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When Dad Killed Mom Audiobook
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(3.04) - 518 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Siblings Jenna and Jeremy have known for a long time that their parents don't get along. They find out just how bad it is when they are pulled out of class and told their father just shot and killed their mother. Jenna was always her father's favorite, while Jeremy was his mother's. Now a painful silence has fallen between them. They have trouble agreeing on just about everything at a time when they need each other more than ever. Where are they going to live? Who is going to take care of them? Can they have a relationship with their imprisoned father? Author Julius Lester handles difficult topics with grace and sensitivity. His To Be a Slave was a Newbery Honor Book and a New York Times Book of the Year. Uncompromisingly honest, When Dad Killed Mom is sometimes painful, and perhaps Lester's most moving novel. The emotional depth is enhanced by a skilled dual narration.
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"Imagine one day you are in class then you get called into the office thinking that you might just be in your own trouble then find out that your dad had shot your mom. Well, that's exactly what happened to the Jenna and Jeremy in this book. When Jenna and Jeremy's dad shoots and kills their mom, their lives are profoundly affected beyond just the loss of their mother. As their father sits in jail awaiting trial, Jenna, who was their dad's favorite, and Jeremy, who was their mother's fave, find themselves at odds and unable to agree on anything. Pieces of the puzzle that was their parents' relationship reveal themselves through Rachel's diary that Jeremy finds in her studio, and conversations that Jenna has with Karen, Rachel's best friend. At the trial all is revealed when Jeremy accuses his father of lying and brings out his mother's diary. A deeper story of the sensational title lies more within the book. Descriptions of emotional issues and differing perspectives make for a solid treatment of a tragic situation.I think that this book was immensily violent and emotional, and I don't think that it should really be a book that teens should read. The sequence of even are very well written by Julius Lester and they're very attention catching, once i read the book i could barely put it down. The way the author describes how the events happen in the book is very well written as well, and it's almost as if its really. The events in the book are events that could really happen in real life, in just any ordinary person's life and that's what's scary about reading this book. Reading this book made me really open my eyes to what's out here in life. The secrets that the teen hide in the book, makes the reader also want to keep reading because it's what makes the story more intense.I wouldn't reccommend this book to anyone my age, maybe someone in college because everything in this book is way too much for someone my age to handle. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about domestic violent and anyone who likes to read books who have dynamic characters."
— Alyanna (4 out of 5 stars)
When Dad Killed Mom Listener Reviews
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" I was quite little when I read this (probably shouldn't have stole it from my older sister!), so a lot of the stuff horrified me. I didn't understand most of what I was reading, to be honest. But I still loved the book. Even at that age. So when I got older, I decided to re-read it, to see if it indeed was a good book. My younger-self was not wrong. It is a great book! It's one of those books that you just want to read over and over again! Sadly, I don't actually own the book otherwise, I think I'd read it every day! I loved the relationships each child had with their parents. Jenna and Jeremy were so different, but towards the end, became somewhat similar. This story is such a good one, I recommend you read it! Just not when you're only 10 years old! "
— Abbie, 2/12/2014 -
" dont let you dad kill your mom lol but its a good book i love it lol "
— Nicole, 2/6/2014 -
" SO FAR THE BOOK IS REALLY GOOD IT TALKS ABOUT THE STRUGGLE OF THE TWO KIDS WHO ARE FORCED TO DEAL EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN PUT ON THEM SUCH AS THEIR DAD IN JAIL AND THEIR MOM IS DEAD BOTH KIDS HAVE A WAY DIFFERENT LOOK ON IT. "
— JeAnAi, 1/26/2014 -
" Thiss was a really good book!(: "
— Alexis, 1/23/2014 -
" Jeremy and Jenna struggle to come to terms with the fact that their father shot their mother. Powerful, emotional and yet simple. A very good book. "
— Book, 1/16/2014 -
" This is about two kids that are having a rough times since that the Dad killed the Mom. It's damn good!This is a great book. BE SURE TO READ AT AGE 12 OR UP!!!!!!!! IT'S GOOD!!!!!!! "
— FangFang, 1/16/2014 -
" this book is very good and what i learned is that you don know what you have until its gone then you think about it but its not there anymore "
— Briar, 1/12/2014 -
" This book was wierd, it goes straight into "kids your mom is dead" and then its a whole second chapter about how the girl wants to be a vagina painting artist lolol "
— Elocin, 1/10/2014 -
" A good book for middle/high school readers. It's a high interest story told in the voices of two compelling kids. A very positive message as these kids wrestle with an incredibly difficult and painful situation. "
— Brielle, 12/27/2013 -
" Jenna(dad's side) and Jeremy(mom's side0 tell their story of what happened after their dad killed their mom. This was a bad thing in their lifes but it brought them close and learned things from each other, things that would never had happen if their tragedy hadn;y happened "
— Maria, 12/19/2013 -
" not very age thing i dont think kids under 11 shoud read it "
— Mahaleyturner, 12/11/2013 -
" I've stumbled onto a new author. An author who tackles difficult themes. This one created strong voices for the two teenage characters. A bit simplistic, but that's sometimes why I like children's books - they are simple and to the point and therefore short. "
— Mary, 12/10/2013 -
" I was a little skeptical reading When Dad Killed Mom. Man of color writing as two white children. "
— Divine-Asia, 12/9/2013 -
" Definate page turner. The storyline reads exactly as the title. I loved it, but I wouldn't really want my students to read it, even though I purchased it in the young adult section. There are some very mature themes in this book in addition to murder. "
— Amanda, 12/7/2013 -
" I THINK IT WAS A GOOD BOOK NOT THE BEST BOOK "
— Mahaleyturner, 11/12/2013 -
" This is a young adult book that has that interest level, but has very harsh language. It is an interesting premise, but I didn't find the voices of the 12 and 14 year olds believable. I was disappointed in it, but it did keep me awake on some long drives. Audiobok "
— Anita, 9/14/2013 -
" This book was so realistic, I felt like I was really in the court room! It was a bummer to have it end! "
— Sami, 8/15/2013 -
" I just loaned this book to a 10th grade girl and she LOVED IT. She said she could not stop crying... "
— Paula, 7/29/2013 -
" I expected this to be much better written than it was, given the status of the author (Newbery and Coretta Scott King Award winner). The characters didn't act believably, nor did they say things I though teenagers would say. Neal Shusterman's What Daddy Did was much better. "
— Krista, 4/26/2013 -
" So far its ver goood in detail...It defenately grabbs my attention! "
— Estefania, 2/28/2013 -
" An interesting take on the grieving processes of children, how they differ, and whose side the sister and brother take. "
— Brittany, 2/15/2013 -
" I don't remember a whole lot about this one, but I do remember that I liked it, and I have a vague idea of a scene from it. "
— elissa, 2/12/2013
About Julius Lester
Julius Lester is the Newbery Honor–winning author of more than twenty books for young readers. He lives in western Massachusetts.
About the Narrators
Carine Montbertrand is an award-winning narrator of dozens of audiobooks. When she first started working in the 1990s, she sounded younger than her years and specialized in children’s and young adult titles. Since then she has expanded to fiction for adults and has recorded everything from murder mysteries to fantasy and inspirational titles. She is adept with dialects and accents, voicing characters from countries around the world. She also specializes in English language titles with a French flavor, as she is half French. With her audiobooks, she has the opportunity to tell wonderful stories while finding voices for men, women, children, and sometimes ghosts and extraterrestrials.
Jeff Woodman is an actor and narrator. He is a winner of the prestigious Audie Award and a six-time finalist. He has received twenty Earphones Awards and was named the 2008 Best Voice in Fiction & Classics, as well as one of the Fifty Greatest Voices of the Century by AudioFile magazine. As an actor, he originated the title role in Tennessee Williams’ The Notebook of Trigorin and won the S. F. Critics’ Circle Award for his performance in An Ideal Husband. In addition to numerous theater credits on and off Broadway, his television work includes Sex and the City, Law & Order, and Cosby.