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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Another Newbery buzz book -- this is set in the 1940s, rural Pennsylvania. The main character struggles to do what is right, and discovers that life doesn't always reward doing what is right. This was good, had interesting themes about bullying, right vs. wrong. Of course the 12 year old narrator comes up with some words of wisdom throughout that is way beyond her years, but that seems to be par for the course for these coming of age historical fiction books :-) I think this book should win an honor -- I still am hoping Wild Robot wins the big prize this year.
It happened in little bits, not all at once, and it wasn't easy to figure out what to do along the way.
From the very beginning--the short prologue, and even the cover of the hardback jacket--readers are told momentous things are coming. Something weighty and life-altering. As the story begins to gradually unfold, the foreshadowing continues with little comments like, We would have been spared some trouble if we had not crossed paths that day. Even so, it all happens in little bits, not all at once, and when the full course of events is finally revealed it manages to shock and disturb in spite of the warnings. That's not to say that this is a dark or disturbing book, merely momentous and weighty.
This is a beautifully crafted book with as vivid a sense of place, time, and character as I've encountered. Readers come to fully know the story's setting and participants with an affecting clarity. Anabelle makes a wonderful narrator, and her carefully observed insights into herself and others provide a perfect perspective for understanding the tragedies at the heart of the story. She knows, by the end, that she has made a significant transition from childhood to adulthood. She knows far more about pain and suffering, and she knows far more about decency and kindness and community. The unfolding of that transition is transporting, meaningful, and moving. This is a story you feel.
From the very beginning--the short prologue, and even the cover of the hardback jacket--readers are told momentous things are coming. Something weighty and life-altering. As the story begins to gradually unfold, the foreshadowing continues with little comments like, We would have been spared some trouble if we had not crossed paths that day. Even so, it all happens in little bits, not all at once, and when the full course of events is finally revealed it manages to shock and disturb in spite of the warnings. That's not to say that this is a dark or disturbing book, merely momentous and weighty.
This is a beautifully crafted book with as vivid a sense of place, time, and character as I've encountered. Readers come to fully know the story's setting and participants with an affecting clarity. Anabelle makes a wonderful narrator, and her carefully observed insights into herself and others provide a perfect perspective for understanding the tragedies at the heart of the story. She knows, by the end, that she has made a significant transition from childhood to adulthood. She knows far more about pain and suffering, and she knows far more about decency and kindness and community. The unfolding of that transition is transporting, meaningful, and moving. This is a story you feel.
The year I turned twelve, I learned how to lie.
I don't mean the small fibs that children tell. I mean real lies fed by real fears--things I said and did that took me out of the life I'd always known and put me down hard into a new one.
It was the autumn of 1943 when my steady life began to spin, not only because of the war that had drawn the whole world into a screaming brawl, but also because of the dark-hearted girl who came to our hills and changed everything.
At times, I was so confused that I felt like the stem of a pinwheel surrounded by whir and clatter, but through that whole unsettling time I knew that it simply would not do to hide in the barn with a book and an apple and let events plunge forward without me. It would not do to turn twelve without earning my keep, and by that I meant my place, my small authority, the possibility that I would amount to something.
But there was more to it than that.
The year I turned twelve, I learned that what I said and what I did mattered.
So much, sometimes, that I wasn't sure I wanted such a burden.
But I took it anyway, and I carried it as best I could.
I loved that the parents actually listened to their child instead of "You're just [insert age here], you don't know anything."
Of course, the aunt made up for it but the parents is what I really appreciate.
Of course, the aunt made up for it but the parents is what I really appreciate.
This novel was similar to To Kill a Mockingbird in all the best ways. The heroine was tough, resourceful, kind, and driven to tell truth. The plot was intriguing. The author did a tidy job exploring the theme that people are not always what they seem on the outside. The language is simple but evocative. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Just a beautiful novel. I list this one next to The War That Saved My Life for books that show young girls coming into their own, realizing they are more than they thought, more than society sometimes allows them to be. Just as TWTSMY does, I know that Wolf Hollow will stay with me forever.
Annabelle is an 11-year-old attending a one-room schoolhouse in rural Pennsylvania in 1943 when a new 14-year-old girl (Betty) arrives at her school and begins to torment her. Luckily, Annabelle is no easy pushover, even though she is gentle and relatively quiet, and slowly but thoughtfully sorts out how she plans to address the bullying.
Unfortunately, Betty is a much bigger threat than an average bully - more insidious, duplicitous, and without scruples or any sort of ethical framework. She aims for the end-game being death, not satisfied with any other feeling of victory. When Annabelle begins telling small lies to spare her mother the trouble of jumping in to her defense, and follows up with other incidental small lies, she heads down a path that is tricky and convoluted, and finally takes a huge effort to unravel.
However, Annabelle's small lies, all of them with the aim of protecting or advocating for members of her community - including her family, friends, and various other people, are never the cause of any problems. Unfortunately, they are also ineffective in stopping Betty from committing serious offenses. As perceptive as Annabelle is, she isn't capable of imagining how horrible Betty can be, so each worsening deed is a shock to her as well as to readers.
1943 is going to feel very brutal to young readers today - the small-town social scene is bizarrely old-fashioned and even though some people have cars, rushing to the hospital can't save everyone. I don't think it's inaccurate for the rural setting, but this is a view of a cultural group that seems to have quickly diminished so that Annabelle and her classmates (like the author's own mother) were probably the last generation to be so isolated from bigger cities and the wider world.
The thing I loved about this book was Annabelle's strong, centered, self-assured, modest personality, which is clearly well-grounded in the support, encouragement, and active involvement of both her parents. She is a solidly good person, without artifice or confusion. She is a great model for how a good person acts, and the story gives her many opportunities to demonstrate nuances. She wishes Betty would suffer from poison oak, then she feels bad for wishing it, even while at the same time she makes amends by helping make the poultice that will soothe her rash.
I thought her parents were also great models for how adults can trust and respect children while also providing support when it is needed.
I am going to guess that young people dealing with bullies will find this book deeply satisfying, because the terrible things are TRULY terrible, and the consequences are GRAVE, and there is no guilt or blame in trying to outsmart a bully, but it is pretty clear that it is essential to have allies who are aware of the situation.
This seems like a good time to read about a humble, noble, good person facing the agonizing pain caused by a petty, psychopathic, narcissistic compulsive dissembler who only looks out for herself. The fact that the villain is a 14-year-old pretty girl named Betty, and she dies in the end is fitting, and I think young readers will get that efforts to understand her are pointless.
Unfortunately, Betty is a much bigger threat than an average bully - more insidious, duplicitous, and without scruples or any sort of ethical framework. She aims for the end-game being death, not satisfied with any other feeling of victory. When Annabelle begins telling small lies to spare her mother the trouble of jumping in to her defense, and follows up with other incidental small lies, she heads down a path that is tricky and convoluted, and finally takes a huge effort to unravel.
However, Annabelle's small lies, all of them with the aim of protecting or advocating for members of her community - including her family, friends, and various other people, are never the cause of any problems. Unfortunately, they are also ineffective in stopping Betty from committing serious offenses. As perceptive as Annabelle is, she isn't capable of imagining how horrible Betty can be, so each worsening deed is a shock to her as well as to readers.
1943 is going to feel very brutal to young readers today - the small-town social scene is bizarrely old-fashioned and even though some people have cars, rushing to the hospital can't save everyone. I don't think it's inaccurate for the rural setting, but this is a view of a cultural group that seems to have quickly diminished so that Annabelle and her classmates (like the author's own mother) were probably the last generation to be so isolated from bigger cities and the wider world.
The thing I loved about this book was Annabelle's strong, centered, self-assured, modest personality, which is clearly well-grounded in the support, encouragement, and active involvement of both her parents. She is a solidly good person, without artifice or confusion. She is a great model for how a good person acts, and the story gives her many opportunities to demonstrate nuances. She wishes Betty would suffer from poison oak, then she feels bad for wishing it, even while at the same time she makes amends by helping make the poultice that will soothe her rash.
I thought her parents were also great models for how adults can trust and respect children while also providing support when it is needed.
I am going to guess that young people dealing with bullies will find this book deeply satisfying, because the terrible things are TRULY terrible, and the consequences are GRAVE, and there is no guilt or blame in trying to outsmart a bully, but it is pretty clear that it is essential to have allies who are aware of the situation.
This seems like a good time to read about a humble, noble, good person facing the agonizing pain caused by a petty, psychopathic, narcissistic compulsive dissembler who only looks out for herself. The fact that the villain is a 14-year-old pretty girl named Betty, and she dies in the end is fitting, and I think young readers will get that efforts to understand her are pointless.
Set in the 40's during WWII, Annabelle leads a fairly idyllic life in the foothills of Pennsylvania but everything changes when a new girl shows up and bullies her. When the bullying goes too far and an innocent man is being blamed for something he didn't do, Annabelle does her best to help. When things don't go as planned, Annabelle has to deal with the consequences. A really fantastic story of friendship, overcoming adversity, family values, and so much more. A fairly quick read that is worth your time!
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I loved this book... until the end. It was too sad!
This YA book had some fascinating dealings with bullies, both traditional and non traditional. The bullying of veterans and children are both topics addressed here. I felt the book fell a bit short in its delivery, but over all was a fascinating and easy read once you got into it.