Mass Market Paperback
176 pages - first edition 1998
Published by Federal Publications
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish
ISBN: 981012399X
Read an excerpt
From the Back Cover
Allie knows something is wrong with her parents. Dad hasn't been home in a week and Mom keeps locking herself in the bedroom to cry. How can this be happening to her family? She knows her parents love her and her four-year-old brother Nat, so how come they've stopped loving each other? Desperate, Allie starts inventing clever plans to get her parents back together. But she has to act fast. Dad is already looking for an apartment and Nat, believing Mom and Dad are going to abandon him, has started acting crazy.
Can Allie save her family in time?
Synopsis
The biggest problems 14-year-old Allie has are her pesky brother, Nat, and trying to get that cute boy in school to notice her. But her world falls apart when Dad walks out of the house early one Sunday morning without saying goodbye. Mom claims that he is away on business, but Allie knows something is wrong: Her friends claim they've seen him with another woman; Allie herself finds her parents' wedding photo torn to shreds; and Mom spends a lot of time locked away in her bedroom, crying. Allie suspects her parents are getting a divorce.
Desperate to get them back together, Allie hatches several plots to lure Dad home. She tries to make Nat sick and when that fails, makes herself sick instead. But nothing works and things get worse when Dad rents an apartment for himself. Allie fears he may not love her anymore or worse, that she and Nat are the reason for his leaving. Or is it because he and Mom hate each other so much? Finding the answers isn't easy especially when Mom and Dad aren't even sure of how they feel. Allie has to face the prospect that her family may break up. How will she survive this? And will she ever be happy again?
Reader Comments
I picked up the book with some skepticism, having read YA books by other Singapore authors. 'Walking the Balloon' came as a pleasant surprise, a welcome change from the fatuous drivel sadly common on Singapore's fiction scene. Sensitive without becoming mawkish, sympathetic without being patronising, the book poignantly brings out the complex feelings and thoughts of Allison as she confronts the reality of her parents' separation. Authentic language and delightful humour add to this flavoursome, touching story. - TYL
Dear Amos, I am Primary 1 and I can read your book. I really like your book. Please let me know how many books you have written. Where do you write all your books? You have creative thinking. I like you. - Your faithful reader, Wong Kai Bin
