The Girl With The Crazy Brother By: Betty Hyland Dana McAllister has just moved all the way across the country from Boston to California. The new house was different, the town was different, even the tress were different. Most of all though her older brother, Bill, was different. Bill used to be the popular, over-achieving, all-star jock. Now, heading into his senior year he is withdrawn, quiet, troubled, and unmotivated to send in college applications or join any sports. On the other hand Dana starts adjusting to the new school better than she thought she would. She meets new friends, and fits in with the "in" crowd. She thought things were looking up but her worries about Bill only get worse. Bill tells her that he sees B-I-L-L spelled out in the sky, he hears voices, and he eats oranges so he won’t turn blue. Then things get way out of control when one night he goes crazy. He yells out ‘HELP!” as the hospital attendants carry him away. Heartbroken and confused, Dana doesn’t know what to do. How would people treat someone who whose brother was diagnosed as a schizophrenic?

Ian: An amateur photographer who took pictures of weirdoes for his scrapbook of “California characters.” Things start out well between the two of them, and then they take a wrong turn when he takes embarrassing pictures of her brother, when he is hallucinating. He turns things around though when he helps Dana look for her lost brother and he shows that he really is a good person, so good that Dana becomes his girlfriend. Sheila: She could be good-looking if she weren’t always such a mess. Dana comes to find a lot of trust in Sheila. Dana’s friends become nosey and rude when they ask personal questions about Dana’s weird brother, and Sheila stands up for her. Dana is grateful for this, but also surprised. Eric: The blue-eyed, suntanned surfer whose brilliant smile sent shivers of pleasure up Dana’s back. She shows great interest in him and even develops a crush, which quickly turns into a hate. He starts mocking her brother, Bill, when he shows up at the school. Ruby (from Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen): Ruby is a character whose mother abandoned her and is forced to move from her mediocre, poor town to a rich well- to-do neighborhood. Things are kind of weird for her. Dana and Ruby find they have a lot in common. FRIENDS

HOBBIES Dana becomes part of the dance committee; they plan the theme for the weekly dance at the school every Friday. She likes to run a lot, but most of her time is consumed by the adjusting lifestyle due to her ill brother. She and her brother were involved with each other and did stuff together like chess and music but that all changed. “We were meant to live for so much more” In this book her brother had so much potential for an all- star champion life and was supposed to go so far and live for so much but his illness ruins his life and he loses it all. “What hurts the most” Dana wanted to do and say so much to Bill but she won’t be able to get the chance because he’s so crazy. “You raise me up” Bill used to be the one to raise Dana up and make her feel better now she has other things and people that raise her up to stay strong through Bill’s Illness. “Sometimes goodbye is a second chance” This song says that Dana has to say goodbye to her old life and that things will never be the same so maybe the new life is a second chance at things. “Wake me up inside” Dana has kind of been in a blur with everything happening so fast and she’s realizing reality and her friends are bringing her back to life. FAVORITE SONGS

EDUCATION Dana Like more of the social part of school more the academic work part. She’s ok at school doesn’t exceed or anything but gets by with average grades. Then when Bill becomes ill it changes a lot of things and that’s all she’s concentrated on. “What did I think of the book?” I really, honestly loved this book! I would recommend to anyone! It brings you on such an emotional rollercoaster and it’s hard to put it down. I think about this book all the time and what a wonderful person the character of Dana McAllister is. What Bill is to his sister, and what the character of Dana McAllister is to me.