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wrentheblurry's review against another edition
4.0
GENRE: Fiction, realistic fiction, verse.
SUMMARY: Eugene experienced a busy summer. He had a paper route, got glasses, endeavored to learn more about his family, and visited the cemetery, among many other adventures. So much happens to Eugene during that summer, and he is hyper-aware of it all, from how his piano teacher smells to the few things that his older brother cares about.
EVALUATION: Written in verse and told through a first-person perspective, Frenchtown Summer takes the reader on a magical journey to experience things at a certain place and time in a young boy's life. Sometimes before we can figure out who we are, it helps to figure out what kind of people your parents are. Eugene understands his mother, though his father remains a mystery and distant from him, until a special incident brings them closer together. I really enjoyed Eugene's telling of how he saw his world.
WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: A solid tween collection should include some variety, and this fictional account is told in a verse format that may not be fully familiar with some tweens. It can be read fairly quickly, though it still contains a strong story that includes much activity.
READER'S ANNOTATION: Through the eyes of Eugene we learn about Frenchtown one summer, its locations, some of its inhabitants and the varied things they do.
ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.
• Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones.
• Foreign Exchange by Mel Glenn.
SUMMARY: Eugene experienced a busy summer. He had a paper route, got glasses, endeavored to learn more about his family, and visited the cemetery, among many other adventures. So much happens to Eugene during that summer, and he is hyper-aware of it all, from how his piano teacher smells to the few things that his older brother cares about.
EVALUATION: Written in verse and told through a first-person perspective, Frenchtown Summer takes the reader on a magical journey to experience things at a certain place and time in a young boy's life. Sometimes before we can figure out who we are, it helps to figure out what kind of people your parents are. Eugene understands his mother, though his father remains a mystery and distant from him, until a special incident brings them closer together. I really enjoyed Eugene's telling of how he saw his world.
WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: A solid tween collection should include some variety, and this fictional account is told in a verse format that may not be fully familiar with some tweens. It can be read fairly quickly, though it still contains a strong story that includes much activity.
READER'S ANNOTATION: Through the eyes of Eugene we learn about Frenchtown one summer, its locations, some of its inhabitants and the varied things they do.
ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.
• Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones.
• Foreign Exchange by Mel Glenn.
robk's review
3.0
Young Eugene reminisces on the summer of '38 when he really began wondering about life, and the meaning of it. The verses in this poem paint vivid images of the places and people he encounters on his daily paper route.
I enjoyed this novel in verse. I felt like I could really relate to Cormier's poetic style. The poetry just made sense, and flowed very nicely. The story was interesting, but the psychology behind the characters is what makes this book truly wonderful to read. The family dynamics within the story present some good opportunities for analysis and discussion.
I enjoyed this novel in verse. I felt like I could really relate to Cormier's poetic style. The poetry just made sense, and flowed very nicely. The story was interesting, but the psychology behind the characters is what makes this book truly wonderful to read. The family dynamics within the story present some good opportunities for analysis and discussion.
charlottereadsbooks's review
4.0
poetry, coming-of-age
I stumbled across this book of free verse poetry written by Robert Cormier and didn't really know what to expect. Apart from the fact that this book is written in verse, the narrative style is different from Cormier's other work. Each chapter is a separate vignette about some aspect of the narrator's summer, so it's a little hard to piece together what this boy's life is really like. He has a brother and spends his summer exploring the areas around the Frenchtown. He lives close to several extended family members, and the story seems to focus mainly on the narrator's relationship with his father, who is cold and distant to the boy.
This book contained a little more conclusion than in other Cormier works, but there still is a lot of emotion unresolved. This set of poems is largely autobiographical, and it's interesting to see Cormier in the story.
I stumbled across this book of free verse poetry written by Robert Cormier and didn't really know what to expect. Apart from the fact that this book is written in verse, the narrative style is different from Cormier's other work. Each chapter is a separate vignette about some aspect of the narrator's summer, so it's a little hard to piece together what this boy's life is really like. He has a brother and spends his summer exploring the areas around the Frenchtown. He lives close to several extended family members, and the story seems to focus mainly on the narrator's relationship with his father, who is cold and distant to the boy.
This book contained a little more conclusion than in other Cormier works, but there still is a lot of emotion unresolved. This set of poems is largely autobiographical, and it's interesting to see Cormier in the story.
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