Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emleemay 's review for:
Raymie Nightingale
by Kate DiCamillo
I thought this book was wonderful.
I don't read a lot of middle grade these days. I have my childhood favourites that will always hold a special place in my heart, but I rarely seek out new ones. It's hard for me to engage with most juvenile writing styles and I often find them too simplistic. But [b:Raymie Nightingale|25937866|Raymie Nightingale|Kate DiCamillo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446751148s/25937866.jpg|45835163] was warm, sad, subtle loveliness.
The story is indeed very simple, but that is its strength. It's a quiet, whimsical tale of three girls in 1975. There's our protagonist - Raymie - whose father has ran off with a dental hygienist. She plans to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, capture his attention, and bring him home. Then there's the spirited, takes-no-crap Beverly who offers a voice of (often hilarious) cynicism and wants to sabotage the contest as an act of rebellion. And the sweet, faint-of-heart Louisiana with the possibly insane grandmother.
In a series of adventures that involve many funny elderly characters and a lot of life lessons (though refreshingly not heavy-handed), the friendship grows between these three unlikely companions.
Ultimately, the lasting messages of the book are bittersweet. Does Raymie win the competition and bring her father home? Does she find all the answers? Is life ever really that simple?
Or is life actually about the friendships we make that get us through the rest of the madness?
Perhaps this is a bildungsroman about growing up and learning and new perspectives. But, for me, it was a story about three girls and the strength they brought to one another.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Store
I don't read a lot of middle grade these days. I have my childhood favourites that will always hold a special place in my heart, but I rarely seek out new ones. It's hard for me to engage with most juvenile writing styles and I often find them too simplistic. But [b:Raymie Nightingale|25937866|Raymie Nightingale|Kate DiCamillo|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446751148s/25937866.jpg|45835163] was warm, sad, subtle loveliness.
The story is indeed very simple, but that is its strength. It's a quiet, whimsical tale of three girls in 1975. There's our protagonist - Raymie - whose father has ran off with a dental hygienist. She plans to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, capture his attention, and bring him home. Then there's the spirited, takes-no-crap Beverly who offers a voice of (often hilarious) cynicism and wants to sabotage the contest as an act of rebellion. And the sweet, faint-of-heart Louisiana with the possibly insane grandmother.
In a series of adventures that involve many funny elderly characters and a lot of life lessons (though refreshingly not heavy-handed), the friendship grows between these three unlikely companions.
Ultimately, the lasting messages of the book are bittersweet. Does Raymie win the competition and bring her father home? Does she find all the answers? Is life ever really that simple?
Or is life actually about the friendships we make that get us through the rest of the madness?
Perhaps this is a bildungsroman about growing up and learning and new perspectives. But, for me, it was a story about three girls and the strength they brought to one another.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Store