Children’s literature: À la Semaine Prochaine!

Self-tutoring about children’s books: the tutor mentions one he recently read.

I’ve been working on my French lately, so have read a couple of pre-teen level French books over the break. I just finished À la Semaine Prochaine!, by Jacqueline Wilson. It’s about a 10-year-old girl, Andrea, whose parents have divorced, then each remarried. She spends alternate weeks at the two resulting households. Since she’s outnumbered in each one by her step-siblings, Andrea is an “extra” at both. Having been, pre-divorce, an only child, her status has plummeted; in truth, her whole life has.

Andrea finds it hard to fit in to either household. As a result, she begins to falter at school, skipping out and missing deadlines. She’s able to keep secrets from her parents for months because of her mobility between the households, but eventually she’s found out. She feels unwanted and life gets worse and worse for her. She even loses her best friend at school, in an unexpected way, but due to her parents’ divorce.

At the climax of Andrea’s troubles, her parents finally realize how desperate her situation has become. Simultaneously, a couple of new people enter the picture who really care for Andrea. Credibly, her problems begin to diminish like a balloon that’s losing air. By the end, Andrea’s made peace with her life as it is.

In French, À la Semaine Prochaine! is an explosion of vocabulary. As I understand, it was originally the English story titled The Suitcase Kid. In French it’s 128 pages. Either way, and to anyone, it’s worth a read.

Source:

Wilson, Jacqueline. À la Semaine Prochaine!. London: Doubleday, 2000.