I didn't enjoy this book at all. It is the story of a very short girl whose mother is suffering from some kind of mental illness - schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, I'd say. They move a lot, she has a sister she loves who runs away, other things kind of happen but they are so forgettable that even though I finished the book last night, I don't remember what they were. The ending was absolutely terrible and all I could think was that this is absolutely not how mental illness works. ( )

Readable coming of age novel about a teen with a mother who struggles with mental illness. The novel focuses on the idea of of fear culture ("stranger danger") in the media. The book reads like a YA novel in both content, form, and style. ( )

I've tried to read these book on several different occasions, and I just can not get interested in it. I am going to pass it on to someone else who might enjoy it.

Navigating the landscape of junior high is difficult enough for loner Adie, but her mother's psychiatric issues only magnify her sense of alienation and unhappiness. With her mother's history of psychiatric hospitalization Adie battles the stigma of having a "crazy" mother. Adie's mother suffers from paranoia, particularly with regard to illicit drugs. As the 1980s War on Drugs infiltrates the media, this brings Adie's mother to the brink of crisis. She moves the family frequently to avoid the dangers of drugs, and scrutinizes her daughters' behavior, presuming that every little scratch is a track mark. The situations escalates to the point where Adie's sister, Miriam, leaves home, and her mother, Mindy, goes on the run with Adie, trying to outrace the violent drug dealers who she is convinced are following them.

In Adie Schlossberg has crafted an intriguing character. Adie is desperate for her mother's attention, which is occupied by obsessions. I loved Adie's habit of observing the peculiarities of adult speech; that transported me back to my own childhood. I found the book's ending difficult to believe, but it did provide a compassionate portrayal of the effects of a parent's mental illness on a child. ( )

I was first attracted to Life in Miniature because a friend posted a review of the novel on facebook (she is an old friend of the author and had recently reconnected to her through facebook). I was instantly intrigued as I knew my friend always has interesting literature choice and was then thrilled to receive the book through Early Reviewers. Though Life in Miniature starts a bit slowly, Schlossberg's three women, Adie, Miriam and their mother Mindy are fascinating-each comes with her own set of idiosyncrasies that are more interesting than the next. She sets Life in Just Say No early 80s, which also plays heavily into Mindy's mental illness, and is fascinating for any Generation Xer reading the novel. I can't wait to discuss the novel with my contemporaries!