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melissasbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this latest story by Jerry Spinelli! The messages were so good. It shows that good can be found in everyone and that even those looked down on by society are capable of noble sacrifice. Set in the 1950's, Spinelli really captures the times where children played outside at all hours, American Bandstand was king, and girls who liked baseball were definitely tom boys.
Cammie is a twelve year old girl whose mother died saving her live as a baby. Her father happens to be the warden of a prison. Cammie is searching for a mother figure and finds it in the most unlikely of places among the female inmates of the prison. The story follows Cammie as she struggles with the pressures of becoming a teenager. Her best friend is obsessed with being on American Bandstand, and she questions whether her new found friends really like her or are only interested in her because of her access to prison inmates. It's a heartwarming story and I immediately fell in love with Cammie. I listened to the audiobook version of the book and loved the narrator. Highly recommend this book to middle grade readers and older. Anyone who loves a good historical fiction novel would enjoy this.
Cammie is a twelve year old girl whose mother died saving her live as a baby. Her father happens to be the warden of a prison. Cammie is searching for a mother figure and finds it in the most unlikely of places among the female inmates of the prison. The story follows Cammie as she struggles with the pressures of becoming a teenager. Her best friend is obsessed with being on American Bandstand, and she questions whether her new found friends really like her or are only interested in her because of her access to prison inmates. It's a heartwarming story and I immediately fell in love with Cammie. I listened to the audiobook version of the book and loved the narrator. Highly recommend this book to middle grade readers and older. Anyone who loves a good historical fiction novel would enjoy this.
emeraldcityreader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide
heyshay07's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. Jerry Spinelli knows how to write a funny story with likable characters and there is always has a couple tug at your heart moment as well as several laughs. This would be a great book for anyone who has ever lost their mother or grown up without a parent. Cammie is a relatable pre-teen protagonist in between her 6th and 7th grade year. Its a good coming of age story. I definitely think girls would enjoy it but I'm not sure boys would like it as well since there is a lot of talk about liking boys and more friendship type drama. There is a suicide in the book so that could be hard for students.
nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
A sweet historical fiction book for middle grades, about a girl who wants a mom. She's willing to give just about any woman a chance to be her mother figure, but unfortunately the only women she knows are the inmates of the women's prison where her dad is the warden! But she doesn't let that stop her. Cammie is 12 in the summer of 1959, with a best friend but also anger issues over never having known her mom (who died when she was a baby). I liked the 1950s cultural details, the prison setting (which reminded me a lot of Al Capone Does My Shirts), and the characters, especially inmates Eloda and Boo-Boo who befriend Cammie. I'm not sure how often kids will pick this book up on their own, it's more of a "hand sell" or booktalk option, and the nostalgia factor is pretty high. But you might have a reader who enjoyed the Al Capone books looking for something else set in a prison.
meghanfulmer's review against another edition
3.0
I had such high hopes for this book. A colleague and I run a book club for some 4th and 5th grade students, and we all voted and chose this book to read. First of all, though it is marketed for this age range, it was very difficult for our kids to read; in fact, I didn't find myself feeling as though I were reading a YA book, except for the fact that it is about a young girl.
The Warden's Daughter is about Cammie O'Reilly, a 12-year-old girl who lives in an apartment above the prison for which her father is a warden. When Cammie was a baby, her mother died, and it seems that neither Cammie nor her father has ever really dealt with that grief. The beginning of the book was extremely slow for me. Cammie has some friends and we see how they interact together. We also watch as Cammie tries to win over her housekeeper/babysitter (who is also a prisoner), but she always manages to be kind of a brat so that doesn't get very far. There are also some scenes in which Cammie interacts with the prisoners that were, honestly, just beyond me. I cannot imagine how a father--even a grieving father--would allow his child that kind of freedom.
Though the book did pick up in the second half, the characters who emerged as important were not given enough weight at the beginning of the book, so their sudden importance seemed odd and forced. The big "twist" in the book is also, in my opinion, completely unbelievable and it just didn't seem to fit with what I read in the first half of the book. Overall, I did not care for pretty much any character; I found them to be a bit flat, and I found that Spinelli does an awful lot of showing, not telling. I would have given it only two stars except that our little book club did have some good conversation surrounding the book, and our girls connected to Cammie in several ways, so we considered that a win :)
The Warden's Daughter is about Cammie O'Reilly, a 12-year-old girl who lives in an apartment above the prison for which her father is a warden. When Cammie was a baby, her mother died, and it seems that neither Cammie nor her father has ever really dealt with that grief. The beginning of the book was extremely slow for me. Cammie has some friends and we see how they interact together. We also watch as Cammie tries to win over her housekeeper/babysitter (who is also a prisoner), but she always manages to be kind of a brat so that doesn't get very far. There are also some scenes in which Cammie interacts with the prisoners that were, honestly, just beyond me. I cannot imagine how a father--even a grieving father--would allow his child that kind of freedom.
Though the book did pick up in the second half, the characters who emerged as important were not given enough weight at the beginning of the book, so their sudden importance seemed odd and forced. The big "twist" in the book is also, in my opinion, completely unbelievable and it just didn't seem to fit with what I read in the first half of the book. Overall, I did not care for pretty much any character; I found them to be a bit flat, and I found that Spinelli does an awful lot of showing, not telling. I would have given it only two stars except that our little book club did have some good conversation surrounding the book, and our girls connected to Cammie in several ways, so we considered that a win :)
margaretann84's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I need to preface this whole post by saying I love Jerry Spinelli. I adore Stargirl, and I have fond memories of reading Maniac Magee and Milkweed and lots of his other books. I think that's why I was so disappointed in this book.
I'm going to make my prediction now. This book is going to be a Newbery book. I don't know if it's going to get the Honor or be the actual full-on winner, but I'm willing to bet that this becomes one of the Newbery books for 2017. This is for several reasons. First, The Warden’s Daughter has that whole bildungsroman thing going, so it's all about growing up. The main character is a child who is missing a parent but desperately wants to feel the love of that parent. I’m pretty sure it’d be impossible to count on just two hands how many Newbery winners (don’t even start with the Honors) lead off with that premise. Second, it's definitely one of those books that adults will appreciate more than kids. It's very lush in a sort of sepia-toned nostalgia way, and books like that tend to go over well with the Newbery committee.
I know at the end of the book I was crying a little bit. That actually that used to be my gauge of whether book was good at all when I was young and foolish and knew less about literature. If a book could make me cry, then it had to be good. But with Spinelli’s book, I feel like I was crying because he knew how to play me, like he’d figured out a formula and was using it instead of making me genuinely invested in the characters.
Full review on A Writer Reads.
I'm going to make my prediction now. This book is going to be a Newbery book. I don't know if it's going to get the Honor or be the actual full-on winner, but I'm willing to bet that this becomes one of the Newbery books for 2017. This is for several reasons. First, The Warden’s Daughter has that whole bildungsroman thing going, so it's all about growing up. The main character is a child who is missing a parent but desperately wants to feel the love of that parent. I’m pretty sure it’d be impossible to count on just two hands how many Newbery winners (don’t even start with the Honors) lead off with that premise. Second, it's definitely one of those books that adults will appreciate more than kids. It's very lush in a sort of sepia-toned nostalgia way, and books like that tend to go over well with the Newbery committee.
I know at the end of the book I was crying a little bit. That actually that used to be my gauge of whether book was good at all when I was young and foolish and knew less about literature. If a book could make me cry, then it had to be good. But with Spinelli’s book, I feel like I was crying because he knew how to play me, like he’d figured out a formula and was using it instead of making me genuinely invested in the characters.
Full review on A Writer Reads.
letshaveakiki's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.75
hmstamper's review against another edition
4.0
Haven't read a Jerry Spinelli book in awhile. Brought back good memories of his style of writing.
a_sleepy_berry's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide