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As Simple as It Seems Audiobook
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(3.04) - 697 listener ratings
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Verbena Colter knows she's bad news. Trouble from the get-go. How could she not be, with parents like hers? Her mother practically pickled her before she was even born, leaving Verbie to struggle with the effects of fetal alchol syndrome. And her father was just plain mean. Verbie wishes she could be somebody, anybody other than who she is. Enter Pooch, a flatlander boy visiting for the summer. When Pooch and his mom rent the house next door, Verbie takes the opportunity to be someone else entirely. And what starts out as a game leads Verbie into a surprising and heartwarming journey of self-discovery.
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"Verbena has a troubled life. Her parents are an embarrassment, friends are scarce. When she stumbles upon a life-changing secret, she thinks she is permanently doomed. A new neighbor moves into the house of a girl who died, however, creating the opportunity for Verbena to make a new image for herself."
— Kim (4 out of 5 stars)
As Simple as It Seems Listener Reviews
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" There will be plenty of kids who could relate to Verbena. She doesn't like who she is or her background and wants to change herself. When the new kid moves in next door that is her chance to do just that. Overall a nice story, Weeks does have a way with writing to allow readers to feel Verbena's frustration. I wasn't too fond of the ending, but still a good one to recommend to older elementary kids. "
— Jess, 2/18/2014 -
" A heartwarming book of growing up, friendship and adventure. Verbena and Pooch are adorable. "
— Marjorie, 1/29/2014 -
" sometimes you have to break out of your shell to move forward "
— Maya, 1/28/2014 -
" we read it as a class. Because part of my grade depended on it, I forced my way through the beginning,but then the end was really good. "
— Matt, 1/23/2014 -
" lol so far it is a great book.Favorite book for this week.That is how much i liked it "
— Lalala*Saredo*, 1/21/2014 -
" Strange story yet very much like me as a child. It might be a great window for convesation with a youth who seems to need to 'change' every aspect of life, resulting in the constant lie-ing. Story comes out fine, so great discussion. "
— Sharie, 1/18/2014 -
" This is the first book I've ever read told from the point of view of a child with FAS, but the voice didn't ring true. The voice was an adult female - not that of a child. It just seemed forced. The tense of the book seemed to shift as well. While the story seemed to be told in present time, Verbena often seemed to talk of the experience as looking at it from an adult's point of view. I didn't really like or care about any of the characters. "
— Catherine, 1/13/2014 -
" A quiet yet strong book that fans of May Amelia and Ida B will enjoy. "
— Kellee, 1/3/2014 -
" A great story about what it feels like to grow up. A bit predictable, but probably moreso with all of the foreshadowing added by the author. I will definitely recommend to the ten year old girls in my library. "
— Jen, 12/22/2013 -
" A very sweet coming of age book-friendship, mother/daughter relationship/fetal alcohol syndrome. "
— Laura, 12/3/2013 -
" Beautifully written book with well drawn characters. I think young children will readily identify with Verbena and her struggle to come to terms with her changing emotions. "
— Katrina, 11/30/2013 -
" Huge fan of everything Sarah Weeks. If you loved So B. It, you'll love this. "
— Hoover, 10/16/2013 -
" Great for tween girls freaked out by the early stages of puberty and all the mood swings "
— Holly, 7/24/2013 -
" touches on some hard topics - fetal alcohol syndrome, which the main character, Verbina (such a great character name!) has, adolescent changes, adoption fears... all in a way that's not too overwhelming or deep for the intended audience. "
— Jess, 4/10/2013 -
" Amazing story. So cute and sad. It had me on the edge at some points. I loved it! "
— Me, 12/12/2012 -
" Read this in two hours on the plane. A quick, fun read. "
— Letty, 12/10/2012 -
" I would give it 3.5 stars. It was a coming of age book. "
— Marianne, 10/26/2012 -
" I think So B. It will always be my favorite, but this was a good book, too. "
— Janet, 10/9/2012 -
" It was a really good book "
— Katie, 8/31/2012 -
" Verbena discovers that her biological parents are not the people who raised her. Between that and losing her best friend, she has a really difficult time. A new boy moves nearby and Verbena keeps on making choices that she wishes she hadn't. "
— Toni, 8/18/2012 -
" I enjoyed Verbie but didn't see anything that indicated that she was mentally or truly physically impaired as a result of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Mainly, she seemed to be experiencing normal growing up angst. She is tranforming from a kid to a teenager. Her emotions were on target. "
— Karol, 5/24/2012 -
" This book is okay. Its is Verbena looking back on the summer of fifth and sixth grade. "
— Maria, 4/12/2012 -
" Good book about all the things middle age students have to work through in life; and a few extra problems. "
— Colleen, 1/21/2012 -
" It is a good book because it has a lot of feelings "
— Ellery, 11/25/2011 -
" good. much different than I thought it would be "
— Rachel, 9/1/2011 -
" Great Book 'thumbs up' :D "
— Sarah, 7/1/2011 -
" This was an excellent story about mothers and daughters and about friendship.I have to admit I got all choked up at the end. It was worthy of a tissue or two. "
— A., 6/16/2011 -
" Slow to start and it seemed loaded with issues in a way that Weeks's books usually aren't. Rather, her books are chock full of issues that are seamlessly integrated. Lots of exposition in this one. "
— Alexa, 4/2/2011 -
" A quick read and a nice story. Verbena discovers she has FAS and is fearful she may become like other family members who made poor choices. The story takes place during the summer between 5th and 6th grade for Verbena. She realizes she doesn't always have to be perfect to be true to herself. "
— Linda, 3/18/2011 -
" Easy to read & follow the events. Good life lesson about growing up and finding out who you are. "
— Krystal, 3/18/2011 -
" A great story about what it feels like to grow up. A bit predictable, but probably moreso with all of the foreshadowing added by the author. I will definitely recommend to the ten year old girls in my library. "
— Jen, 2/19/2011 -
" Realistic fiction novel about a girl born with fetal alcohol syndrome. This is the story of a girl going through growing pains as she finds out about her parents' history and tries to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. "
— Crystal, 2/12/2011 -
" A great plot and great characters. Loved how life and death played a part in the story. "
— Mary, 2/3/2011 -
" Huge fan of everything Sarah Weeks. If you loved So B. It, you'll love this. "
— Hoover, 12/20/2010 -
" Another sweet story by Sarah Weeks, nicely dealing with disabilities. "
— Lee, 12/16/2010
About Sarah Weeks
Sarah Weeks is an author, singer, and songwriter. Her many books for young readers include the My First I Can Read Book Splish, Splash!, illustrated by Ashley Wolff, and the I Can Read Books Mac and Cheese, Baa-Choo!, Pip Squeak, and Drip, Drop, all illustrated by Jane Manning. She lives in upstate New York.