Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Please Ignore Vera Dietz

By: A.S. King

King, A. S., & Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (2010). Please ignore Vera Dietz. New York: Alfred A. Knopf

Summary and Response:
This novel is a great read for any student who might be experiencing troubles at home or has a friend that is headed down the wrong track. Vera and Charlie have lived next door to each other for their entire lives and have developed a strong kinship. Vera is being raised by only her father and is often stifled by him and his desire for Vera to mature early and quickly. Charlie lives with both his parents but must endure his fathers verbal and physical abuse on both him and his mother. As Vera and Charlie head into the end of their high school years Charlie heads down the wrong path and ends up dating an extremely troubled girl, Jenny. Charlie gets caught up in this type of life and shuts Vera out. The story is told after Charlie has died and Vera knows the secret circling his death and the pet store fire. Vera "sees" Charlie everywhere and over the course of the novel she comes to terms with her friend, his death, and making the wrong semi right.