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A review by actuallyjusthanne
Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a book that was always around while I was a child, but it wasn't necessarily one of the books that was an all time favorite. Revisiting it as an adult, I thought it was so lovely and wholesome, but truly a story that illustrated the difference of the times. For starters, Mr. Pye was 35 when he met Mrs. Pye, 17, and the whole thing about Uncle Bennie being 3 years old is not quite as adorable with that context in mind.
The main takeaway from this book for me was how charming the writing was: it conveyed the facts of the story in a straightfoward, easily-digestible way for children, and yet, it doesn't talk down to children. The writing was super well rounded and nuanced, and all in all it was a pleasure to read. The switches in perspective were so subtle, yet made the book so fun to follow: from Jerry (age 10), to Rachel (age 9), to Ginger (puppy) to Uncle Bennie (age 3), getting to learn their inner monologue made the book feel tied together and nice to read.
I really liked that this book was set in Cranbury, the same town as The Moffats: the extra tie in was so fun and probably blew the minds of children in the 1960s lol. Obviously there were some dated references (in particular, a lot of banging on about Indians), but all in all it wasn't that bad in my opinion. (The low opinion of the police was ahead of its time, in my opinion lol). The whole small town featured throughout the book was so classic Americana and all the subtle characters (Sam Doody, Mr. Tuttle, Reverend Gandy, and so on) made this book so fun. (Sam Doody may have been my first ever fictional crush LOL).
The main takeaway from this book for me was how charming the writing was: it conveyed the facts of the story in a straightfoward, easily-digestible way for children, and yet, it doesn't talk down to children. The writing was super well rounded and nuanced, and all in all it was a pleasure to read. The switches in perspective were so subtle, yet made the book so fun to follow: from Jerry (age 10), to Rachel (age 9), to Ginger (puppy) to Uncle Bennie (age 3), getting to learn their inner monologue made the book feel tied together and nice to read.
I really liked that this book was set in Cranbury, the same town as The Moffats: the extra tie in was so fun and probably blew the minds of children in the 1960s lol. Obviously there were some dated references (in particular, a lot of banging on about Indians), but all in all it wasn't that bad in my opinion. (The low opinion of the police was ahead of its time, in my opinion lol). The whole small town featured throughout the book was so classic Americana and all the subtle characters (Sam Doody, Mr. Tuttle, Reverend Gandy, and so on) made this book so fun. (Sam Doody may have been my first ever fictional crush LOL).
One night when Jerry and Rachel had been desperately knocking on doors asking people had they seen Ginger, a woman came to the door and before they could even get out the sentence about Ginger she held up her hands and said, "I'm making mincemeat. Can't you see I'm making mincemeat?" And she slammed the door in their faces. Her hands hadn't had any mincemeat on them that they could see, but the way she held them up and the way she said, "mincemeat," made them imagine they were just dripping with it. So they called her "Mincemeat" from then on.
At the heart of the book, this is a slice of life story, with an interwoven thread of Ginger Pye and his first few months. Going through the day to day with Jerry and Rachel really highlighted how growing up happens a little bit at a time and it's so hard to realize it until one looks back.
My favorite character in this book, aside from Ginger, was Rachel. She was 9, and had many of the same compunctions that I did when I was 9, which was just so sweet. She also learned words from books, wanted to be like her father, and had likely diagnosable anxiety disorder, and following what she did was so fun. The chapters told from her perspective really encapsulate what childhood is like, in my opinion.
All in all, this book was really cute! I don't have the same nostalgic tie to it as some other books, but I had a really good time reading it and would recommend it!