Scan barcode
gmamartha's review against another edition
3.0
Following Melody's thoughts we get to know her situation. Mo's 'chapters' were not clearly connected til near the end, but with a good resolution.
420blazeit's review against another edition
4.0
man, what a joy it is to read a sarah weeks book. ive been obsessed ever since reading pie, and when i saw this cover in the library, i checked out and read this in one sitting. four stars only bc i need it to be LONGER. it doesnt even feel like a children's book, just a lighthearted story of family and adventure.
i need to get this in paperback asap so i can experience the comfort of these stories around the mf clock!1!!!
i need to get this in paperback asap so i can experience the comfort of these stories around the mf clock!1!!!
brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Early evidence indicates that 2015 will be a good year for realistic MG. I'm hoping. Honey by Sarah Weeks is certainly an excellent indication of things to come.
Melody is fairly happy with her life the way it is. She has security and knows her father loves her. Melody's mother died in childbirth, and the one things she wishes she could add to her family is a mom for her and a wife for her dad. She has wished it on too many birthdays to count. When her dad begins singing, smiling secretly to himself, and becomes more absent minded than normal, Melody knows something is up. Then she overhears him call someone "honey" on the phone and realizes he must be in love. Melody is thrilled until she starts to think about all the reasons her father has kept this from her. Is it because he's fallen for someone he knows she won't like? Someone like her awful hateful teacher? Melody and her best friend embark on an investigation that leads to more discoveries than Melody imagined.
Honey has so much going for it. It is short. It will have wide appeal for kids looking for realistic fiction. It is a book that is accessible to the younger side of the MG reader spectrum. While not the type of story I'm particularly drawn to, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I typically do not enjoy small town stories with quirky characters, but Weeks skates a fine line here making her characters unique without them being caricatures. She also did a fantastic job setting up the mystery who has captured Melody's dad's heart and putting all those pieces together in the end. I just loved how organic and real the story felt. Even the super happy ending where everything works out perfectly for Melody-and everyone else-worked for me.
Melody is a great heroine. Her voice is genuine fifth grade girl. I loved the games she and her dad played with words and they all fit into the story being told and their characters. It didn't feel like an awkward vocabulary exercise hidden in a novel. (Which is far too often done and done poorly.) Here it works for the story. Melody's best friend, Nick Woo, is also a wonderful character. He and Melody have an easy friendship and camaraderie that many kids will be able to understand. They both reminded me of students I've taught over the years. Teeny, the obnoxious six year old next door neighbor, also strikes exactly the perfect note. Melody's frustration with and care for her are equally balanced and nicely portrayed. I really enjoyed all of the relationships in this book. Neighbors, old friends, new friends, grandparent/grandchild, parent/child, teacher/child-they are so well done.
Here is absolute proof that you can write a good novel with great characters, all sorts of relationships, humor, and heart, and keep it under 200 pages. Sarah Weeks, my hat goes off to you for this.
I read an e-galley provided by the publisher, Scholastic, via Edelweiss. Honey goes on sale January 27.
Early evidence indicates that 2015 will be a good year for realistic MG. I'm hoping. Honey by Sarah Weeks is certainly an excellent indication of things to come.
Melody is fairly happy with her life the way it is. She has security and knows her father loves her. Melody's mother died in childbirth, and the one things she wishes she could add to her family is a mom for her and a wife for her dad. She has wished it on too many birthdays to count. When her dad begins singing, smiling secretly to himself, and becomes more absent minded than normal, Melody knows something is up. Then she overhears him call someone "honey" on the phone and realizes he must be in love. Melody is thrilled until she starts to think about all the reasons her father has kept this from her. Is it because he's fallen for someone he knows she won't like? Someone like her awful hateful teacher? Melody and her best friend embark on an investigation that leads to more discoveries than Melody imagined.
Honey has so much going for it. It is short. It will have wide appeal for kids looking for realistic fiction. It is a book that is accessible to the younger side of the MG reader spectrum. While not the type of story I'm particularly drawn to, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I typically do not enjoy small town stories with quirky characters, but Weeks skates a fine line here making her characters unique without them being caricatures. She also did a fantastic job setting up the mystery who has captured Melody's dad's heart and putting all those pieces together in the end. I just loved how organic and real the story felt. Even the super happy ending where everything works out perfectly for Melody-and everyone else-worked for me.
Melody is a great heroine. Her voice is genuine fifth grade girl. I loved the games she and her dad played with words and they all fit into the story being told and their characters. It didn't feel like an awkward vocabulary exercise hidden in a novel. (Which is far too often done and done poorly.) Here it works for the story. Melody's best friend, Nick Woo, is also a wonderful character. He and Melody have an easy friendship and camaraderie that many kids will be able to understand. They both reminded me of students I've taught over the years. Teeny, the obnoxious six year old next door neighbor, also strikes exactly the perfect note. Melody's frustration with and care for her are equally balanced and nicely portrayed. I really enjoyed all of the relationships in this book. Neighbors, old friends, new friends, grandparent/grandchild, parent/child, teacher/child-they are so well done.
Here is absolute proof that you can write a good novel with great characters, all sorts of relationships, humor, and heart, and keep it under 200 pages. Sarah Weeks, my hat goes off to you for this.
I read an e-galley provided by the publisher, Scholastic, via Edelweiss. Honey goes on sale January 27.
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
4.0
Such a cute story! Adorable. I have no idea why, but for some reason, I thought that the animal on the cover was a cat.
It’s not. It’s a dog.
Everything comes together at the end and it’s so happy. This story is just SUNSHINE, like the color of the cover and the song the characters sing in the book. Speaking of the song, the author totally had me fooled as to who the dad was dating. I thought I knew exactly what was up and predicted the ending, and boy was I wrong! It was fantastic because the real ending was so much better.
My favorite thing about this book was that the author didn’t act like kids were stupid. They knew something was going on and decided to find out the details for themselves. Kids really are smart and resourceful, just like the characters in this book, and that’s why I think kids will love to read it.
It’s not. It’s a dog.
Everything comes together at the end and it’s so happy. This story is just SUNSHINE, like the color of the cover and the song the characters sing in the book. Speaking of the song, the author totally had me fooled as to who the dad was dating. I thought I knew exactly what was up and predicted the ending, and boy was I wrong! It was fantastic because the real ending was so much better.
My favorite thing about this book was that the author didn’t act like kids were stupid. They knew something was going on and decided to find out the details for themselves. Kids really are smart and resourceful, just like the characters in this book, and that’s why I think kids will love to read it.
lindageorge's review against another edition
3.0
Cute little book about a little girl whose mom died when she was born. Her dad is acting goofy and she tries to figure out what is making him smile these days. I think 4th girls especially will enjoy this story.
readertz's review against another edition
5.0
Honey is another winner from Sarah Weeks! This sweet story of Melody, a girl who never knew her mother, is set in Indiana. The Honey of the title doesn't refer to the sweet stuff on the cover instead it's what Melody hears her dad call someone on the phone one night. Melody is determined to solve the mystery of Honey. Melody is just one of several great characters in this book. I recommend Honey to anyone who enjoys realistic fiction. It's a great read!
burstnwithbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful! I have to admit, I was skeptical when I looked at the cover. I had also read Pie (which I recommend if you like this book, or vice versa), and the covers are basically the same, except a dog instead of a cat and honey instead of pie. However, even though the cover was right in a way, the story did revolve around those two items, but the plot was quite different. So if you have read Pie and you wanted an opinion on whether this one was worth reading too, I give it 2 thumbs up. Hope you enjoy!
afro8921's review against another edition
3.0
Honey is the story of a girl, a dog, and a mysterious phone call. Melody is content to live out her days hunting for dandelion weeds and spending time with her best friend henry wu. This all changes when she overhears her father call someone honey on the telephone. Melody and Henry will leave no stone unturned in a effort to find out who "honey" is. Their detective work will lead them to a beauty salon, a sad dog, and a pesky next door neighbor.
aprilmay11's review against another edition
5.0
Cute book! Read it with my girls for the library book club! We had to finish he ending at the library but really cute. I liked everything and thought every mother daughter would enjoy it. For the activity at the library we made our own nail polish mixture and named it. One of my daughters named it teeny sparkle and the other was melody. Off girls in the book.