Pity Party

Name: Pity Party
Brand: Hachette Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Kathleen Lane
ISBN: 9781549187384

Author: Kathleen Lane

Narrator: Taylor Meskimen, Kamali Minter, Tessa Netting, Scott Takeda

Unabridged: 2 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Published: 01/19/2021

Categories: Children's Fiction, Children's Social Themes, Bullying

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

Discover an "absurd, funny, and thought-provoking" book perfect for "anyone who has ever felt socially awkward or inadequate" (Louis Sachar, author of Holes and the Wayside School series).
Dear weird toes, crooked nose, stressed out, left out, freaked out

Dear missing parts, broken hearts, picked-on, passed up, misunderstood,

Dear everyone, you are cordially invited, come as you are, this party's for you

Welcome to Pity Party, where the social anxieties that plague us all are twisted into funny, deeply resonant, and ultimately reassuring psychological thrills.

There's a story about a mood ring that tells the absolute truth. One about social media followers who literally follow you around. And one about a kid whose wish for a new, improved self is answered when a mysterious box arrives in the mail. There's also a personality test, a fortune teller, a letter from the Department of Insecurity, and an interactive Choose Your Own Catastrophe.

Come to the party for a grab bag of delightfully dark stories that ultimately offers a life-affirming reminder that there is hope and humor to be found amid our misery.

Reviews

Goodreads review by DaNae on March 09, 2021

This was either genius or tedious. A couple of the vignettes toward the end were glorious. I am not sure if the target audience is self-aware enough to read into the parable nature of the stories.......more

Goodreads review by Abby on January 28, 2021

Really unique and fun! Reminds me of Wayside School for current times.......more

Goodreads review by Theresa on June 28, 2021

I absolutely LOVED this book!! Unique, extremely clever and definitely funny... like laugh-out-loud funny. I really needed this book at the moment. I am very curious what students will think of this one. Upper elementary, middle school, even high school students should enjoy this. This was a breath......more

Goodreads review by Sharon Rose on February 23, 2021

This is a weird one. It is a really quick read that is almost experimental, with short stories in the form of ads, Choose your Own Adventures, quizzes and little surreal episodes in kids lives. I think in the right hands this book could absolutely help a kid feel less alone, and help them see a litt......more

Goodreads review by Abbie on July 30, 2021

So...some parts I loved, and some parts were tedious. Honestly, this is a short book, and I was ready to be finished before the end. I definitely think this is a great resource to have available in any library that serves middle and high school students, but I don't know that it works well for gener......more

Quotes

Praise for Pity Party

"In this collection of absurd, funny, and thought- provoking stories, Kathleen Lane shows genuine compassion and empathy for her characters, and even more importantly, for the reader. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt socially awkward or inadequate - well, to everyone."—Louis Sachar, Author of Holes, and the Wayside School series.

"Few authors have ever put their fingers on the surreal pulse of the experience of middle school as effectively as Kathleen Lane. Listen to me, readers, this peculiar and downright delightful little book is a veritable lifeline. Grasp it tight."—Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal