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Book of the Month
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This month's books are....
Mick Harte Was Here
by Barbara Park
Ages 9-12/Grades 5-7
From
Booklist
Gr. 5-7. Park turns her wry eye on a serious subject, the death of a sibling.
With love, wit, and anger, 13-year-old Phoebe Harte describes her brother, Mick,
and the effect his death has on the family. It is a bike accident that kills
Mick, and Park does an excellent job of capturing the shock and dissociation
that a sudden death can cause in survivors. There's so much here that rings
true: what friends can (and cannot) do, the inevitable rantings against God, and
the seesaw emotions experienced by the whole family. Where Park goes a bit over
the top is in her description of Mick, a real wiseacre, who puts a ceramic eye
in a defrosted chicken and goes trick-or-treating as Thomas Crapper, inventor of
the toilet. Not that this isn't funny stuff, but Park's inflation of Mick oddly
diminishes him. Still, there is a sea of real emotions here, and readers,
whether they've been touched by death or not, will find themselves touched by
this book. Park's author's-note plea for kids to wear bike helmets (such a
helmet could have saved Mick) may now fall on responsive ears.
From
Horn Book
For eighth-grader Phoebe, remembering Mick, her younger brother who died
in a bike accident, means remembering the funny, crazy, annoying things he used
to do, such as asking for fly swatters for Christmas or tap-dancing on the piano
at choir practice. Park skillfully interweaves humor and pain in this unique,
utterly believable account of Phoebe's attempt to cope with a heartbreaking
loss.
The Watson's Go To
Birmingham, 1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Grades 4+
This book was reviewed by Carol Otis Hurst in Teaching K-8 Magazine
This is a very special book. It starts with humor and ends with tragedy. The Watsons: Mother, Father, older son Byron, next son Kenny and daughter Joetta live in Flint, Michigan. Most of the first part of the book is devoted to the high-jinks, many of them hilarious, of Byron who walks on the edge of delinquency. Often it's the tears and protests of the little sister that keeps Byron from being severely punished. Although his parents are loving and have great senses of humor, they are finally pushed into doing something drastic about Byron. The decision is made to drive to Birmingham, where Mrs. Watsons' mother lives and leave Byron with her for the summer, maybe even for the next school year. The trip to Birmingham brings the children to their first experience with segregation. After a warm welcome at their Grandmother Sands' house, it is Kenny, not Byron, who gets in trouble. He nearly drowns and it is Byron who saves him. The real climax comes when the church Sunday school that Joetta is attending is bombed. Fortunately, she escaped injury but it is some time before the family realizes this. The horror of it all is too much for Kenny, however. The family, including Byron, come back to Michigan and, again, it is Byron who saves the day by helping Kenny accept the unfairness of the tragedy.
For further reviews and/or to purchase these books, visit:
300 E. Myrtle St; Independence, KS 67301 - Phone: 620.332.1875 - All Rights Reserved ©2006 - Last Update: 12/31/2008