7/23/2019 Looking for Alibrandi Chapter Summary

1/4

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina MarchettaChapter Summaries

Chapter 1

Josephine Alibrandi is beginning a new school year as the

vice-captain of St Marthas school in Sydney. She promises to

be good but already gets in trouble on the rst day. Josieintroduces herself to the reader as an !talian living in

Australia. She lives with her mother" who had her before she

was married" doesnt #now her father" and has a close

relationship with both her mother and nonna $grandmother%.

&hen Josie arrives home after school" her mother tells her

that her father" Michael Andretti" is in town une'pectedly.

Chapter (

Josie introduces her friends) Sera" Anna and *ee" and herschool enemy) !vy *loyd $+oison !vy%. Josie also participates in

,ave a Say ay" where she sits ne't to Jacob Coote" the

captain of Coo# igh" a local public school. e teases and

/irts with her. Jacob ma#es a speech about ma#ing the most

of freedom. 0he speech aects Josie.

Chapter 2

Josie visits her grandmother and e'amines the fact that she

is illegitimate. She has an argument with her grandmother"

who Josie thin#s is too hard on her mother. Michael" Josies

father" shows up une'pectedly" and Josie gives him a clue

that she could be his child. Josie also e'plores her frustration

with her culture.

Chapter 3

Josie has a tal# with John 4arton" a boy that she has a crush

on and respects" after the school debate. She comments on

the polarisation of their two families" and he tal#s about his

fathers e'pectations on him with 5uite a bit of bitterness.

Josie is surprised that John is having problems" because his

life is what she has always dreamed of. Josie gets a new 6ob

at Mconalds.

Chapter 7

Josie goes to the school dance in a dress that her nonna

made her. Jacob and John are both there" and Jacob danceswith her for most of the night. Jacob gives Josie a lift home on

his motorbi#e and tells her that his mother died. 0hey tal#

about the dierences in their families" and Josie says that he

has to meet her mother if he wants to date her. Jacob is

angry" and they decide to forget trying to get together.

Chapter 8

Josie and her mother" Christina" goes to her nonnas place for

a family 449. Michael Andretti is also there. Josie overhears aconversation between Christina and Michael" and it is clear

how much Josie means to her mother and how much Michael

doesnt want to be involved with Josie. Josie confronts

Michael" and they agree to #eep their distance from each

other. Josie tal#s about this with her mother and as#s her

what her mother dreamed of when she was 1:.

Chapter :

Josie and her mother spend ;aster with the family. Josie endsup having to spend the night with her nonna" and nonna tells

Josie that she used to be a beautiful woman. She tells Josie

about moving to Australia with her husband and how di

7/23/2019 Looking for Alibrandi Chapter Summary

2/4

angry at this and hits Carly in the face with a boo#. Carlys

father" an in/uential 0> personality" wants to sue Josie for

brea#ing Carlys nose. Josie tells them that her father is a

lawyer and calls Michael to come help her. e arrives and

sorts the situation out. Josie is e'tremely proud to leave

school with her father and intentionally tal#s about his wor#

so that everyone will #now he is a lawyer.

Chapter ?

Sister *ouise reveals that she #nows what is happening in

Josies life and is worried about how she is coping with it all.

Josies mother" Christina" and her grandmother ght when

Christina wants to go out on a date. After her grandmother

leaves" Josie is also rude about her mothers date" and they

ght.

Chapter 1@

A local bully who used to live ne't door to Josie" reg Sims"

threatens Josie and her friend Anna after wor# at Mconalds.

Jacob Coote and his friend Anton rescue them from the

attac#. Jacob ta#es Josie home and as#s her out on a date"

agreeing that he will meet her mother.

Chapter 11

After apologising for the way she acted when her motherwhen her mother went on a date" Josie as#s if she can go out

with Jacob. Christina agrees" though has a conversation with

Josie about how Jacob will be wanting to have se' with her.

Chapter 1(

Josie spends the afternoon with her grandmother" loo#ing

through old photo albums. er nonna tells her stories of the

di

7/23/2019 Looking for Alibrandi Chapter Summary

3/4

Chapter 1:

Josie is getting to #now her father better through wor#ing

with him and ta#ing a trip to Adelaide with him. Josie nds

out a little about the feelings her father once had for her

mother and realises that she en6oys having Michael around.

Chapter 1=

+oison !vy calls Josie a ,new Australian and accuses Josies

ancestors of #illing her grandfather in the war. 0hey argue

about what it is to be Australian and also ght about John

4arton" who they both have had feelings for. Jacob pic#s Josie

up in his new car" and Josie realises she has strong feelings

for him" but wonders if he also thin#s of her as a ,new

Australian.

Chapter 1?

Josie participates in ,0omato ay" an !talian family tradition

where all of her relatives spend the day coo#ing and bottling

tomato sauce. Josie realises that" whether she li#es them or

not" some traditions are so strongly and deeply a part of her

that she cannot ignore them. She also hears more about

nonnas husband and is told that all !talian men were put into

a camp for ,aliens during the war years. uring that time"

Marcus helped nonna around the house.

Chapter (@

Josie abandons her duty as supervisor at the school wal#-a-

thon to follow her friends who are going to see if they can

nd a pop star who is in town. Sister *ouise nds out and

accuses Josie of conforming and being li#e a ,sheep. She also

tells Josie that she was elected captain of the school" but that

Sister *ouise didnt thin# she could handle it and made her

vice-captain instead. Josie realises that what she did was

wrong and apologises" and also realises that she is muchmore popular at school than she thought.

Chapter (1

Josie goes to see Macbethwith John" but Jacob" who is also at

the movies with his friends" thin#s that Josie is cheating on

him. e confronts Josie" who is then forced to consider her

true feelings for John and Jacob" as well as her pre6udices

about other peoples bac#grounds.

Chapter ((

Josie and her mother spend a nice day together. Josie wishes

her mother and father would nd a way to get bac# together.

Chapter (2

Josies grandmother tells her about the Australian" Marcus

Sandford" who once loved her" and how she had to send him

away because of the scandal that would have caused. Josie

begins to respect her nonna even more.

Chapter (3

Jacob and Josie argue when she refuses to introduce him to

her grandmother. 0he following day Josie goes to Jacobs

house and meets her father. *ater they ma#e out" and Jacob

wants to go further. Josie tells him that she is not ready to

have se' wit him.

Chapter (7

Josies world is turned upside down when she realises that

her grandmother has lied to her. A chance remar# that nonna

made about Josies grandfather being out of time when

Christina was conceived reveals that nonna was unfaithful to

her !talian husband and that the Australian" Marcus Sandford"

is actually Christinas father. 0his changes how Josie feels

about herself.

Chapter (8

7/23/2019 Looking for Alibrandi Chapter Summary

4/4

Josie reconciles with her grandmother who e'plains the

di