Children's Book Reviews
Page One of ThreeFlipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Knopf, October, 2001Hardcover, 192 pages
ISBN: 0375811745
Ages 9 - 14
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Juli Baker fell madly in love with Bryce Loski the moment
she laid eyes on him, after his family moved in across the
street from hers. Bryce is a little shy, though, so she
decides to be more forward to help him out. Bryce
thinks Juli Baker is the biggest pest he has ever met in
his life; she follows him around, she sits in trees, and
insists on giving his family free eggs from the chickens
that she inexplicably raises in her suburban backyard.
But when eighth grade rolls around, suddenly the tables
are turned. Bryce starts to think that Juli is actually
kind of interesting, while Juli starts to think that
Bryce is really just a pretty face, without much
depth or substance at all.
The story is told in a he said -- she said style: the chapters are told first in Juli's voice, then in Bryce's. The danger in this approach is that there will be too much repetition, as each character gives his spin on what happened. But Wendelin Van Draanen (author of the popular Sammy Keyes mysteries) neatly avoids this pitfall -- the alternating stories are, by turns, hilarious and moving. With dialogue that rings true to the age group, an engaging plot and some deft handling of such issues as honesty, social status, family loyalty and care of the mentally disabled, Flipped is a compelling and vastly entertaining read. Highly recommended.
--Claire E. White
Father Fox's Pennyrhymes by Clyde Watson, Illustrated by Wendy Watson
HarperCollins, August, 2001Picture Book, 64 pages
ISBN: 0060295015
All Ages
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Many of us have wished that we could find the
favorite books of our childhood and youth among
the shelves of our newest bookstore so that we
could share them with our favorite children. Often we
have been disappointed because either the story is there
but the pictures are not quite right, or the story itself
is nowhere to be found. Our own copies which were
literally loved to pieces will not seem as special to the
new reader. Luckily Harper Collins has republished
Father Fox's Pennyrhymes and kept the original
drawings. This charming little classic which was
first published in 1971 is ready to be enjoyed by a new generation of readers.
The first rhyme introduces us to the fox family. Old Father Fox is asked to sing a song, as the family sits by the fire sipping hot cider. This sets the tone for the lively, and very American feeling of the poems that could all be called at a square dance or be used for skipping rope. There is both sense and nonsense in the rhymes, but happiness springs from all of them. As we follow the happy drawings of all of the busy antics of the many foxes, we are drawn to the delightful details. Father Fox's Pennyrhymes is the kind of book that a younger person can enjoy with an older person, as they both enjoy the rhythm of the rhymes and the humorous details of the illustrations.
--Sarah Reaves White
Children's Book Reviews
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