Rating: 
Summary: Don't Judge This Book by it's Title
Review: The Lottery Rose, by the excellent author Irene Hunt, is a heartwrenching story about a little seven year-old boy struggling to survive in his own household. His alcoholic mother and her evil boyfriend Steve physically and verbally abuse Georgie Burgess. Craving for love, and living in a broken home, he courageously endures his beatings hoping that someday it will end.
At a grocery store lottery, Georgie wins a little rose bush, which receives all the attention, love, and care that he is starved of. The rosebush becomes a symbol of love and hope for the deprived child, and he becomes attached to it for security. Flowers are the only thing he finds true beauty in, which is why he is so connected to his rosebush.
School is no refuge for this innocent child marked "trouble maker" by his ignorant teachers. He grew up being told and thinking he was dumb, which ruined his self-opinion from a young age. He has no where to run or hide from pain, and is chained to his mother by love, until one day Steve and Rennie go too far and nearly kill him in their usual drunken rage. The police then remove Georgie from his broken home filled with scarring memories.
Georgie is removed from his home and placed in a Catholic school for boys. He has a difficult time learning how to give and accept love- something he's never had. He gains more self-esteem when he learns how to read, and realizes he was never dumb to begin with. It takes time to heal emotionally and not deny the scars covering his back.
I compare this book to They Cage the Animals at Night an equally appalling and emotionally powerful novel based on a true story about child abuse. Books like these make your problems seem ridiculous and easy, and your life more fortunate. The painful experiences Georgie endured will haunt him the rest of his life; he will always be different. To make matters worse, he becomes best friends with a little boy who suffers from a mental problem. Georgie understands this boy named Robin, because they are both different. One day Robin dies, and Georgie experiences more tragedy. Irene Hunt has mastered the art of character development. As ALA Booklist states, "A deeply affecting, affirmative story..." The best thing about this book is it is only a story.
I recommend The Lottery Rose to any reader who loves children, or who is an alcoholic, or who believes in anti-alcoholism, or is a Catholic, or is a mother who lost her child, or any person interested in reading an amazing novel about misfortune and life's many problems, and how they can be changed for the better. I give this book the 5 stars it deserves.
Rating:
Summary: This book is impossible to hate!
Review: This book is very sad but at times very heart-warming. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm going to order it and read it over. I read it in fifth grade when I was eleven, and I had one of the best book experiences that I ever had. This book is: sad, emotional, happy at times, and very interesting. The ending though was so confusing. How Georgie gave something up that was so precious to him. I won't give the book away, because that's not fun. This book has some abuse in it, but that really makes you look at life better. I've read reviews that said that there is too much abuse, and it just isn't a big deal. I think that books that make you cry, and touch you so deaply, can make you look at life better. This book is so wonderful that it feels as if it's real life, well this story could happen, really. Read this book, it is so great. I don't know how anyone can hate it, it's just not possinle. three *... stars is as low as it can go. I really want to buy this book again, and read it over and over. I never get tired of it, and I'm sure you won't either. Very Good book. Unlike any other. If you don't read it, you'll feel so bad, because it's so good. Just put a bucket in front of you incase you cry, and three boxes of tissues next to you. I cried because of the sad parts in it, I cried because it ended. Such a sad story. And if there are any parents reading this right now, well you don't have to worry about a thing. This book is great for kids. (It may even get them to behave better! I bet you'll love that) It really made me behave better. This book really moved me, and I'm sure it will move you completely. But don't forget the tissues and the buckets, You'll need it later trust me.
Rating: 
Summary: Just Perfect
Review: I would have to say that this book is the best book that I have read in my whole life! The first time I read this book was in fifth grade, and I remembered everything about it. When I have the choice to pick a book to read in class I pick The Lottery Rose in a heart beat. This book will bring emotions to you that you never thought you had. At times this book will bring a smile, at other times it will bring tears to your eyes. The title of the book may not be so eye catching, but you have to take a chance and just read it. Believe me you'll love it. I have to agree that the ending of the book is not a good one. The author could have done better. But the rest of the book makes up for it. Trust me and read it.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of the best books I've ever read!!!
Review: The book the Lottery Rose, written by Irene Hunt is a deeply touching and gripping story about a 7 year old boy named Georgie who is abused by his mother Rennie and her boyfriend, Steve. One day, when his mother is drunk and gives Georgie money to buy food at the grocery store,he uses the change to buy a lottery ticket. On the day of the lottery, he discovers that his prize is a rosebush. Georgie loves his rosebush. One night, after being abused, it is decided that Georgie will be sent to an all boy's school run by nuns in Tampa, Florida. There, he meets Sister Mary Angela who gives Georgie the opportunity to plant his bush almost anywhere he pleases. But where will he decide to plant his rosebush and will he be happy at his new school? The Lottery Rose is an emotional and realistic stroy of human struggle and injustice affecting the life of a young boy who has been victimized in his childhood. Georgies's innocent personality quickly captured my sympathy and pressed me to closely follow the events which unfold in this gripping story. The situations in which Georgie found himself seemed true to life and easily touched my sense of curiousity. Questions such as "Will Georgie find loving adults that will take good care of him?" "Will he be given a fair opportunity to develop his personal interests?" " Is Georgie destined to a life of misery or happines?" beckoned to be answered and motivated me to read the stroy to its conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Heart touching and eye opening
Review: Abused, neglected, an appearance to match your life and deprived of happiness and love, little Georgie Burgess redefines the meaning of tough in the novel The Lottery Rose. Your mother is drowned in a sea of alcohol every night and there is no defense for you withstand the menacing blows of her boyfriend those were just some of Georgie's daily issues. There was also his lack of understanding in school, an outside porch to sleep on, and never enough food to eat in the kitchen.
It was a miracle Georgie could manage to stay alive under the circumstances he was forced to live in. However Georgie found a way to hide his hurt and disguise his pain. Instead of running away from home Georgie ran away to the garden and got to feel true happiness with the roses. He had once received a lottery card from a sympathetic employee at the corner market, the prize was a bundle of small dried out roses that Georgie adored and claimed it was the best present in the world when he won them. Georgie knew his mother's boyfriend Steve would not agree with Georgie's present considering he once strangled a small kitten Georgie brought home. Georgie drove Steve crazy and his anger reached its pinnacle when Georgie would scream shrieks of terror every time he saw Steve. One night Steve decided he wasn't going to take it anymore and beat Georgie unconscious. He was shortly rescued by a group of strangers trying to convince him he was going to be ok.
Georgie's real life experience didn't really start until he had left the hospital and his old home and was now under the care of Sister Mary Angela in a private religious school out in the middle of nowhere. Georgie started there as an outcast and very shy of his friendly surroundings. Georgie was not the brightest crayon in the box and the other young boys were taking notice of his unkempt appearance and tormenting him about it. However Georgie did end up making a best friend Timothy who tried nothing more than to befriend Georgie. While at this school Georgie furthered his passion for roses, in fact he still cherished his small bundle of dried roses and chartered them around. It was not long before Georgie spotted the perfect place to plant his roses, what he didn't know was that this would be start of his next major life crisis.
Throughout his very few years of existence Georgie has encountered more obstacles than most adults can account for in their lifetimes. Georgie has been nearly dead and had experienced death. By the end of the novel Georgie had learned not only to give love to his roses and Robin but he can now except love from Mrs. Harper and Sister Mary Angela.
The Lottery Rose is a heart touching novel that causes the reader to connect with Georgie Burgess and share in some of his pain and heartache, but also to respect his strength and defense. It opened my eyes to a world of suffering we so easily block out today. It forced me to analyze the reality of our modern day society and the novel brings new meaning to the phrase: "who said growing up would be easy."
Rating: 
Summary: A good idea, but unbelievable
Review: As a school assignment, I had to read a book and write a report on it. As I looked through the fiction shelf in our school library, "The Lottery Rose" really stood out. A young, abused boy slowly learning how to love and be loved, all the while a sickly rosebush reflecting his hopes, dreams, and fears. What a great idea. I mean, what could be more touching? Unfortunately, Irene Hunt pretty much ruins the whole book. She does a terrible job with the characters and the plot, the two basic components in a story. She does a good job describing Robin, the retarded boy, but that's about it. The characters are about as unrealistic as possible. The adults are either completely perfect or completely cruel, and the 7- and 8-year-old children are one-sided and talk and act like they were about twice their age. Also, the plot is unrealistic. In a period of a year or so, Georgie goes from being scared and abused to being like a normal kid his age. Irene Hunt, being a psychologist, should know better than anyone how long the healing process takes for an abused child. As a whole, this book is pretty bad. I strongly do not recommend reading this book, no matter how tempting the back cover sounds.
Rating:
Summary: A very heart-warming story
Review: This book is so good. Like many people I thought that it would be boring because of its' title and cover. Well never do that. This book was so good, that it beat most of the books I've read with beautiful and colorful covers. I can't get my friend to read it, because she does not like the title, but I'm trying, she does not know how deaply this book could touch you, and it touched my hearts very core. Let me tell you: I cried, I felt sad, and I cried some more when I read this. It litteraly brought tears to my eyes when I read it. Whenever Georgie Burgess was abused by his drunk mother and her (BOYFRIEND) I felt so sad for him. And the ending was so unexpected, and it was shocking, but it was not a very good one, well it was for Georgie because he had a home, but not for some people. And with my hearts very core I recomend this book. Let me tell you something, read Harry Potter for the fantasy person in you, read The Fledgling, for the emotional part of you. And read THE LOTTERY ROSE for the emotional and spiritual side of you. This was a very touching book. But come prepared, why don't you bring a box of tissues with you while you read this book. Or maybe two. Well goodbuy, Now that I've convinced you, I need to convince my best friend. Wish me luck,
Buy.
Love,
Lana
Rating:
Summary: Best Book Ever!
Review: OMGosh this book is THE best book I have ever read! It is so touching even to a 13 year old such as myself. I was given this book by an older friend. Judging the book cover, like I'm not supposed to, I thought "how boring is this going to be?" Once I got into it, I aboslutley loved it! I recommend this book to every single person, the young and the old. You will love it!
Rating:
Summary: Evocative and haunting
Review: When seven-year-old Georgie is beaten nearly to death by his mother and her boyfriend, the police take him out of his home and put him in a Catholic boarding school for boys. The only posession he brings with him is a rosebush he won in a lottery. At first, Georgie behaves like your typical abused child -- he is crabby and doesn't trust anybody. That especially includes Molly Harper, a woman who lives next door to the school. Molly lost a child about Georgie's age and at the beginning of the book she wanted nothing to do with little boys, and was furious when she found out that Georgie planted his rosebush in her garden. She ripped it out, earning Georgie's wrath. Molly later regretted her actions and allowed him to replant the bush, but he wouldn't forgive her. He'd spend lots of time in the company of Mr. Collier, her father, and Robin, her adorable retarded son, but he would barely speak to Molly. Through the kindness of Molly, Mr. Collier, the nuns who taught at the school, and his classmates, Georgie was eventually able to rise out of his earlier life and become a happy-go-lucky, lovable little boy. He even was able to forgive Molly. When tragedy struck, he and Molly both realized anew how much they meant to each other. While the book didn't say, I forsee Molly adopting Georgie in the future. This is a wonderful novel. The child abuse, while graphic, is not gratituous. The characters were very real and understandable, even Georgie's mother and her boyfriend. Portions of this book made me weep, which is not something that can be said for most books. I highly recommend, especially to anyone who is a mother that lost a child, or who is interested in child abuse and its aftermath.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst Book Ever
Review: I read this book as what is called a "choice book". I didn't even want to finish it. I read No Promises in the Wind, also by Irene Hunt but enjoyed that book. The Lottery Rose was very violent at the beginning and very VERy graphic, I mean who are Hunt's books targeted to, yep 9-14 year olds! The book did a pretty good job of creeping me out and making me almost sick. Georgie is a horrible character, he is offered a chance to plant his rose somwhere but thinks it isn;t "good enough". UGH!~ Just writing about this book is bad! WHATEVER YOU DO DONT READ IT! IT IS A WASTE OF TIME!
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