After turning in the PURPLE APPLICATION, each Bookworm must sign up in the Library for one of the books listed below. There are only 10 spots per book, so sign up fast. Each book will be available to purchase at our first meeting on Friday, September 7.
See you there!
The Hundred Dresses
by Eleanor Estes
illustrated by Louis Slobodkin
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-Friendship, peer pressure, regret, and courage are all issues that are integral to this Newbery Honor book by Eleanor Estes (Harcourt, 1944). Wanda Petronski tells classmates she has a hundred dresses of all varieties in her closet at home. So why does she always wear the same old worn dress to school? The teasing that follows seems harmless, but it's not. This book explores the hurt that comes from thoughtless words, and offers a painful, but heart-warming lesson in forgiveness. Christina Moore reads the unabridged story with warmth and expression. The author's carefully chosen words stand on their own without the distraction of sound effects or music. This is a well-done production of an exceptional book that has earned its place as a childhood classic.
Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Surviving the Applewhites
by Stephanie S. Tolan
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-In this laugh-out-loud novel, a young teen on the fast track to the juvenile detention center suddenly finds himself living in rural North Carolina with the outrageously eccentric Applewhite clan. Jake Semple, 13, has been expelled from a long line of schools before coming to the Applewhites to be homeschooled. This extended family forms what a visiting reporter christens an "artistic dynasty," with various creative endeavors absorbing the adults' time and attention. Jake is left largely to his own devices, since the family doesn't believe in telling their charges what or when to study. He develops a loyal following consisting of an active four-year-old and an overweight basset hound, and his transformation is complete once he becomes enmeshed in the family's production of The Sound of Music. Quirky characters, from the cub reporter to the visiting guru, add to the offbeat humor. The Applewhites' over-the-top personalities mark them as literary kin of Helen Cresswell's Bagthorpes. Running beneath the narrative that gently pokes fun at everything from sculpture to TV documentaries, though, is also the story of a boy allowing himself to belong and begin to discover his own potential. This has terrific booktalk and read-aloud potential, and will help fill the need for humorous contemporary fiction.
Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.