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A Girl Named Zippy Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of A Girl Named Zippy


It's a clich to say that a good memoir reads like a well-crafted work of fiction, but Kimmel's smooth, impeccably humorous prose evokes her childhood as vividly as any novel. Born in 1965, she grew up in Mooreland Indiana, a place that by some mysterious and powerful mathematical prinicple retains a population of 300, a place where there's no point learning the street names because it's just as easy to say, "We live at the four-way stop sign."
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Hers is less a formal autobiography than a collection of vignettes comprising the things a small child would remember; sick birds, a new bike, reading comics at the drugstore, the mean old lady down the street. The truths of childhood are rendered in lush yet simple prose; here's Zippy describing a friend who hates wearing girls' clothes: "Julie in a dress was like the rest of us in quicksand." Over and over we encounter pearls of third-grade wisdom revealed in a child's assured voice. "There are a finite number of times one can safely climb the same tree in a single day".

Everyone who reads this, will recognize some aspect of their childhood.
The review of this Book prepared by Boppy



Chapter Analysis of A Girl Named Zippy

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Plot & Themes

Kids growing up/acting up?    -   Yes Kids:    -   general coming of age story Ethnic/Relig. of subject (inside)    -   American (midwest) Ethnic/regional/gender    -   Yes Period of greatest activity?    -   1950+

Subject of Biography

Gender    -   Female Profession/status:    -   student Ethnicity    -   White Nationality    -   American

Setting

How much descriptions of surroundings?    -   7 () United States    -   Yes The US:    -   Pacific NW Small town?    -   Yes Small town people:    -   nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee Century:    -   1960's-1970's

Writing Style

Book makes you feel?    -   very happy    -   like laughing If this is a kid's book:    -   Age 14-16 Pictures/Illustrations?    -   More 6-10 B&W How much dialogue in bio?    -   significantly more descript than dialog How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?    -   26-50% of book

Books with storylines, themes & endings like A Girl Named Zippy

Haven Kimmel Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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