Product Description
Text and pictures bring to life days at a one-room school in northern Vermont which has been functioning for more than 100 years. ... Read more

Product Description
When is a problem a good thing? When it launches a new effort in problem-based school development (PBSD). By starting with a problem identified by teachers themselves, PBSD overturns any notion that professional development is irrelevant to everyday life in schools. Problem-based school development builds the capacity of teachers and others to tackle problems in a way that allows authentic adult learning to take place--with simultaneous benefits for schools and the students they serve.

John Clarke and his coauthors--practitioners at the school, district, and university levels--tell how a relationship between the University of Vermont and school districts throughout the state enables teachers to earn graduate credits through yearlong Problem-Based School Development Institutes. The institutes take participants through a cycle that includes identifying a problem, conducting background and action research, field-testing possible solutions, and recommending action. The authors offer the perspectives of both teachers and administrators as they provide guidelines for making PBSD work. They tell how teams at elementary and secondary schools used PBSD to make significant changes in curriculum and other areas, and they describe the strategies used to link individual school efforts together to create meaningful districtwide reform.

While citing various success stories, the authors acknowledge the struggle between energy--which inspires change--and order--which schools need to function smoothly. They conclude by offering principles of policy development that accommodate both. By following these principles and the practical approach of problem-based school development, educators can create an environment where the creative energy of individuals fuels significant change, taking bottom-up reform to a new level of effectiveness. ... Read more

Product Description
Justin Stokes would never forget the summer she turned fourteen, nor the woman who transformed her bleak adolescent life into a wondrous place of brilliant color. In the little pondside hut she called her "finishing school," eccentric, free-spirited Ursula DeVane opened up a world full of magical possibilities for Justin, teaching her valuable lessons of love and loyalty, encouraging her to change, to learn, to grow. But the lessons of the finishing school have their dark side as well, as Justin learns how deep friendship can be shattered by shocking, unforgivable betrayal.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Love Can Lead to Betrayal
This is a wonderful book.It is about young Justin Stokes' relationship with Ursula Devane, an
older woman who is his mentor and guide.Their lives are inextricably connected until Justin
ends up betraying Ursula as Ursula had once betrayed her own mother.

I am a fan of Gail Godwin's and highly recommend this book.Another book of hers that I
like very much is Violet Clay: A Novel.

This says it all:
Justin Stokes would never forget the summer she turned fourteen, nor the woman who transformed her bleak adolescent life into a wondrous place of brilliant color. In the little pond side hut also known as the "finishing school," eccentric, free-spirited Ursula DeVane opened up a world full of magical possibilities for Justin, teaching her valuable lessons of love and loyalty, and encouraging her to change, to learn, to grow. But the lessons of the finishing school have their dark side as well, as Justin learns how deep friendship can be shattered by shocking, unforgivable betrayal.

finishing school
When teenager Justin Stokes goes for a bike ride one summer day, she doesn't expect to meet a woman who will change her life. With a flair for the dramatic and a tragic past, Ursula De Vane doesn't enter Justin's life so much as she explodes into it.Justin, longing to free the constraints of her conventional aunt, inquisitive baby brother and recently widowed mother, finds in Ursula the kindred desire not to live an ordinary life.But when past secrets threaten to undermine their relationship, can she find it in her to accept that Ursula is human and flawed after all. Told from the perspective of the adult Justin, now an actress, still haunted by that summer.

Beautiful writing, but not enough plot.
Justin Stokes, a precocious, despondent 14 year old adolescent, feels trapped in a rural "one-horse" town to which her family was forced to move for monetary reasons.Justin's only respite is her fleeting relationship with Ursula DeVane, a vibrant educated woman in her forties, who lives with her highly sensitive, classical pianist brother.For one summer, Justin goes out of her way to develop a relationship with Ursula, as basically everyone else that she has contact with, including her family members, bores her.As one might expect though, Ursula and her brother have a past which eventually catches up with them, and which profoundly affects Justin, even into her adulthood.Although Gail Godwin virtually promises to "shock" her audience, a reader of contemporary novels will hardly be shocked.

Godwin is one of our best contemporary writers.Her description of detail (for instance, how she describes a garden, or a pond in the forest) rivals the best 19th century British authors.I love, for example, how Justin practices her pronunciation of the name "Ursula" in attempt to impress her older friend.

My criticism of the novel is there is not enough of a story to justify 300+ pages.I think I might have enjoyed it more if it were 100 pages shorter, or even written as a novella.On the other hand, Godwin is such a remarkable writer, that I always enjoy reading her, even if the book is somewhat slow-going.

If you are interested in reading Gail Godwin, I would recommend starting with "A Southern Family," which is longer, but more compelling, and easier to get through.

Good beginning and ending
I had a bit of trouble getting through the middle of the book: I lost interest but towards the end it picks up again. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: [Washington, D.C.?] : The CommissionPublication date: 1999Subjects: Discrimination in educationRacismNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
Something weird is going on.

Miss Daisy, who teaches second grade, doesn't know how to add or subtract. Not only that, she doesn’t know how to read or write either. She is the dumbest teacher in the history of the world!

Customer Reviews (16)

Keeps kids' interest
My son loves these books. He actually wants to do his reading each day because he wants to know what happens in the story. The author creates characters that think and act like second graders. And the teachers in the book are really crazy. It's fun reading for kids.

Mixed Feelings - Read these books WITH your child
My younger son (1st grade) really enjoys the My Weird School series by Dan Gutman.He is just starting to learn to read so the MWS series are books that I read to him at bedtime.We own 4-5 of the books and have checked out several more from our local library.

Pros: There are some very silly and funny parts, which encourage children to read more.My son loved Dr. Brad Has Gone Mad because Dr. Brad speaks with an accent. ("I vant you to look at zeez pictures and tell me vut you see.") Or when the teacher says to take out your reading log, AJ says, "I don't have a reading log.Who wants to read a log?"There are some educational parts (for example, the book about Presidents' Day, Mr. Macky is Wacky, "I'm James Madison.I am the 4th president--and the shortest.I'm about five feet four inches tall.").

Cons: The language in the book is not appropriate.Every book starts with "My name is A.J. and I hate school."My sons (1st and 4th) like school and I want them to continue to like school for as long as possible.I know they will at some point not like school anymore.I'd rather that they didn't get the idea too soon that they're "supposed to" hate school.So I when I read the book, I either just read, "My name is A.J."or if I read the I hate school part, then I'll try to counter that with, "That's too bad!School can be so fun!"

Every book also has several instances of name-calling, mostly "dumbhead."I usually don't read the name calling parts.If I accidently do read it or it's part of the plot, then I stop and remind my son that we don't call people names.Several times the main character will say, "Nah-nah-nah boo-boo on her."AJ and another character Andrea are always bickering."Maybe you'll finally get kicked out of school," said Andrea."Your face should get kicked out of school," I told her.Again, as much as I can, I cut these parts out and don't read them.

With bullying in schools and rude behavior from so many people (kids and adults), do we really need children's books that encourage this kind of behavior?If the author could change the mean and rude language to more of the fun and silly parts, I would give this series 5 stars--and probably buy every single MWS book.But instead I give them a cautious 3 stars and wonder if I should stop getting any more of these books.I would never buy one of these books as a gift for another child.

The Kookiness hooks
My 6 yr old daughter (going into the 1st grade) used this book to lead into chapter books. Not only is it an easy read, Dan Gutman uses silly humor that gets her running to us to share as she's reading. As someone who works with challenged children, I strongly recommend this series for any child who needs a good laugh. We've already told everyone we know about them.

Not the impression I want my kids to have about school
I wish I could give this book zero stars.One look at the table of contents and I knew I had made a bad purchase (thankfully, it only cost $1 through Scholastic)....

Chapter 1 - I Hate School!
Chapter 2 - Dumb Miss Daisy and Pricipal Klutz
Chapter 10 - Football Players are Really Dumb

I'm sure you're beginning to get the idea, but just in case you think I didn't give the book a chance, here is an excerpt from Chapter 1, I Hate School...

"My name is AJ.I like football and video games, and I hate school. (...) All the kids laughted when I said I hated school.But there was nothing funny about it.I have learned a lot in my eight years.One thing I learned is that there is no reason why kids should have to go to school.

"School is just this dumb thing that grown-ups thought up so they wouldn't have to pay for baby-sitters."

I'm sure I could find at least one redeeming quality about this book if I read the entire thing, but I'm not going to do that.I understand the irony and reverse psychology of the author and his intent.The problem is that my 6- and 7-year-olds do not understand it and get entirely the wrong message.Let's not even mention that words such as "hate" and "dumb" are off limits in our home.

If you are still in doubt, borrow the book from your library and see for yourself.My copy is going straight to the recycling bin.

Miss Daisy is Crasy:a review

If you like crazy, funny books then this book is for you! It is aboutteacher that teaches 4th grade, and she does not even know what 4 x 4 equals.

It starts at a middle school in California. It is A.J.'s first day of 4th grade, and he hates school. But the weird thing is that is that Miss Daisy hate school, too!

A.J., a fourth grader, is suspicious about Miss Daisy, Miss Daisy is their teacher. Shedoes not even know how to spell,"read".

To sum it up, A.J. has a great year. I like this book because it is hilarious. I recommend this book to people who want to laugh.
... Read more

Product Description
A fun-filled collection designed especially for the back-to-school crowd includes hilarious puns, silly jokes, wacky one-liners, bone-tickling knock-knocks, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Jokes that will generate giggles from most children
Many of these jokes are oldies, but are funny enough that the latest generation will enjoy them. There are knock-knock jokes, riddles, wordplay, and bug in the cafeteria food jokes. They will delight children roughly ten years of age. As a parent, I have been the recipient of the telling of many jokes of these forms and this collection contains some of the best. If you buy the book for your child, be prepared to listen to some corny, yet humorous jokes. Like me, if you are an adult and have a good memory, you will recognize many of them. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Black River, Theodore Robinson, Barton River, Lake Region Union High School, Orleans Central Supervisory Union, North Country Supervisory Union, Howard Frank Mosher, Orleans-2 Vermont Representative District, 2002-2012. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 39. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Black River (Lake Memphremagog) -The Black River is 26 miles (42 km) miles in length, originates east of Great Hosmer Pond with headwater tributaries flowing west off Ames Hill in Albany. It drains 134 square miles (347 km) of land. This river has the lowest gradient of the three main rivers in the basin with an average slope of about 8 feet (2.4 m) per 1 mile (1.6 km). The Black River watershed contains over 600 acres (243 ha) of lakes and ponds, the three largest being Elligo Pond, Little Hosmer Pond and Great Hosmer Pond. The current is slow. The drop from the source to Lake Memphremagog, including the falls at Irasburg and Coventry is 190 feet (58 m). The Black River, after beginning on the east side of Great Hosmer Pond in the southern portion of the town of Albany. It flows south-southwesterly through a relatively narrow valley. It continues in a generally southerly flow into the town of Craftsbury entering a wider valley east of Duck Pond. Whitney Brook, and then the drainage from Little Hosmer and Great Hosmer Ponds, join the river. It meanders further south then is confined briefly just north of Craftsbury village. South of Craftsbury village, the river reverses course and flows northwesterly with Lake Elligo outlet stream joining the river from the east. The river twists and turns its way north through a broad valley, which contains many significant floodplain and wetland communities (see section below). The river flows the length of the town of Craftsbury. The river drains...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=18482858 ... Read more

Product Description
Angry at her mother for leaving her in Vermont with her aunt and uncle while her mother goes off to school, Cassie writes letters to her errant parent, pouring out her frustrations and discoveries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dear Mum, in Ohio For A Year
A child named Cassandra is left by her widowed mother to be taken care of by her Aunt and uncle, Emily and Fred.
Cassandra barely even knows Aunty Emily and Uncle Fred and is very depressed over her new situation.

It's a fairly simple novel aimed at junior readers and I wouldn't have read it if I'd realized the character was so little!..eleven.But it wasn't too difficult for me to slowly be drawn into Cassies' story.Especially as she was such an imaginative, quirky and funny character.
It is with help from her creative wwriting class that she is finally able to put pen to paper and write to her mother.This is to delightfully funny results.Cassie has indeed learned to be creative.She stretches the truth, up until the final chapter when she is able to become honest about her feelings.

Linda Rowe

PS.. The story Cassie writes about a rhino is adorable and ..this word again...funny.
PPS....The hubcap fell off the bus this morning. ... Read more

Product Description
THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Thirteen-year-old Iris loves the northern Vermont hills where she and her family own a farm, but when their barn burns down and her father is injured in a logging accident, the family decides ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great title!
AS LONG AS THERE ARE MOUNTAINS is another classic from Natalie Kinsey Warnock.Her beautiful use of language and lyrical voice make this a delight to read out loud.

Great
This book was very good. I couldn't put it down.

Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award - Yr. 2000
This title was appreciated by enough students and professional librarians and teachers to make the Year 2000 list of nominees for Illinois' childrens' choice award named after the Illinois author Rebecca Caudill. This book is best for grades 4-8. ... Read more

Product Description
Ian Daley lives with his father, mother, and older brother on a dairy farm in northern Vermont. Times are hard for small farmers, and they only get harder when a winter storm brings down the power lines and "stray voltage" gets loose on the farm, randomly shocking humans and animals alike. Then, one day, Ian's mom leaves. They don't know where she's gone or for how long.Ian's dad won't talk about it-but he never really talks about anything. Now there's extra work and less love around the house. Is there anything Ian can do to make things right? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Stray Voltage
This book really gets you into the mindset of what it would be like to be a child on a farm. It's written in a style which makes me feel I'm being told this story by a friend of mine who knows the main character: Ian. Ian, his older brother Ray and his mother and father have a farm in Vermont where they raise milk cows. Stray voltage occurs when the electricity jumps from the power lines. When this happens on the farm, the water the cows drink constantly contains stray voltage. Because of this, the cows avoid drinking water, which means that they produce less milk, since milk is 90% water. Ian's mother wants to sell the farm and move, but his father still wants to wait, in hopes of things getting better. The mother gets so frustrated with the stray voltage that she leaves, giving neither of her two sons any warning. She left only a few months before Christmas, providing Ian with a kitten as a early Christmas present. Ian does not get along with his brother or his father. He's afraid of his father, because he's so big and strong, and his brother Ray doesn't treat him well. His mother was his only friend, and she left. His only connection to her a short letter from her here and there. This is a story of Ian's struggle to cope with the change and a story of his growth. At first he couldn't understand why his mother left, then he wondered why she left him there. He felt she didn't want him, but realized later it wasn't because of him. This is a story about learning, understanding and making the best of your situation.

Read it aloud
If you know a boy ... have a boy ... who "doesn't like to read", read him this one. You will love it and he will be pulled into Ian's world immediately. Besides, is there a better way to turn on a non-reader than to read aloud. Do it. Then give your copy to a sixth grade teacher so he/she can read it aloud to many kids every year.

Not just for farm kids to enjoy
Ian has known nothing other than the dairy farm for his eleven years of life.He doesn't seem to be a farm kid--his mother always acted as a buffer between he and his father--but thechores, the cows, and the routines have become a comfort zone for Ian.When his father decides to sell their cows, Ian is surprised at how much he is against it.But ever since the ice storm broke power lines, stray voltage has plagued their farm, and the cows are sick because of the extra electricity.The farm is also suffering because Ian's mother has left.Suddenly there is one less person to help with chores or keep things clean in the house.Ian struggles with missing his mother, and finding his place on the farm without her.School saves Ian, and his teacher often provides the comfort he needs.

The emotions in this book are real and powerful--the reader is drawn into Ian's world, and can't help feeling the same things Ian is feeling.Ian's character also feasibly develops through the course of the book, and we see him change from event to event.Other characters do not suffer development at Ian's expense, though.Doyle creates each person with the same care as she does Ian.Farm kids--old and young--will be able to identify with many things in this book.Reader should know that there is undisguised swearing in the book, but it fits the scenes and characters and discussion.Overall, this book didn't disappoint me!

Real Boys in the Real World
In language that shimmers, like the ice storm so beautifully described in it, this book brings to life some very real boys, aged 11 and 17, who live on a farm in Vermont, and grow up by doing tangible things like cleaning out the barn, playing basketball, making maple syrup, doing homework, and by having relationships with the people around them that are rich, warm, but often painful. Dad is difficult, Mom is distant(read that gone), and you can just about cut the tension created in this little world of thinking adolescents. These are people who are living and growing by doing and thinking, not standing and watching.
The best things about this book are the fact that the writer treats both her characters and readers with the greatest of respect, never talking down to them, the plot really charges to a climax, and the writing is just so..good. A great book either to read yourself(parent) or get for that child who you'd like to get interested in good writing.

A Vivid Depiction of Rural Vermont Family Life
The author brilliantly draws the reader, adult or child into the world of her subjects. Her phrasing and pace blend the reader's initial distant feelings with the actions and events that occur. Dramatic events, a storm and a fire stand out in this respect, are so carefully enacted that the reader's own sensations mirror those of thecharacters. Such writing and feeling must be born of personal experience shaped by considerable artistic skill. A remarkable work for a new novelist! ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Cities of the United States, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 395 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Provides a wide range of hard-to-locate data to answer questions concerning American cities. Includes thorough coverage of the area's largest or fastest-growing cities, or those with a particular historical, political, industrial or commercial significance. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Cities of the United States, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 464 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Provides a wide range of hard-to-locate data to answer questions concerning American cities. Includes thorough coverage of the area's largest or fastest-growing cities, or those with a particular historical, political, industrial or commercial significance. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Cities of the United States, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 376 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Provides a wide range of hard-to-locate data to answer questions concerning American cities. Includes thorough coverage of the area's largest or fastest-growing cities, or those with a particular historical, political, industrial or commercial significance. ... Read more

Product Description
Keene makes a major contribution to the study of American colonial and nineteenth century cultural history. Geographic and economic influences are examined as they affected music and education in Vermont. Vermont's early educational system is related to its people's unique sense of independence. The private school and its early acceptance of music are explored, and an intriguing story unfolds regarding the nature of Vermont musicians and their conflict with their European-trained counterparts who were coming to America in ever-increasing numbers. Charming anecdotes are found throughout. The reader will find many parallels between the problems of nineteenth century education in Vermont and those of today. The cyclic nature of educational concerns and the public's rediscovery of solutions form an integral part of this valuable historical volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Boldness and a gift for improvising verse enable eight-year-old Daisy Turner, an African American living in Grafton, Vermont, in the late 19th century, to triumph over an incident of discrimination in her school. Told in Daisy's voice, the book's themes of identity and self-affirmation offer a powerful lesson to today's youngsters who face similar situations of prejudice and stereotyping in the 21st century classroom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children
Jessie Daisy Turner, an eight year old child in the late 1800s, lives with her parents and twelve siblings on a beautiful Vermont farm surrounded by daisies.Her father had settled in Vermont after he escaped from slavery in Virginia and joined the Union Army.Daisy is one of the only children of color in her classroom, and she is both embarrassed and angry when the teacher, in assigning poems to read and props to hold for a school program, singles Daisy out by giving her a doll with a black face.That moment was the first time someone had treated Daisy differently due to her skin color, and Daisy had trouble making sense of this experience.

Ultimately, Daisy is able to use her courage and her talent as a poet to show her teacher, classmates, and the community the importance of speaking out about race and racial equality.Based on a true story, Daisy and the Doll provides readers with an important reminder of the hurtful feelings associated with discrimination, even if the person responsible for the treatment may not have intended to be cruel.Although the book focuses on race, the astute reader will also notice an interesting discussion point related to gender, given that the teacher assigned dolls only to the girls.

GREAT BOOK!
THIS IS A FANTASTIC BOOK. I COLLECT ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH BLACK DOLLS, WHICH WAS HOW I STUMBLED UPON THIS JEWEL.BUY IT. READ IT. APPRECIATE IT. ************

I love the colors! My niece really enjoyed it.
My sister loved the book so much. She asked me where I got it from. I prodly told her Amazon. It very hard to find quality books about African-American children for African-American children. Thanks!

Poetry of the Soul
This is a fantastic book and should be a part of every fourth and fifth grade classroom.The story gives a soul stirring look at life for a minority in the late 1800's in such a way that children can relate to the emotions experienced and actions taken. The story shows how even a child can respond to challenge prejudice and unfair bias in a mature way.It would also be a great introduction to a unit on poetry. ... Read more

Product Description
THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. In 1899, ten-year-old Robbie, son of a preacher in a small Vermont town, gets himself into all kinds of trouble when he decides to give up being Christian in order to make the most of his lif ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Preacher's boy review
I thought that Preacher's boy had an intresting first couple chapters but after that i started to notice it got boring.i think there should be more of a plot in the book.it is basically about 2 boys named robbie and willie who pull pranks and get in trouble. After Robbie meats Zeb and Vile it gets a little better but I still think it could of been a little more well-written.

Preacher's Boy by Katherine Paterson
I picked out this book to read because of the author. I had read 'Bridge to Terabithia' two years before for school and I loved it, so I figured that anything else written by Katherine Paterson would be just as good. I was right. I started the book because of the author, and I finished it because of the story.
Preacher's Boy is about a young boy in 1899 who thinks that the world will end with the year. His father is the town preacher, but Robbie, the boy, thinks that the ten commandments are too confining. He thinks that since he can't do wat he wants while he is a Christian, he will become an atheist. Unfortunantly, he doesn't know what they are areally called, so he spends the entire book calling himself an apeist.
This book is filled with laughs and funny situations, many of which made me laugh out loud. I would definantly recommend this book to anyone that wants a good laugh. This book is probably best for ages 7-14, although I think that anyone would enjoy it.

No More Pranks
I thought this book only disurved 3 stars because I really didn't get into it thatmuch.I almost just sat it down and found a new book after reading the first chapter of it.I mean all that was in it was that Robbie and his friend Willie were basically in some kind of prank pulling contest.Them against the Weston boys.It sounded really boring.Anyway it ended up getting a little bit more interesting when Robbie's bigger brother Elliot, who is kind of mest up in the head, gets lost on the forth of July.Then the next day when Robbie and his friend Willie were supposed to be going fishing Willie Grandma has him working.So Robbie to there secret hideout and that's when he finds so poor people living in their now. That's all I can really tell without telling the end.

One of the Great Authors
A book by Katherine Paterson is always difficult to judge.The main reason is because she has written a truly great book--"Bridge to Terabithia"--and a number of others that are nearly as great.Because of this, there is a tendency to be a tougher judge of her books as if every new novel should be a masterpiece.Fortunately, Ms. Paterson lives up to the challenge time after time.

I am constantly amazed at how well Ms. Paterson is able to write in the voice of young person, creating very realistic characters.Though a bit older myself these days, I can identify very well with Robbie as he stuggles with the difficulties in his life.I am particularly impressed with the depiction of Robbie's relationship with his father and how he struggles to understand him.Also, the difficulties he has in being himself while at the same time trying to be the son of a good man who has an important and public job in his hometown.

Though I don't think any good book is really gender-specific to an active reader, I can see where young boys would find this book speaking to them a little more.Still, I would encourage anyone with a love of good literature to read this book.It is a stong depiction of an interesting character.

A great read for all ages
At first I was skeptical about this book because in the beginning of the book Robbie and Willie just play pranks on the other townspeople. I soon realized I was wrong. It was jam-packed with action,adventure,love and care. It made me feel as though I was joining Robbie on his big adventures. This book is thrilling and is a must-read. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. This was a swell read. ... Read more

Product Description
After her parents find clashing answers to life’s big questions, it’s time for Octavia to make some choices of her own in this poignant, funny, thought-provoking novel.

Octavia’s best friend, Andrew, wants to know why time runs forward instead of backward, or if it’s possible to talk to an alien jellyfish. Octavia has much bigger questions on her mind: Why do bad things happen, like Hurricane Katrina and 9/11? What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? Octavia’s artist father, Boone, is convinced that Henry David Thoreau holds the key. Meanwhile, her mother, Ray, has always been seeking the larger meaning of life—until now. Not only have Octavia’s parents come up with different answers to the big questions, but their answers are threatening to tear her family apart. Could it be that some questions are too big to have just one answer? Could it be that the universe is far wider than Octavia’s—or perhaps anyone’s—views of it? ... Read more

Product Description
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Surprise Read!
This is not your ordinary autobiography. It is a fabulous read. I wish the book were longer, containing more of Rob's life adventures. Thoughtful book that I think you too will enjoy!

An interesting and personal retrospective of an accomplished author and well-loved cowboy
"MY BOOK IS YOUR AMERICA. An album of my old friends and your new ones. Real citizens you deserve to greet, and know, and possibly remember. You shall know me by the people I have known."

With over sixty-five books published, including the highly acclaimed novel A DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE and a series of Soup books that won him the prestigious Mark Twain Award, Robert Newton Peck is a well-seasoned author with an established readership. His books have explored a variety of subjects from his boyhood experiences in rural Vermont to tales about making ends meet while growing up on a farm, as a cattle rancher, or as a solider during the French and Indian War. WEEDS IN BLOOM, Peck's latest literary endeavor, is a simple yet enjoyable autobiography that unfolds as a series of sketches of various people who have influenced his life over the past seventy years.

True to his word, WEEDS IN BLOOM has no plot. Instead, each chapter focuses on a character who fits respectively into one of three periods in Peck's life: his "Vermont Boyhood," his "Early Manhood," and the "Florida Years." Although some readers may miss the safety that accompanies a linear story line, others will feel less bogged down by the lack of a traditional arc, and will delight in using their own imaginations to continue where Peck has left off in each tiny vignette. It is as if he has knowingly created 25 beginnings to 25 possible stories, and by reading through them, his readers are given access to the essence of his life by getting to know the people he has encountered along the way.

In Part I: Vermont Boyhood, Peck explores his childhood in all its rugged, wide-eyed glory. Here, we bear witness to his life at home with his family, complete with all the trappings of a carefree adolescence: practicing baseball in the sweltering summer heat, playing in the dirt until dusk, and learning life-long lessons from his elders. Two of the most memorable chapters in the book are in this first section --- "Miss Kelly," when Robert writes his first poem and shares it with his teacher, Miss Kelly (who proves to be a lasting inspiration for Peck), and "Keepsake," when he and his best friend Luther sneak into a truck stop bathroom to buy their first condom at the age of ten. (A humorous side note: Peck actually kept this same condom with him until well after his return from the Army, when he promptly buried the torn and ratty thing in the backyard as a tribute to his boyhood.)

Part II: Early Manhood charts Peck's life in the army and the years immediately following his return. In "Dear Elliot," we meet a dear friend and fellow soldier who touched the lives of those around him by simply sharing his care packages from home. Unfortunately, he was killed in battle, but not before altering Peck's life for the better. In "Saw" and "Paper," Peck tells of his grueling yet enlightening experiences in the saw and paper mills, and in "Dr. Granberry" we are introduced to a football scout for small colleges that would change Peck's life forever by pushing him to go to college and providing him with a scholarship.

Part III: The Florida Years covers the last third of Peck's life up to the present. For the most part, these stories take place in Florida and bear the fruit of his past journeys. As most storytellers are apt to do when looking back on their lives, he sounds wiser and well-worn in these passages, and the people (and animals) we meet in this section are weathered as well. The last entry entitled "Just as I Am" is a delightful list of thirty-three tried-and-true beliefs and expressions that he has stumbled across and stuck to throughout his life, the last of which being: "Wish not for apples. Grow strong trees."

All in all an interesting and personal retrospective of an accomplished author and well-loved cowboy, WEEDS IN BLOOM will surely satisfy young adult readers, particularly those fond of autobiographies and nonfiction.

--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling ... Read more