I absolutely loved this book. It drew me in even before the first chapter was over!!

I found this book in a book sale at a bank. I have to admit, i pulled it for the color.. but after the first sentence.. i loved it and i could not put it down. I have had friends who lived on east hastings in vancouver.. and the streets of victoria.. and the stories i have heard, this is so to the truth, that one of my friends started crying and had to put the book down. it makes you look twice at a street child, and instead of looking down at them... it makes you feel empathy.

this is an amazing book....

Lullabies for Little Criminals / Heather O'Neill
4 stars

Baby is 11-13 years old during the events in the book, and her dad, Jules, has raised her since her mom died when she was 16 (both her parents were 15 when Baby was born). Although Jules does seem to love Baby, and they have fun together, he does a lot of drugs, so there are times when Baby is moved into foster care. She's a smart girl and she tries to be good, but as she gets older, she manages to get into more and more scrapes, including befriending a local pimp.

This was really good. It's sad (but easy) to see how a good kid could get into trouble, with a neglectful parent who is more concerned about himself and getting high. You could see Baby trying to be good, and wanting to do normal "kid" stuff, but at the same time, she's pulled into an adult world. Very good book.

Fascinating read from cover to cover about a year in the life of a teenage girl growing up on the rough streets of Montreal. She is raised by her well meaning but negligent father, who is barely grown up himself. I was left wondering from chapter to chapter how and if this girl would pull herself out of her miserable life an was pleased by the positive outcome.

I disliked this book, a lot! I had to read it as an ISU book for grade 11, and to tell you the truth I just couldn't get into it. I think it was because, I read so many books like this before, that it didn't catch my interest. At times it had its moments but only for a couple of pages. Even though I didn't enjoythe book, the book did have a meaningful message. It was about a 13 year old girl, who gets into prositution. Every since Baby (the main chracter/the girl) was born she has lived a hard life/ a different life from others. Her farther was a heroin addict and she didn't have a mother. She has been in many foster homes and she has met a lot of people to come in and out of her life. The setting for this novel was in montreal/quebec, so hit close to home. It made me realize that prositution and children who live lives unusual from others happen everywhere and not only in places like the Bronxs and the ghetto. Overall the book had a good meaning, but it was boring.

Lullabies by Little Criminals is a debut novel by Canadian author Heather O'Neill.

As the story opens, Baby is living with her father, Jules, in Montreal, Quebec. The one contant in her pre-teen life, is that they are frequently moving apartments. She was born when her parents were just sixteen and figuring out how to grow up. Her mother died when Baby was a few months old. Her father tries his best to raise her, but his poor health and recurring heroin habit has made that almost impossible.

As we follow Baby over the course of the next year and a half to two years, she grows from a girl still carrying dolls around to a street wise, though abused, young woman.

I found this a very hard book to listen to. I had to repeat several sections as I felt that I must have misheard. Those "horrible things" couldn't really be happening to Baby. While my rational mind knew that this was a story, the mother in me cried copious tears for those little girls who fell through the welfare/social work gaps and ended up on the streets living just such a life. In the final chapter of the story, Baby is given a chance to escape the life she has fallen into. I like to imagine that she had the strength to leave and seek helprefuge.

Is this a coming of age story, a commentary on responsible parenting, or a diatribe on the state of child welfare in Canada. For me, I found it to be mostily the first, though with the continuing cuts to our social system....

The book was read by Miriam McDonald. I felt that she enhanced my enjoyment of this novel.

Lullabies for Little Criminals was a finalist for the 2007 Governor General Awards in Canada, and the winner of the Canada Reads 2007 competition.

This novel has been on my 'to read' list for some time and I am really glad I finally read it. O'Neill made me feel like I was right there with Baby, watching her navigate the streets/underworld of Montreal, deal with becoming a pre-teen and search for belonging. While it is not a 'feel good' story, it was very honest and showed the dark reality that many youth face. While set in Montreal a few years ago, the themes (prostitution, drugs, abuse) are still very relavant and this book may be an eye opener to some people who have never seen that side of life. So many youth face the choices and difficulties Baby is faced with - it is sad, but also reality.

Definitely one of the best novels I have read recently and I definitely recommend it.

I picked up this book while travelling and from the first page I was entranced by Heather O'Neills' delightful story of Baby. Her words are like tiny dancing sprites begging you to play with them. I recommend this novel to anyone who relishes in metaphores and strong female characters.

It seems, from reading the other reviews that I am alone in disliking this book. I could not connect with the characters and I didn't care what happened. This book evoked no feeling in me.

Maybe I need to read it again?

This was a touching novel. Well thought-out and presented. A fantastic novel for reading and writing about, as there are many discussions that could be explored. My only problem with anything in this book has to do with the main character. Sometimes she has the understanding and perception of a great philosopher, and in the next paragraph her comprehension is almost non-existent. This didn’t detract overall from the story, as it makes Baby a little less believable, but the novel as a whole is still reality for some.

Heather O'Neill writes with such charisma and passion, it's hard not to love this book. She comes up with so many fantastic metaphors and similes that it's a bit like a reading a poem in parts. Baby's character is believable and sympathetic, but without the tones of self-pity you often get in books with this kind of subject. A really great read!

Lullabies for little criminals is a very disturbing book that I could not put down. All I wanted to do was rescue Baby and give her a better life. Thanks Heather O'Neill for making this book so raw.

When you step back and look at Baby's situation you might think that she's living a sad life. However, the narrator is so charismatic, quirky and childlike that you can't help but see the world through her eyes; it's a magical and unpredictable place where anything can change for the better. I wish that I had come up with all of the clever metaphors O'Neill uses in her novel. She paints such a clear picture of the neighbourhood but more importantly, of the children and characters in Baby's life. I didn't want to put the book down and I wish it had been longer so I could have dragged the experience out for longer. As it is, "Lullabies" is a beautiful book that I would reccommend any day.

The language use in this novel is superb. It certainly grabbed by attention from the beginning and held it right until the end, and the characters were funny and unique.

However I do have a few bones to pick with it. I felt that the end of Baby's story didn't fit well with the way the story was built up. I also felt that often times Baby's naivety was inconsistent, and not in a way that's forgivable in the context of her upbringing.

That being said, I do think the book is worth reading. It's a quick read and Heather Oneill has a gift for spinning poetic gems. Through the novel we can see how Baby's sullen, hollow existence can still be beautiful through the eyes of a child.

This book is about a girl and her father living in poverty in Montreal. However it is so much more than that. This book is raw and honest and believable.
But my favorite part of this book was not the characters, the plot, or the story. My favorite part was the writing and how it was so poetic "Inside the room, there were paisleys on the wallpaper. they were like the made-up eyes of silent film stars." I loved how things were observed, and how it was something only a twelve year old could think of.
I really recommend this book because it is a beautifully written novel, and the characters are really great too.

Raw, honest, well written. The characters so well developed. Baby has such a tragic life, but sees everything through her twelve year old eyes and is always optimistic. Powerful, special book. Not something I'd normally read, but SO glad I did. One of my favourites.

I will not reiterate what this book is about - but I will say it was most definitely a great read.

O'Neill takes you on a disturbing journey through a life that is a harsh reality for many children. It is hard to fathom at times. Many face the same daily struggles and still have an innate and innocent need for guidance, love, and a sense of belonging.

It is very interesting to read about the protagonists non-judgmental attitude, her relationships with disreputable adults, her inability to identify dangers, and yet how she remarkably manages to find beauty in utterly dismal situations as if she is living in a make believe world.

I loved the words and disturbing imagery. Baby's quirky views and hilarious observations always kept things interesting. As the system continues to overlook her, you are still left with an sense of hope.

It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me love my job again. It was easy to love the main character and i really wanted to reach out to help her. This is a story that could be so personal, yet describes the life of so many young people. Very well written. Highly, highly recomended!

On the seedy streets of the red-light district in Montreal we are observers to the lonely and depressing existence of Baby, our twelve-year-old heroin. Heroin serves to identify more than just the lead, heroic character in this story, as it also is the drug of choice for Baby's young and irresponsible father, Jules. With her mother long since dead, and no real ties to their remaining family members, Baby and Jules must fight the mean streets defenceless and alone, their foremost challenge always basic survival.

Lullabies for Little Criminals is a coming of age story, for the downtrodden, misfortunate and abandoned. By the end of the novel Baby is only thirteen years old, yet she seems to have lived a lifetime, as she transforms from a child to adolescent to adult, all within the span of two years. Desperate to find love and feel like she belongs to something or even someone, Baby is constantly changing and moulding herself to what she feels others want or need from her. She soon realizes that she is desired by some, and although they happen to be a pimp, perverted paedophiles or other wayward children, this attention is better than being alone. As she bounces from foster home to detention centre to the sketchy one-bedrooms that her father temporarily provides, a solid identity is the least of her worries.

Heather O'Neill's tumultuous upbringing in Montreal, after being abandoned by her mentally ill mother, obviously served her well when writing this gravely accurate depiction of growing up on the streets. Her descriptions of how drugs and alcohol can instantly provide a physical and emotional comfort, where there usually were none, are spot on. The portrayal of the street hierarchy, with the most neglected and down-and-out kids reigning as the supreme leaders, and how they wear their hunger and abandonment as a badge of honour, is appalling but irrefutable.

Lullabies tragically flawed and pathetic characters serve as a reminder to many that destitution can be found blocks away from our cushy and privileged lives, and that the cycle of addiction and poverty is as common and unfaltering as the cycle of life. If you can stomach it, open up your eyes to a parallel reality and read this devastating work of 'fiction.'

www.booksnakereviews.blogspot.com

At time, this book almost seems unbelieveable, but with teen pregnancy being as high as it is, it makes it real.
Baby (that's actually her name) is the narrator of Lullabies. It takes place from when she's 11 to about 14. Baby lives with her father, who is only 15 years older than she is. Baby's mom and day obviously were very young when they had her, and Baby's mother died soon after she was born. Now she is being raised by a father who can barely take care oh himself. They move more than alot, usually within the same city though.
Baby is extremely clingy with her father, and since she hangs out with his friends, she doesn't think much of people her own age. She's also a troublemaker, but since her father often uses drugs, she doesn't have the guidance she needs from him. So it's not a total surprise when she starts dating an older guy, and sleeping with him, and eventually starts using drugs.
At times, it does seem a bit far fetched that someoner her age would do these things, or even think about them, but then when you think of what Baby has been exposed to, you realize this does happen in everyday life. As bad as it is.
I really enjoyed this book. I think the actual writing was well done and the characters were explained in such a way that you can almost picture people you know being like this. Very well done!