An Egg on Three Sticks A Novel [Paperback]

Finally Abby is thirteen. A real teenager who only wants to pierce her ears, have a boyfriend, and run her own life. But when her mother suffers a nervous breakdown, Abby faces a life far different from what she hoped for. Set in the Bay Area in the '70s,An Egg on Three Sticksis Jackie Moyer Fischer's emotional, funny, and extraordinarily heartfelt novel about Abby's struggle to hold her family together, find love from a mother who has little to give, and simply try to be thirteen.

With a voice completely fresh and honest, Abby takes us on a journey that is often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, and overwhelmingly hopeful. But a journey no thirteen-year-old should have to take.

???In a risky but successful style, Fischer... illustrat[es] Abby's lack of breathing space as she strains to hold herself together and move from one moment to the next.??? ???Kirkus Reviews

???The author does a fine job of capturing Abby's point of view, from adolescent angst to denial then anger at her mother's-and family's-condition and finally all-out rebellion. And she does it in an interesting way.??? ???Children's Literature

1. Does it matter thatEggtakes place in the early 1970s or is it still relevant today? Which issues in the book seem timeless to you?
2. Whom did you feel most sorry for: Abby or her mother? Why? With whom do you most identify? And why?
3. Discuss the ways in which Abby's relationship with her mother changes over the course of the book.
4. What does Mrs. Cordesi bring to Abby's life?
5. How does Abby feel about Lisa and vice versa? Would you describe their relationship as normal ? Why or why not?
6. Does Abby's relationship with her father change over the course of the book? If so, how? How would you rate his skills as a parent, given the circumstances?
7. What does this book say about mental illness?
8. Why do you think Abby steals the pirate blouse?
9. Was Abby really pregnant? Whilc³