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    Pieces of Me
    Pieces of Me
    Pieces of Me
    Ebook207 pages3 hours

    Pieces of Me

    By Darlene Ryan

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Maddie is living on the streets, trying to protect herself and make enough money to get a place to stay and find a way to go back to school. When she meets Q, she is wary but welcomes his friendship. And then she meets Dylan, a six-year-old boy, living on the streets with his family. When Dylan's father asks Maddie to watch the boy for a while, she is happy to help. But Dylan's parents don't come back; and Maddie and Q are left looking after him. Trying to make a life together and care for her makeshift family, Maddie finds that maybe she has to ask for help.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers
    Release dateSep 1, 2012
    ISBN9781459800823
    Pieces of Me
    Author

    Darlene Ryan

    Darlene Ryan has been writing for as long as she can remember and was the 2006 poet recipient of the Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell Early Childhood Literacy Award. As Sofie Kelly, she writes the best-selling Magical Cats mysteries. She lives with her family in Fredericton, New Brunswick. For more information, visit www.darleneryan.com.

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    Reviews for Pieces of Me

    4/5

    25 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I felt like this book was kind of rushed, and I didn't really get too much of the characters' home life really. Nevertheless, it was a good book with an unexpected ending. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, light read.
    • 4/5
      Darlene Ryan's 'Pieces of Me' is the story of Maggie, a teenage runaway on the streets of the big city. Plagued by the usual difficulties of finding food and safe shelter, Maggie forms uneasy alliances, some of which bring her responsibility in ways she had never imagined. Maggie has left home to avoid the abuse of her mother's latest boyfriend. She now frequents soup kitchens, picks through garbage, sleeps in shelters when they are available. She is vulnerable, and feels very alone. When she meets Q, a young male runaway, she is initially uneasy, but throws in her lot with his, and shares his food sources and his temporary homes. Life becomes suddenly more complicated when a very young boy is deserted by his family, and is left to the care of the two young people. Maggie sets aside her dreams of going back to school as she is involved full-time in the care of young Dylan. Despite Maggie's determination to take care of herself, eventually circumstances become too difficult for her, and she must reach out for help, despite her unwillingness to trust the net of social services that try to help the city's young runaways. 'Pieces of Me' was a good book, and I believe that it would be of interest to young people especially, who could probably relate to Maggie's distrust of and impatience with authority. The tale is gritty and realistic, and the writing assured. I'd recommend this novel for older teens, and enjoyed reading it myself.
    • 5/5
      Every now and then I read a book that just tears my heart open. As a teacher I have had students who were abused or were homeless. It seems to be a problem that is growing daily. Darlene Ryan has crafted a story that we could watch on the news any night. Maddie comes from an abusive home. Her step-dad is the abuser and her mother sides with him. I really disliked the mother for this reason. Maddie decides it would be better if she ran away. Out on the street she meets a boy named Q. She agrees that they stand a better chance of surviving on the street if they work together. Things are hard but manageable at first. One day they agree to watch a homeless couple’s six year old boy. Unfortunately the parents never come back for him. I was so angry. I kept wondering how they could just desert him. Now Maddie has to try to make them all a family. She wants to make sure that Dylan doesn’t have the kind of parents she had. Q starts to have some issues that break the trust that Maddie placed in him. She finally realizes she can’t do this on her own. This is a hard story to read yet once started it is hard to put down. Your heart breaks for all of the kids out there like Maddie. This is definitely a book that I want on my shelves in my classroom.
    • 5/5
      Maddie is abused by her stepfather, and her mother sides with him, so she leaves home for a life of homelessness. She can make it on her own, until she meets Q, she realizes maybe she can't and dosen't want to make it on her own. When she meets a young boy named Dylan who's parents abandon him Maddie realizes what it's like to have someone relying on you, and she wants to take care of him the way her mother and step-father didn't take care of her.This book is so heart-breaking, but completley captivating. I read this book in one-sitting, and didn't want it to end. I found myself getting completely immeresed in the pages and Darlene Ryan's writing style was brillant. I've never read a book about homeless teenagers, and I thought it was unique and powerful, and really made you thankful for the life and upbringing that you were fortunate enough to have. I believe this is Darlene Ryan's debut novel and it was fantastic. I haven't heard much about this book in the book community and in fact, I'm the first one of my bookish friends to review this book, but take my word for it, this is not a book you want to miss. If your a fan of YA books, or books dealing with serious issues, then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy ASAP!!
    • 4/5
      I am very happy I won an early copy of this book. I really didn't think I would like it, it seemed too depressing and it just was not what I was in the mood to read, but I was very pleased with this book. The characters really draw you in and make you care about them. I had to force myself to put the book down or I would've been up all night to find out what would happen to Maddie, Quinn, Dylan, & Leo.
    • 3/5
      This book will have readers and it addresses important issues about homelessness and abuse. I had some issues with the characters, though, because if the author wanted us to like the character, then he/she was noble, wise and unflawed. Not real life.
    • 5/5
      This was an awesome read! I really enjoyed it : )
    • 4/5
      Does love really matter? Maddie, a homeless runaway, has left her mom and step dad to avoid being beaten. Maddie's life on the streets is hard and she has a pushy advocate to deal with at the Pax shelter. Then Q offers her a place to stay, and Maddie's world changes dramatically. Maddie comes to rely on Q, and then they find themselves acting as "parents" to an abandoned six year old boy. Maddie thinks that her new family will be easy to take care of, but living on the streets means not knowing where or when you will eat your next meal or where you will sleep. Thankfully, Maddie chooses love rather than diving into the depths of life on the streets. Through her actions, she is able to find herself and save others in her journey. I think my students will enjoy this read.
    • 4/5
      With a stepfather who hits her and a mother who doesn't care, Maddie takes off. Living on the streets is hard, but it gets easier when she meets Q, who offers her a place to stay and a friend to lean on. But when Maddie tries to extend the same help to a six-year-old abandoned by his parents and a twelve-year-old runaway, her new family starts to fall apart.I found Maddie to be a great character and a believable narrator. The story is difficult but doesn't pull any punches, and the characters are believable in their goodness and especially in their flaws. Recommended for teens.
    • 3/5
      This was, as I saw someone say, a 'gentle' book about homelessness. I was expecting a very depressing read and while the story certainly isn't one that makes you smile, it had a charm to it. The book is more about love and family than the misery of being homeless, which set it in a different light. The characters are realistic; Maddie gets mad, Q makes mistakes, Dylan pouts and acts like a kid. The writing is clear and simple, the words straight forward. While there was nothing phenomenal about this book, I don't regret reading it. A great book probably for teens.
    • 4/5
      The last few books I read have been slightly disappointing. So, I went into this one with mixed feelings. Those feelings were quickly sorted into complete love for something so simple and brilliant. Pieces of Me is a dark book, that deals with actual problems. I've never dealt with homelessness, nor have I seen it up close and personal. This unconditional love that Maddie has for the boys, even Q, is so heart warming that I couldn't help myself from crying most of the time while I was reading. She gives up everything for the kids, even putting herself last just to make sure they were taken care of. Pieces of Me is a great book, and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it.

    Book preview

    Pieces of Me - Darlene Ryan

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