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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
it was good and i felt he made the right decision in the end
I don't know if it was the style of the audiobook that did it, but I felt it could have taken itself more seriously. It touches on some dark topics and didn't do enough to convey the severity of the situation Bud was in.
For such an amazing book, it had a lackluster ending that disappointed me. I wanted more.
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a excellent book, and as historical fiction, does a great job of catching the essence of the Great Depression era. Bud is a believable and likable character with great voice. There were a few plot elements that didn't seem particularly necessary/compelling-- the reason for my 4 stars instead of five. Nonetheless, the book is full of adventure, humor, and a bit of mystery... all things that are sure to draw young readers in and keep them reading. I used this in conjunction with a interdisciplinary unit related to the Great Depression with my language arts kids and they all loved it!
Great voice in this middle grade book. Introduces the history of Hoovervilles, jazz & the great depression.
I read this back when I bought it for my daughter. I love history, so I thought it was a good story for children for that time period. Some aspects were a bit harsh but I suppose that may have been realistic for the situation and time period. My daughter didn't like it as much as I did but I think when my boys are ready they may like it, as my daughter was more into the American Girl historical books at that time than a story about an orphaned boy!! I enjoyed that it took place in MI in cities we were familiar with. Overall I liked it quite a bit.
This is one of the few books that my district has available as a class set, so I read it to see if I might want to teach it as a class read-along next year. I'm still not sure. It was pretty "meh" for me, but the reviews are packed with people saying it's a great book to teach and that kids like it. So the jury's still out on my decision.
There are a lot of parts I really liked. I'll start with the afterward so I don't forget to include it. The afterward is about how the author created his characters based off of his own relatives. He says he regrets not listening to their stories of the Great Depression, because so much of that history is now lost. He urges readers to interview or talk to their own family members to learn about the past. This sounds like a fabulous assignment!
I loved the history packed into this story: the Great Depression and racism in particular. I could see my sixth graders getting into that part of the history. There could be all sorts of primary and secondary documents to go along with the novel.
I enjoyed Bud's narration. He's funny without meaning to be. It had a sweet ending and lots of likable characters that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
As I read, I kept thinking of all the pre-reading questions I could ask, such as "Does lying make you a bad person?" or "Why might someone be excused from lying?" It's much simpler in plot and characters compared to The Lightning Thief that I'm teaching currently, so starting the year with this book might be useful in teaching basic elements of literature.
So here's what I wasn't crazy about. I was kind of bored for most of it. That might be my personal problem that I've been having with realistic fiction recently. At the same time, I kept wondering if my students would be interested.
Another huge problem I see is the colloquialisms, of which there are many. That's going to be difficult for the population of kiddos I teach, many of whom are learning English. But I guess that's the beauty of a class read-along: I can explain anything that might be confusing.
On the one hand, I'm excited to teach about racism and the Great Depression, but, on the other hand, will kids be interested in this book? Time to go ask some experienced teachers...
There are a lot of parts I really liked. I'll start with the afterward so I don't forget to include it. The afterward is about how the author created his characters based off of his own relatives. He says he regrets not listening to their stories of the Great Depression, because so much of that history is now lost. He urges readers to interview or talk to their own family members to learn about the past. This sounds like a fabulous assignment!
I loved the history packed into this story: the Great Depression and racism in particular. I could see my sixth graders getting into that part of the history. There could be all sorts of primary and secondary documents to go along with the novel.
I enjoyed Bud's narration. He's funny without meaning to be. It had a sweet ending and lots of likable characters that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
As I read, I kept thinking of all the pre-reading questions I could ask, such as "Does lying make you a bad person?" or "Why might someone be excused from lying?" It's much simpler in plot and characters compared to The Lightning Thief that I'm teaching currently, so starting the year with this book might be useful in teaching basic elements of literature.
So here's what I wasn't crazy about. I was kind of bored for most of it. That might be my personal problem that I've been having with realistic fiction recently. At the same time, I kept wondering if my students would be interested.
Another huge problem I see is the colloquialisms, of which there are many. That's going to be difficult for the population of kiddos I teach, many of whom are learning English. But I guess that's the beauty of a class read-along: I can explain anything that might be confusing.
On the one hand, I'm excited to teach about racism and the Great Depression, but, on the other hand, will kids be interested in this book? Time to go ask some experienced teachers...