by Ellen Wittlinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2000
Personal contact with a homeless woman teaches a sixth-grade girl what values are really important. Bess Cunningham is the daughter of a social worker, who, in a nice touch, is too busy doing good works to give her daughter the affection and attention she craves. Bess is about to start middle school, and this year her goal is to shed her nerdy elementary-school persona, make new friends, and hang with the popular crowd. To get noticed, she decides to don funky thrift-store clothing—which does indeed get her noticed though not in the way she was hoping—and volunteers to be the stage manager for her school’s play. An encounter with an elderly destitute lady named Gracie raises Bess’s consciousness in respect to the homeless—she had regarded them as scary and unsavory—and she begins to help the addled woman, first reluctantly, then finally with her whole heart. Wittlinger does a good job of presenting the change in Bess’s mindset, her growing compassion and realization that Gracie is a real person, “definitely strange, but not totally nuts or anything.” The book also elucidates the broad spectrum of attitudes that exist toward the indigent, though unfortunately the author defines her characters by their position on the homeless rather than giving them unique personal flavors. After a tragedy, the book ends on a hopeful note, and Bess learns some important if predictable lessons. Earnest and well-intentioned, this should shed some light on an important social issue. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-82249-9
Page Count: 190
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
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by David Shannon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1999
The poster boy for relentless mischief-makers everywhere, first encountered in No, David! (1998), gives his weary mother a rest by going to school. Naturally, he’s tardy, and that’s but the first in a long string of offenses—“Sit down, David! Keep your hands to yourself! PAY ATTENTION!”—that culminates in an afterschool stint. Children will, of course, recognize every line of the text and every one of David’s moves, and although he doesn’t exhibit the larger- than-life quality that made him a tall-tale anti-hero in his first appearance, his round-headed, gap-toothed enthusiasm is still endearing. For all his disruptive behavior, he shows not a trace of malice, and it’ll be easy for readers to want to encourage his further exploits. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-48087-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
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by David Shannon ; illustrated by David Shannon
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by David Shannon ; illustrated by David Shannon
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by David Shannon ; illustrated by David Shannon
by Beverly Cleary ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 1999
Ramona returns (Ramona Forever, 1988, etc.), and she’s as feisty as ever, now nine-going-on-ten (or “zeroteen,” as she calls it). Her older sister Beezus is in high school, baby-sitting, getting her ears pierced, and going to her first dance, and now they have a younger baby sister, Roberta. Cleary picks up on all the details of fourth grade, from comparing hand calluses to the distribution of little plastic combs by the school photographer. This year Ramona is trying to improve her spelling, and Cleary is especially deft at limning the emotional nuances as Ramona fails and succeeds, goes from sad to happy, and from hurt to proud. The grand finale is Ramona’s birthday party in the park, complete with a cake frosted in whipped cream. Despite a brief mention of nose piercing, Cleary’s writing still reflects a secure middle-class family and untroubled school life, untouched by the classroom violence or the broken families of the 1990s. While her book doesn’t match what’s in the newspapers, it’s a timeless, serene alternative for children, especially those with less than happy realities. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 25, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-16816-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
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by Beverly Cleary & illustrated by Ted Rand
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