Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Great great book. I recommend it to middle schoolers and any adult who enjoys good literature. It has connections to To Kill a Mockingbird. I think kids will love it and teachers will be teaching it for years to come.
Annabelle is almost 12 years old living on a small farm in Pennsylvania during WWII. Annabelle’s story intertwines with Betty, a 14 year old bully, and Toby, the town recluse and WWI veteran suffering from PTSD.
A story of mystery, the heartache of war, and the complexities of human nature, this is an important book. I do not think I’d put it in the hands of an 8-12 year old, however. More like 14+. There were some serious undertones that felt like The Crucible and To Kill a Mockingbird and would be an interesting bridge novel with those two classics.
A story of mystery, the heartache of war, and the complexities of human nature, this is an important book. I do not think I’d put it in the hands of an 8-12 year old, however. More like 14+. There were some serious undertones that felt like The Crucible and To Kill a Mockingbird and would be an interesting bridge novel with those two classics.
I really liked this book a lot, even though its subject matter is dark and stays pretty dark. Some middle school readers really like a good, sad or dark story to get dig into. I guess its darkness felt realistic to me: maybe not pretty or neat and tidy, but real. There is a certain group of readers who will appreciate that about it. If I were to find one criticism, it would perhaps be that many of the kids who like dark stories that tackle difficult topics do not gravitate towards historical fiction like this. This time period and setting might not appeal to the same readers who are likely to reach for a story about bullying. The setting is gentle, slow, and old-fashioned, but the topics tackled are both nothing new and yet very contemporary. In other words, it isn't the easiest book to match with the right audience, but I don't think that makes it a bad book. It is beautifully written: some gorgeous, evocative descriptions, and it has a really amazing opening chapter to grab readers. I was continually amazed at just how bad Betty (the bully) is, and I kept waiting for her to be brought to justice. I was surprised at just how completely this book accomplishes that task, though not in the way I expected. It is a sad story, but it is also representative of the way life sometimes goes.
A book I will reread when I want to remember how to be a better human.
Reminiscent of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and To Kill a Mockingbird, all three with young female protagonists who are slowly coming to understand the cogs and wheels of the world around them, all three who stumble upon the unfairness of life and the flaws of others, yet who continue to trust in the basic human decency that they hope will prevail.
Reminiscent of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and To Kill a Mockingbird, all three with young female protagonists who are slowly coming to understand the cogs and wheels of the world around them, all three who stumble upon the unfairness of life and the flaws of others, yet who continue to trust in the basic human decency that they hope will prevail.
isn't really my kind of thing, but it still was interesting.
i found betty's character fascinating, however sadistic she was.
i found betty's character fascinating, however sadistic she was.
Annabelle is eleven, and lives in the early 1940s in a farm in Pennsylvania. Life is uneventful until Betty Glengarry moves to town, at which point things get turned on their ear. Betty is the worst kind of bully, picking on smaller kids, torturing animals, and skipping school to spend time with another local teen. It's not until she starts targeting Toby, a vagabond-type of homeless man, who pretty clearly has PTSD from fighting in the First World War, that Annabelle really gets upset, but before she can do anything, Betty has gone missing, and Toby is nowhere to be found.
I was lucky enough to happen into an ARC of this book, given to me by my boss, who got it at the ALA conference and wanted someone to talk about it with. I couldn't put it down, and read it in one day.
Notes: I didn't read the back cover until I had finished the book, and was surprised to see that it's marketed for ages 8-12. While it does have shades of Calpurnia Tate, I think it more reminiscent of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce books, and could therefore be marketed to adults.
I was lucky enough to happen into an ARC of this book, given to me by my boss, who got it at the ALA conference and wanted someone to talk about it with. I couldn't put it down, and read it in one day.
Notes: I didn't read the back cover until I had finished the book, and was surprised to see that it's marketed for ages 8-12. While it does have shades of Calpurnia Tate, I think it more reminiscent of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce books, and could therefore be marketed to adults.
Long ago people dug pits in Wolf Hollow to trap wolves. Now traps are only set for humans, and lies dig the holes! Lies can be evil fabrications designed to promote a person’s self- interests or to purposefully harm others. Can lies also protect loved ones?
Twelve year old Annabelle lives in a protective close-knit community with a loving family tucked into the hills of 1940s Pennsylvania, but she soon finds out that there is evil in the world and life is fragile. Annabelle’s story is infused with rich language and characters painted with such lovingly, colorful strokes that the reader wants to be a part of this family. The book lived in my mind long after I was finished reading it.
Twelve year old Annabelle lives in a protective close-knit community with a loving family tucked into the hills of 1940s Pennsylvania, but she soon finds out that there is evil in the world and life is fragile. Annabelle’s story is infused with rich language and characters painted with such lovingly, colorful strokes that the reader wants to be a part of this family. The book lived in my mind long after I was finished reading it.
Beautifully written yet tragic book...reminiscent of A Year Down Yonder but a bit more serious. Could easily be a companion book to To Kill a Mockingbird due to the similarity of themes. Annabelle stands up to the new girl in town who also happens to be a mean-spirited bully, Betty. When a tragic aa tragic accident occurs Betty blames Toby, a drifter who lives in an abandoned smokehouse. Toby is "odd"; a war veteran who suffers from both physical and emotional scars. When Betty disappears, locals start hunting for Toby believing he had something to do with Betty's disappearance.