A young girl finds out that the people that raised her are actually her adoptive parents. When Verbena finds out that her biological father is in jail, and that her mother was an alcoholic, she begins to lash out at the people who love her, because she is afraid she has inherited meanness from her father and can’t change it.Sometimes reading through Verbena’s arguments with her mom was difficult. Verbena is really angry and says some pretty harsh things. Her friendship with the neighbor boy Pooc...

I love this book, because it talks about the struggle of Verbena finding herself after she found out she was adopted. I would recommend this book to sixth graders, because it's an easy book to read.

This was good, but not as good as some of Weeks' other works. Based on the description, I was hoping for something complex and moving like So B. It, but this one reads more like a light version--not as sugary sweet as Pie or Honey, but not as emotional as So B. It. I like Verbena and her kooky parents and her kind-of-friend Pooch, but I just never felt really engaged in the story. Verbena's mysterious background is revealed without a lot of energy or reaction, and her bratty attitude is a turn o...

My independent reading book was "As Simple as it Seems" by Sarah Weeks. "As Simple as it Seems" is a free-willing energetic tale that many others would enjoy reading.Verbie had a mean father and was affected by alcohal birth defects when she was born. All she wanted was to be anybody but her self which she feels she can do when a boy named Pooch comes her way. What started out as a fun game as an effort to make Verbie's life a little more interesting. The she attempts this is different and has a...

I chose this book because my friend recommended it to me, she said that it is an amazing book that I would like, so I decided to read it. My first impression on this book was great, from the first chapter the book was really interesting, I was reading it every single day. The plot of this book was about a girl named Verbena that goes through a very hard time in her life. She finds out that she was adopted and that her real mother had left her since the moment she was born, and also that she was

My first impression of this book was that it was great. This book is about a twelve year old girl named Verbena. She loves her life in the beginning of the book but as you read farther her life becomes more difficult. She finds out her best friend doesn’t want her anymore, she also finds out that her parents are not her real parents. Her whole life began to spiral downward until she met a boy named Pooch. He taught her that no matter how hard life gets to never give up on yourself. I recommend t...

I really enjoyed As Simple As It Seems. It was one of those realistic fiction books that had a really good plot that wasn't too out-of-the-ordinary. It was filled with so many good lessons. I also loved how every little extra detail added to the story and occasionally was a big part of the storyline. This book was one that was hard to put down. The characters were so lovable, from Verbena and Pooch all the way down to their loyal dog, Jack. As Simple As It Seems is one beautiful novel that won't...

For the most part I liked this book, I mean I couldn’t expect too much to happen in 180 pages but for what it was, the plot was interesting and wasn’t exactly what I expected. The only thing was that, at times being in Verbenas perspective could be slightly frustrating but I knew that she had a distinct flaw in her character for a reason, so I didn’t let it affect me too much while reading. Overall though it was not a bad story, I actually found it to be very unique which I can always appreciate...

My book is called As Simple as it Seems by Sarah Weeks. The lexile value of this fiction book is 910. This book is about a girl named Verbena Colter. She loves is a town called Clydesdale with her mom and dad. One day she finds a letter in her mother’s coat pocket. She asked her mother what the letter was about and long story short she finds out that she was adopted. Then new neighbors moved by them. One day Verbena was at Boners Lake and while she was there the new neighbor, Pooch went down th

Library Audiobook...read by Rachel Gray ( the sweetest child’s voice) ... only 3 hours long.My friend Stacy told me I have great book Karma. It’s true - I’m blessed in finding parking spots and great books landing in my hands. I have no idea how I found this book.........but it’s soooo sweet - and tender. I learned this book is aimed for middle school children. AGREE!!! Yet... any mother will have a soft spot in their heart for this story. I doubt young girls could pull away from this book.I und...

This book was good but it wasn’t my favorite

Read this in two hours on the plane. A quick, fun read.

Set in Sullivan County, New York (not far from where I grew up), As Simple As It Seems is the story of a young girl named Verbena, who, after years in the dark about her true identity, learns she is adopted, and that her biological mother drank during pregnancy, and her biological dad is in prison for murder. This information changes the way Verbena sees herself, and she begins to suspect that she has inherited the ugliness of her parents' dark sides. As she comes to terms with the new informati...

I am a huge fan of Sarah Weeks and while I did enjoy this story I was left wanting more! It is a very short story (I read it in less than two hours) and it has great thematic elements and an interesting story line. It just ended too soon! I just know there is more to this story. It is a great transition book for those kids who are moving out of the elementary style chapter books and moving into the deeper emotional pull of middle school stories without adult themes. A true transitional book.

When Verbie learns the truth about her birth parents she becomes afraid that her problems will cause her to lose the only family she has. As she comes to terms with who she is and what it means to be imperfect and yet loved, she befriends Pooch, who has arrived in Clydesdale for the summer along with his mother. I got a bit of a kick out of Pooch, who reminds of a bit of Truman Capote, or perhaps as Harper Lee described Truman as the character Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird. This was a sweet litt...

too much internal suffering for one small girl without consequences for the things that were genuinely her fault or anyone actually trying to intervene. I remember liking this a lot more the last time I read it.

In “ As simple as it seems” by Sarah Weeks, follows the character, Verbena who is consistent with her weaknesses until she discovers herself, leading to her strengths. When Verbena finds out she is adopted, she says “ I could hear my mother’s voice, but I wasn't listening to the words anymore. No wonder i'd been feeling so mixed up and mean inside. Mike Colter was bad news, trouble from the get-go warped, and it was his good-for-nothing blood that was running through my veins.” (Weeks, 20).This

As Simple as It Seems is an emotional and heartwarming novel that will bring you through a child’s uneasy life. The author is Sarah Weeks writes many award winning children and teen novels. This was the first novel that I had read of hers. Although, I have heard of many of her other books such as Pie and So B. It. As Simple as It Seems is about an eleven year old girl named Verbena Colter who has the typical teenage attitude. From a young age Verbena knew she was different with her stunt growth,...

Great for tween girls freaked out by the early stages of puberty and all the mood swings

My book is called As simple as it seems, Verbena Colter lives with her mom and dad, who both love her. She has been best friends with Annie since kindergarten, and they have a blast doing anything and everything together. Except for being short for her age, needing to wear glasses, and having had a lot of trouble reading, Verbena is usually happy. Annie begins hanging out with the popular girl, slowly drifting away from Verbena. Verbena feels lost without her friend. She then uncovers an old fa