The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye

Bonnie Shimko

Apr 2010 · Sold by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

About this ebook

"All a person needs in life is one true friend."

So says Grandpa Thomas, the only member of Amelia's family who cares about her one bit. That true friend finally arrives when Fancy Nelson, the first Negro kid Amelia has ever seen in person, walks into her fourth grade classroom. As Fancy's special sort of magic rubs off on Amelia, she slowly comes to understand her trainwreck family and her place in it—and Fancy discovers a surprising secret about her own past.

Ratings and reviews

Amelia has had a hard life. It seems her mother didn't really want her. Her Grandpa Thomas loved her and took care of her. Amelia is a loner and the reason is because her mother dresses her in her older sisters old clothes. Everyone make fun of her, that is until Fancy comes to town. Fancy is the only colored girl in her class. She has learned how to stand up for herself and immediately sees inside of Amelia and becomes her friend. Amelia loves Fancy's life and would like luck to shine down on her just a little. As her friendship with Fancy grows she discovers a lot of things about her family she'd never known before. She also learns what real love from a mother is. I didn't think I was going to like this book at first but found I really did enjoy it. It made me look at Amelia's family and think that hidden inside the mess was something that people on the outside couldn't see. Maybe it is that way with some of my students who live in just as big a mess and so therefore maybe there is hope for happiness for them too.

This book was amazing I read it like three times. The first time I read this was when I was in the 6th grade and I thought it was amazing and it still is. And I recommand you read this book if you haven't .

I can't even put into words how touching this book was. Truely amazing.

About the author

Bonnie Shimko's previous books include Letters in the Attic (978-0897335638), which won the Lambda Literary Award for Young Adults in 2002. She lives in Plattsburgh, New York.