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misajane79's review
5.0
Absolutely, postively loved this book. It's about a pre-teen living with her great uncles for a summer. She discovers that their art, their passion, their towers are being threatened by gentrification (they didn't fit in with the new neighbor's idea of beauty, though they had been a neighborhood staple for decades). And so she mounts this amazing campaign to save them. Wonderful story of preservation, activism, and passion--for art and the community. So good that I've been meaning to write a letter to Konigsberg (who also wrote another favorite, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler) and thank her for another amazing book.
minty's review
4.0
Love! Quirky, sweet, etc. Wrapped up kinda quickly compared with the perfectly deliberate pacing of the opening, but overall an enjoyable read.
hannahhannahbanana's review
3.0
I enjoyed reading this book, but it was defenitely not one of my favorites. The story line was weird. I love how Konigsburg writes, but this book was just too weird for me.
kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
Margaret Rose Kane’s summer at Camp Talequa is not going as planned. She had hoped to stay with her two great-uncles during her parents’ trip to Peru, and she finds that camp is a difficult place to express her freewill and individuality. Eventually Uncle Alex and his dog Tartufo arrive to rescue her and bring her back to 19 Schuyler Place, familiar and beloved to her with its looming clock towers in the backyard. The uncles have spent decades constructing the sculptures from bits and fragments of whatever they can find, and have decorated them with paint and shining, smooth pieces of glass. Margaret adores them.
However, some of the neighbors do not. The towers are scheduled to be taken down in the name of property values, and the uncles are resigned to this fate. Can one twelve-year-old girl save three tall towers from destruction? Not alone- she’ll need all the help she can get.
However, some of the neighbors do not. The towers are scheduled to be taken down in the name of property values, and the uncles are resigned to this fate. Can one twelve-year-old girl save three tall towers from destruction? Not alone- she’ll need all the help she can get.
andre_reads's review
5.0
Narrative was excellent, the characters, specially the Uncles were just adorable. I loved it, mostly because of the witty dialogues even if it's a children's book.
mipa_jt's review
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jules1278's review against another edition
4.0
Exactly as cute as expected, a little more authentic than expected, and almost as whimsical as expected. Just what I needed. :)
kimmybmom04's review
Great book for young readers. I read it more or less to try to find some good books for our middle school girls at my library.
elizabethcaneday's review
4.0
What would you do if you were stuck in a cabin of 7 mean girls who know each other and are seasoned camp goers, while this is your first ever time attending?
What would you do if you have no friends?
What would you do if you were trying to stop the destruction of a historic monument?
What would you do if you loved the builders of that monument? (And they just so happened to be your wonderful uncles?)
This book is full of questions that make you care deeply about the main characters and what happens to them.
This book was okay-ish. It's hard to review! I would say that out of five stars it deserves a rating of four. I tried to write a synopsis, but consequently failed. Let's just say this:
it's a coming of age story filled with sadness, nastiness, kindness, and finally triumph. Margaret goes through a lot at summer camp, with her uncles at their home, because of her parents (who end up with a divorce) and even is put in jail once! (Don't worry, it was a mistake.) She meets new people and ends up with some friends.
This book touched my heart because it was masterfully written, weaving between characters and times fluidly, and because of quirky characters I could relate to and characters that made me hoppin' mad!
I would recommend this book to bored teenagers or fans of Ms. Konigsburg's writing. I even started to care about the towers and could not put down this book! The main reason I picked it up and started reading was I didn't have anything to do. The second reason is it is by the author of [b:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980|From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|E.L. Konigsburg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327784751l/3980._SY75_.jpg|1384549]. I do recommend [b:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980|From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|E.L. Konigsburg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327784751l/3980._SY75_.jpg|1384549] more than this one, but still...
Overall an interesting read. Still not sure exactly what I think of it!
What would you do if you have no friends?
What would you do if you were trying to stop the destruction of a historic monument?
What would you do if you loved the builders of that monument? (And they just so happened to be your wonderful uncles?)
This book is full of questions that make you care deeply about the main characters and what happens to them.
This book was okay-ish. It's hard to review! I would say that out of five stars it deserves a rating of four. I tried to write a synopsis, but consequently failed. Let's just say this:
it's a coming of age story filled with sadness, nastiness, kindness, and finally triumph. Margaret goes through a lot at summer camp, with her uncles at their home, because of her parents (who end up with a divorce) and even is put in jail once! (Don't worry, it was a mistake.) She meets new people and ends up with some friends.
This book touched my heart because it was masterfully written, weaving between characters and times fluidly, and because of quirky characters I could relate to and characters that made me hoppin' mad!
I would recommend this book to bored teenagers or fans of Ms. Konigsburg's writing. I even started to care about the towers and could not put down this book! The main reason I picked it up and started reading was I didn't have anything to do. The second reason is it is by the author of [b:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980|From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|E.L. Konigsburg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327784751l/3980._SY75_.jpg|1384549]. I do recommend [b:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980|From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|E.L. Konigsburg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327784751l/3980._SY75_.jpg|1384549] more than this one, but still...
Overall an interesting read. Still not sure exactly what I think of it!
ninatest's review against another edition
2.0
I appreciated the hard will and determination of our young protagonist, but the story wasn't my cup of tea.