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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I always make it a point to read the Newbery Winners as they come out, and then I try and fill in the gaps with Newbery Nominees as I go along. This one came up as a Kindle deal of the day, and I knew I had to read it! I'm very glad that I did!
I really loved this little story, and I loved learning more about Martha and the odd connections between her and Olive. It tugged at my heart and made me want to change how things had happened, for both girls and especially for Olive. It was just a very moving story about death, life, young love, and the strife of every day family life. It was told so beautifully and some parts (like talking about Martha's grandmothers hands) got me a little teary.
I really loved this little story, and I loved learning more about Martha and the odd connections between her and Olive. It tugged at my heart and made me want to change how things had happened, for both girls and especially for Olive. It was just a very moving story about death, life, young love, and the strife of every day family life. It was told so beautifully and some parts (like talking about Martha's grandmothers hands) got me a little teary.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Full of sincerity and smart for its age. However, it does commit one of the cardinal sins of books about young girls, which is healing a boy-broken heart with the temporary fix of another boy, treating romantic relationships as the end all be all make you smile again sort of lifesaver. I don't know. I always want to see these girls save themselves.
reflective
This is a middle grade fiction book which follows Martha’s summer vacation with her family to visit her grandma. Martha had a classmate named Olive who died recently in an accident and left her with a page of her journal. She couldn’t stop thinking about Olive, a girl she barely knew and self reflected on her life. Add to the mix a slightly dysfunctional but loving family, a grandmother who repeatedly hints that she may not have much time left and a boy named Jimmy whom she only sees during the summer.
Although the plot is predictable, the story flowed very well and I feel that Martha’s thought and feelings were expressed well. The story is sweet and simple, just what I needed.
Although the plot is predictable, the story flowed very well and I feel that Martha’s thought and feelings were expressed well. The story is sweet and simple, just what I needed.
Just before leaving on to Cape Cod for her summer vacation, 12-year-old Martha gets a visit from the mother of one of her classmates. Martha hardly knew Olive, a shy girl, but Olive admired Martha and wanted to be friends with her. Olive's mother gives Martha a page from Olive's journal. As she reads the page, Martha can't stop thinking about how she and Olive could have been friends. They were very much alike. A quiet little book that kind of sneaks up on you. Sensitiive and sweet.
i found this on the banned books shelf, and since i absolutely love mr. henkes' pictures books, i picked it up. how on earth, i wondered, could the author of "wemberly worried" write a book that ended up on the challenged list? the answer is that clearly there are people in this world with waaaayyy too much time on their hands, and brains the size of wrinkled peas. this was a charming book, one that i would recommend to any child in that "tween" age group. i would sure rather have kids reading a book like this than anything from "the babysitter's club" or any other books of that ilk.
This one was much better than "Bird Lake Moon." It seemed like more of a complete story instead of just a snapshot in time. The thing you know from the very beginning is that Olive is dead (hit by a car while riding her bike), that she loved the ocean, and that she and Martha weren't really friends. Martha becomes almost obsessed with Olive - she is somewhat distracted by their annual visit to her grandmother's home on the seaside, and a budding relationship with one of the neighbor boys. The relationship between Martha and her grandmother is sweet, as is her relationship with her two year old sister. Of course I was very worried that something tragic would happen to the toddler - his books seem to be like that! Enjoyable read.
