In addition to books that others have liked, my pile includes:
The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish by Claudia Mills
How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech
I also really really want to read Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Kaye Umansky, but it is 297 pages so won't work out for Joliet Reads. deep sigh.
How Oliver Olson Changed the World was okay. Overwhelmed by his overbearing parents, Oliver wishes for autonomy to do his homework project.
ReplyDeleteI felt bad for Oliver, whose parents gave new nuances of meaning to the phrase "helicopter parents."
The book could be read to second and third graders. I'm uncertain whether the students in this school district would identify with Oliver and look forward to input from others.
I partly chose to read the book because it was on the Blue Ribbons list of the Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books. I expected to like it more than I did. But then, sometimes I expect too much.
I enjoyed The Totally Made-Up Civil War Diary and wish we could have used it for the list. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work out for Joliet Reads. Too much about her father's affair....
ReplyDeletedeep sigh
I started Unfinished Angel, but realized within a couple of chapters that it would be the wrong choice for Joliet Reads due to the angel's consistent misuse of the English language.
ReplyDeletesigh.