusiastic, and well-educated. But before starting school, she apparently had no friends outside her family. That's just unrealistic -- she should have had friends from her neighborhood, from clubs and activities (ballet class?), and maybe from homeschool groups as well though I guess those were more rare in the 1980s than they are today. Still, her mother's insistence that Libby go to school to become "socialized" is one of the most stereotypical arguments against homeschooling, and it bothered me that by the end Libby agreed with her, even after being bullied and educationally stunted at school.
Second, the story of G.G. and his father was tied up too pat. That was an extremely serious and dangerous situation, and it seemed to me that six weeks at an alcohol rehab facility was not going to solve the problems there. Much of the abuse seemed premeditated -- leaving the boy home alone until after midnight, setting up tasks for him to do that he was going to fail at to justify later physical violence -- not just random alcohol-fueled rage. Putting G.G. back with his father and a belief that everything was going to be better now was really upsetting to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2009
Libby has always been schooled by her quirky family. But now, her mother is forcing to attend school and be "socialized". She quickly decides that she absolutely despises Morrison Middle School. To make matters worse, she has to join a writing club that meets ever single Wednesday. The group members are very different from one another. There is a bully, a boy with a disease, a girl obessed with punk and detective stories and a stereotypical cheerleader. Libby doesn't ever think she will be friends with these individuals. I like this book because it is realistic on friendships and school but it is a little outdated.
July 26, 2010
This book is charming in a way that I remember a lot of YA novels being. A rag tag group of kids become friends! The main character lives in a run down mansion and has an awesome treehouse!
I think reading it as an adult has let me definitely see more that I missed - the un-related adult male friend of the father who lives with them (so subtext that even as an adult I question is he, isn't he), the coping mechanisms, invisible disabilities.
However, it's not to say the novel doesn't have some pretty clear problems. All the kids are white. In California. All the kids are middle to upper middle class.
Still, I actually liked it a lot.
I think reading it as an adult has let me definitely see more that I missed - the un-related adult male friend of the father who lives with them (so subtext that even as an adult I question is he, isn't he), the coping mechanisms, invisible disabilities.
However, it's not to say the novel doesn't have some pretty clear problems. All the kids are white. In California. All the kids are middle to upper middle class.
Still, I actually liked it a lot.
April 13, 2007
This is one of my favorite kids books of all time.
Libby is a gifted student who has to adjust to being in a regular school after being home-schooled for a long time. At first she expects to be miserable, but things improve when she is placed in a Wednesday afternoon writers' group with an odd assortment of other gifted nerds.
I don't want to give away any of the plot, but I will say that Libby is delightful and her new friends seem real despite their quirkiness.
Libby is a gifted student who has to adjust to being in a regular school after being home-schooled for a long time. At first she expects to be miserable, but things improve when she is placed in a Wednesday afternoon writers' group with an odd assortment of other gifted nerds.
I don't want to give away any of the plot, but I will say that Libby is delightful and her new friends seem real despite their quirkiness.
April 3, 2017
I like Libby. I think she's precocious, believable, studious, and relatable. I love the characterization of her family (except her mom sounds awful and obnoxious) and descriptions of her house.
I'm not sure why people say this book is "predictable." For me, the ending is disturbing and probably the worst, most boding ending I've ever encountered in a YA novel.
It's also a little juvenile in its plot. And then they went to meetings! And then she came over to her house! And played billiards! And then they took a bus and did this! And oh no something bad and horrible happened! But it's okay because everyone is white and rich and can just have a fun city day! Oh no something even worse happened! Let's take the bus and walk around and fix it! Books! Writing! Friendship!
I feel like the author didn't plan out the plot before sitting down to write the book. Parts of it are boring and inconsequential, while other parts seem oddly melodramatic, and the ending is disturbing.
I'm not sure why people say this book is "predictable." For me, the ending is disturbing and probably the worst, most boding ending I've ever encountered in a YA novel.
It's also a little juvenile in its plot. And then they went to meetings! And then she came over to her house! And played billiards! And then they took a bus and did this! And oh no something bad and horrible happened! But it's okay because everyone is white and rich and can just have a fun city day! Oh no something even worse happened! Let's take the bus and walk around and fix it! Books! Writing! Friendship!
I feel like the author didn't plan out the plot before sitting down to write the book. Parts of it are boring and inconsequential, while other parts seem oddly melodramatic, and the ending is disturbing.
August 16, 2017
Bless, she's me. Granted, a little more well-rounded and bohemian than my books-to-the-exclusion-of-all-else mindset at age eleven/twelve. But her anger at her peers, her hatred of the concept of "socialization", writing it all down with a lot of dashes and exclamation points...where was this book when I was her age (it was published when I was twelve, why did no one tell me?)?
The subplot of G.G.'s home life is a little afterschool-special, but it's dealt with honestly and straightforwardly--as is the end, where he's back with his dad and positive that everything's going to be fine now, six weeks in rehab fixed everything. An adult reads it and winces, a kid reads it and listens to Libby and the other FFWs as they admit to skepticism, and sees what they see.
The subplot of G.G.'s home life is a little afterschool-special, but it's dealt with honestly and straightforwardly--as is the end, where he's back with his dad and positive that everything's going to be fine now, six weeks in rehab fixed everything. An adult reads it and winces, a kid reads it and listens to Libby and the other FFWs as they admit to skepticism, and sees what they see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2012
I really enjoyed this book about an 11-year-old girl who lives in a rundown castle with her strange family--father, grandma, great-aunt, and a man who is no relation. After being home schooled for six years, her mother (who lives in New York), decides Libby must go to school and become "socialized." So she does, and she hates it. The kids all make fun of her and make her life miserable. But, in the end, she makes some good friends, and even saves a boy's life.
December 9, 2013
Granted, having never read this book as a kid, I am not nostalgically tied to this book at all. Still, I did enjoy reading this story. It was heart warming. Sickeningly so. I was far more intrigued by the McCall home and the lord generations living there, rather than the kids or anything that they had to experience. Now that I have seen the inside of this house, give me more about it, and the eldest author McCall!
May 20, 2014
I read this book a long time ago, but I remember liking it. Libby had what seemed like an idyllic private life: a rich imagination, big beautiful house, a treehouse, loving and intellectual parents. She struggled at school in ways I could identify with. The other children were well-drawn enough that they seemed like people. It also shared some pretty strong lessons in writing and peer review that have stuck with me.
August 9, 2008
I remember the dedication in this book, for all the readers who wrote to me saying, I write too. It's about a girl from a dysfunctional family who writes, and all the interesting people she becomes friends with in her writing group. I've wanted to be a writer since 8th grade, when I read this book. My copy's cover was different, with a purple border and a much better picture of Libby...
January 5, 2009
I found this author in 7th grade. I read everything she wrote. I love just about all of it. This one is more realistic ficiton than the others, but I've reread it as adult at least twice. If you like young adult books and have the occasional flair for fantasy (Black and Blue Magic, The Velvet Room, and one series about tiny tree people . . . ), find a book of hers that sounds interesting.
February 28, 2010
My daughter just read this book so I thought I'd pick it up and see how it went. I really quite enjoyed it. It had some good life lessons about how we perceive others and the hidden motives for their actions that we may not (especially as children) recognize. Fairly realistic, interesting characters, and a good description of the navigation of the rocky waters of childhood friendships.
October 18, 2012
Libby has to go to public school. She hates it and tells her family lies. Then she gets awarded for winning the writing contest at Morrison Middle School and gets to be in a club called the FFW. The people in the FFW are very interesting and all have their own personalities. This book is pretty good although very slow at times.
October 23, 2007
a childhood favorite about a misfit girl who comes from a family of eccentrics and lives in an old dilapidated mansion. she is asked to join a writing club at her school, composed of other misfits (who represent different high school characters).
a literary breakfast club of sorts, but better.
a literary breakfast club of sorts, but better.
September 25, 2010
chicken soup for the precocious girl's soul. libby lives at a crumbling mansion with a bunch of eccentrics and her hobby is making museum-like exhibits of stuff from a particular period (the '30s are her favorite) and no one at school likes her ... until they do!
August 20, 2008
The first half of the book starts out really slow but it has a good ending and its a good book to use for teaching friendship.
January 12, 2009
One of the all time kids books
April 23, 2012
I remember loving this when I was younger, I think mostly because I coveted her house and her tree house.
December 5, 2009
I think every school age kid should read this. Great story about getting along with people that are different than you.
February 27, 2010
my first introduction to unschooling, way before i ever did. it's awesome. i want her treehouse.
November 13, 2010
Not my very favorite but not my least favorite either. Nice exploration of feeling like a social outcast particularly as it relates to family of origin. Nothing terribly new, but a nice read.
September 27, 2010
A ZKS I've not read - yay!
I'm a big fan, but this was just....blah.
I'm a big fan, but this was just....blah.
Read
January 4, 2011I also read this one years ago. I do not remember much about about this book. I know she was a writer. I was intrigued by the club mentality and the tree house.
August 18, 2011
Not awful, but not amazing. I liked it, but wouldn't read it again. I definitely like The Velvet Room better.
April 3, 2013
enjoyed.
October 1, 2014
Cute but a bit predictable, at least by today's standards.
Want to read
February 27, 2015I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13094584
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13094584
June 18, 2015
Zilpha Keatley Snyder has always been one of my favorite authors.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews