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The mum trap ISBN: 9780862649333
Symes, Ruth
Published by Andersen Press, 2000
On page two we learn that Gem, aged 10, uses an electric wheelchair. Except for the odd mention thereafter, and a brief explanation that there was a car accident in which mum was killed and Gem injured, very little is made of this fact. The story is told from sister Anna's (13) perspective. Both girls are desperate for a new mum, and the story involves their efforts to get one, first by putting an advert in the paper. Dad comes over as very likeable and believable, and while he goes along with the girls and contacts the four women who answer the advert, it is obvious that this is not going to be the solution. He is a perfectly adequate single parent, and one doesn't really feel that a new mum is necesssary, except that Anna has a growing interest in boys and hair styles and needs someone to talk to. Of course, a prospective mum does turn up, a very nice one. Lots of humour, including Anna's efforts to get a boy to take her to the disco, and Gem makes an excellent role model.
Age: 10+