Rits
Mariken Jongman
Translated by Wanda Boeke
Ages: 11–14
Grades: 6–9
Pages: 192
Mariken Jongman
Translated by Wanda Boeke
Ages: 11–14
Grades: 6–9
Pages: 192
A charming and highly comic debut novel about learning to overcome obstacles.
Thirteen-year-old Rits has been left in the lurch by his parents. His mother has entered an institution, and his father is traveling with his new girlfriend. Dumped with his couchpotato bachelor uncle, there is nothing for Rits to do but write in his diary, dream up films he can make with his video camera, and worry. He worries especially about how to keep his parents’ whereabouts secret and how to diagnose his strange pains. Rits meets Rita, a girl his own age, who says she can help him make films, which leads to Rits getting a job as a wedding cameraman. He also worries about what will happen when his father comes home. Will Rits have to live with him and his new girlfriend? What happens if his mother hasn’t finished “resting" in time? Written in diary form, this is a story about growing up, about overcoming emotional problems, and about coping with parental breakup.Honors
CCBC Choices
Reviews
“Boeke's smooth translation combines with Rits's vulnerability and lovable voice to allow this fictional journal to transcend cultures. ...[T]he boy's honest and often amusing depictions of his feelings and observations will leave readers smiling.”
—Kirkus Reviews
—Kirkus Reviews
“This first novel, translated from the Dutch, takes the form of a diary, and though the format is too often exploited to keep plot details from the reader (Rits gets hand cramps at a number of convenient times), his voice transcends the awkwardness with its utter believability, making for a quietly funny and heartfelt story.”
—Booklist
—Booklist
“[T]hose with a personal stake in surviving a parental breakup or breakdown will certainly empathize with the stomach pains and “sagging brain” that can accompany children’s powerlessness in such situations. Those in need of targeted bibliotherapy might benefit from one boy’s determination to deal with challenges.”
—School Library Journal
—School Library Journal
“Teens will relate to and find joy in the astute observations Rits makes about his world. This well-paced narrative will appeal to many readers, and the short length and snappy vocabulary add to the overall accessibility.”
—Voice of Youth Advocates
—Voice of Youth Advocates
“[B]ecause of Rits’s matter-of-fact sturdiness and sense of humor, it is funny, buoyant, and moving.”
—Horn Book
—Horn Book
“Jongman, Mariken Rits 2008. 192pp. $17.95 he. Front Street (Boyds Mills Press). 978-1-59078-545-4. Grades 7-9 Â Readers may be perplexed by the setting in this translation from the Dutch by Wanda J. Boeke because while the names are atypical for American readers, there is no description of place which may be disconcerting. 13-year-old Maurits (Rits), abandoned by both father who is vacationing with someone new, and mother who is in a mental institution, writes about living with his dysfunctional Uncle Corry in the journal his parents left him. Rits is in an uncomfortable position, with little care other than the support of some new friends, until he gently forces his uncle to step up. The ending is abrupt but tidy, with Rits moving in with his dad and girlfriend, but with an obvious enduring attachment to Uncle Corry. Additional Selection. Debra Ennen, Media Specialist, Maple River Schools, Mapleton, Minnesota”
—Library Media Connection
—Library Media Connection
about the author
