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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Funny and witty but not as memorable as Lizzie Bright
I read this book anticipating a light-hearted novel about a 7th-grader in Vietnam War-era America. I wasn't disappointed - I laughed and laughed and laughed. I was surprised by how much depth the novel had, though, as it deals with issues like wartime prejudice. Rated G.
I can't really do this book justice in my review, so I'm including an excerpt:
"And then, suddenly, there he was. Doug Swieteck's brother, on the other side of Camillo Junior High, waiting for a school bus to turn the corner so that he could grab on to its bumper and have it pull him along on the icy roads.
"It was what eighth graders whose career goal was the state penitentiary did.
"The school buses were driving around town even though no cars were because Mr. Guareschi was principal of Camillo Junior High, and Mr. Guareschi wouldn't have let the school close right before the New York State Standardized Achievement Tests even if the Soviet Union had started raining atomic bombs on the entire east coast of the United States. I heard that from Mr. Petrelli himself, and it's probably true.
"So the buses were driving on ice, and they all pulled in late, and you only had to look at the drivers' faces to see they were all mad at Mr. Guareschi. I figured that the only one who was happy in the whole school was Mr. Ludema, Doug Swieteck's brother's teacher, because Doug Swieteck's brother stayed out until the last bus came in.
"But even if Mr. Guareschi could control the school buses like the dictator of a small country, he couldn't control the Long Island Power Company, which that morning was spending its time not giving electricity to most of its customers---including Camillo Junior High. You couldn't have raised a spark of electricity anywhere. Any light that came into the classrooms was from the windows, and on a day of gray tattered clouds, that wasn't much.
"So we sat in the half-dark, in our coats, in the cold."
I can't really do this book justice in my review, so I'm including an excerpt:
"And then, suddenly, there he was. Doug Swieteck's brother, on the other side of Camillo Junior High, waiting for a school bus to turn the corner so that he could grab on to its bumper and have it pull him along on the icy roads.
"It was what eighth graders whose career goal was the state penitentiary did.
"The school buses were driving around town even though no cars were because Mr. Guareschi was principal of Camillo Junior High, and Mr. Guareschi wouldn't have let the school close right before the New York State Standardized Achievement Tests even if the Soviet Union had started raining atomic bombs on the entire east coast of the United States. I heard that from Mr. Petrelli himself, and it's probably true.
"So the buses were driving on ice, and they all pulled in late, and you only had to look at the drivers' faces to see they were all mad at Mr. Guareschi. I figured that the only one who was happy in the whole school was Mr. Ludema, Doug Swieteck's brother's teacher, because Doug Swieteck's brother stayed out until the last bus came in.
"But even if Mr. Guareschi could control the school buses like the dictator of a small country, he couldn't control the Long Island Power Company, which that morning was spending its time not giving electricity to most of its customers---including Camillo Junior High. You couldn't have raised a spark of electricity anywhere. Any light that came into the classrooms was from the windows, and on a day of gray tattered clouds, that wasn't much.
"So we sat in the half-dark, in our coats, in the cold."
One of my very favorite Young Adult books. Excellent characters and story!!! The title and cover don't quite convey the story. MANY laugh out loud moments and many lump in my troat moments. I LOVE it! One I'll read over and over again. Chrysanthemum! (You'll have to read it to figure out what that means :)
7/17/22 Just listened to the excellent audio version of this and was reminded of why I love this story so much!
7/17/22 Just listened to the excellent audio version of this and was reminded of why I love this story so much!
What a great, fun, Shakespeare-inspiring read for kids! I enjoyed this so much I'm planning to read it aloud to my 7th & 8th graders. No objectionable elements that need commenting on; and it's got a bit of something for everyone - jocks, theater nerds, misfits, kids who feel like they don't measure up, Catholics, Jews, Presbyterians, oh and Yankees fans (because they obviously deserve their own category). Kids will love all the crazy-yet-relatable events that happen; and teachers will love just how much Shakespeare this kid is forced to read in one year. :-)
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holling Hood Hood is a character you don’t forget. Even though it’s been over three years since I’ve read this Newbery award winning book, I’ve thought about Holling and Mrs. Baker many times.
It is such a treasure to revisit, especially at the end of April when Shakespeare’s birthday is April 23rd.
With themes of resilience, kindness, and community, this is an unforgettable read for anyone 12 and up.
It is such a treasure to revisit, especially at the end of April when Shakespeare’s birthday is April 23rd.
With themes of resilience, kindness, and community, this is an unforgettable read for anyone 12 and up.
I read this book because the seventh grade at my school is doing a unit on it and I wanted to see how I could collaborate with teachers. I did not expect to like it so much. I thought that it would be outdated but I was wrong. Instead, it is some solid historical fiction for middle graders and won the Newbery award in 2008. Set in 1967, this coming of age novel describes the escapades of Holling Hoodhood, a seventh grader who finds himself spending one-on-one time with his English teacher reading Shakespeare and pondering many of life's mysteries such as true friendship, having his first girlfriend, defining what a hero is, and what God means to him. Some significant historical events occur during Holling's seventh grade year, such as the Vietnam war, and the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy.
This book reminds me of the movie A Christmas Story (one of the only movies that is in fact better than the book on which it is based) in the way that it presents the world totally from Holling's point of view through all of his machinations, which are quite funny yet deeply profound as well. I enjoyed how the teacher-pupil relationship developed throughout the book, not just between Holling and Mrs. Baker, but other students as well, ones that are facing judgment and discrimination but find that kindness and acceptance conquers all.
I was greatly disappointed in Holling's parents, particularly his father, who is completely removed (by choice) from his children's lives. Holling performs in a Shakespearean play which his family does not attend, he is sideswiped by a bus and goes to the hospital and his parents don't even show up, they just give consent for treatment over the phone, it is Mrs. Baker who stays with him. What kind of parents do that? And they are so stifling of his sister that she runs away. I found myself yelling at them as I read.
For the most part, I found this book endearing and comical, yet clever and self-reflective. I read it in one day and I am glad that I did. I hope the seventh graders at our school feel the same way.
This book reminds me of the movie A Christmas Story (one of the only movies that is in fact better than the book on which it is based) in the way that it presents the world totally from Holling's point of view through all of his machinations, which are quite funny yet deeply profound as well. I enjoyed how the teacher-pupil relationship developed throughout the book, not just between Holling and Mrs. Baker, but other students as well, ones that are facing judgment and discrimination but find that kindness and acceptance conquers all.
I was greatly disappointed in Holling's parents, particularly his father, who is completely removed (by choice) from his children's lives. Holling performs in a Shakespearean play which his family does not attend, he is sideswiped by a bus and goes to the hospital and his parents don't even show up, they just give consent for treatment over the phone, it is Mrs. Baker who stays with him. What kind of parents do that? And they are so stifling of his sister that she runs away. I found myself yelling at them as I read.
For the most part, I found this book endearing and comical, yet clever and self-reflective. I read it in one day and I am glad that I did. I hope the seventh graders at our school feel the same way.
Fabulous. An absolutely fun and well written novel for adolescences, teens, and adults alike.
This is a favorite. Hilarious, poignant and just plain entertaining.