A sweet young adult book that reminded me of Jacqueline Wilson. Apple has always wished her mother would return, so she could live with her instead of her strict grandmother. When she gets her wish, it turns out to not be as much fun as she had dreamed of.

The book has lots of references to poems in it, which felt a bit heavy handed, like 'young people! We will sneakily make you like poetry!', but they were nice poems. ( )

A bit chaotic. I found the plot and the characters strangely hard to pin down. I can't help making comparisons with Jacqueline Wilson's The Illustrated Mum (which provided the plausible reason of bipolar syndrome for the treatment of her daughters), but Apple's and Rain's mum is just plainly narcissistic. (Mysogynistic? Or maybe some religious agenda given the "good" mother (Nana) vs the horrible non-religious and rebellious daughter? ). I think a lot of judicious editing is in order. ( )

This book was not worth my time. Apple, the main protagonist, was annoying and rude, but allowed herself to be treated like a slave by her mother. Ten-year-old Rain was just plain weird and the obsession she had with her doll, Jenny, was actually quite creepy. However, the character I disliked the most was the girls' mother, Annie. Talk about a disfunctional adult! The only person I had time for was Del, it's just a pity he wasn't in the book more than he was. Sadly, I could not recommend this book to anyone. ( )

A sweet, realistic fiction piece, Apple and Rain shows how adversity requires growth, but help is often at hand. The novel is organized around six ideas: solitude, fear, war, love, disappointment, and poetry. Each idea can be both pleasure or pain, like life.

Apple has been raised by her Grandmother, Nana, because her mother left to be an actress. Apple has imagined her mother returning and life being better. Nana is very strict, which can be embarrassing. She doesn’t allow Apple to walk to and from school or to hang out with other people, so Apple has few friends. Suddenly, Apple’s mother appears, and life changes instantly. When she decides to move in with her mother, Apple has a surprise: she has a sister, Rain.

Rain hasn’t had a steady life and compensates by pretending that her doll is a real baby. Apple is now responsible for Apple because her mother is often at auditions. Her only solace is writing. The new English teacher has a great love for poetry and gives them daily assignments. Apple releases her emotions in these poems. Her other solace is a budding friendship with Del, the kid who moved in next door. Del is a breath of fresh air. He’s smart and has no care as to what other people think. He is perfectly content with who he is and finds Apple intriguing.

As the novel progresses, you will feel pulled to help Rain. She’s had a lonely life; and, although she doesn’t want to share her mother, she really likes having a sister. Families and life are complicated. It’s how we deal with life, each other, and those we love that determine who we become or who we have the potential to be. Apple has to find the truths about her family and herself. I liked this novel and think many of you will feel a connection to Apple. ( )

Apple lives with her Nana and can remember the night her mother left them both. At the age of fourteen, she chafes under her Nana's restrictions and old-fashioned ways, dreaming of if/when her mother returns. Then her mother does show up and Apple's life changes dramatically - but is it really for the good?

Though this type of storyline is a familiar one, I was interested in how Sarah Crossan portrayed Apple and the other characters. Like One for the Murphys or The Great Gilly Hopkins, it's a story about family and a child who doesn't always see people for who they are, and as an adult reading it you have a very different perspective on what happens. I really like secondary characters like Del and Rain (who comes into it a bit later), and even the Nana who seemed really harsh and straight-laced to begin with and turns out to be very likable in her own way too. It's set in England, which I enjoyed, and is very different from the other Sarah Crossan titles I've read (Breathe and Resist), which I admired. ( )