Author: Richard Peck
Publisher: Puffin Books, The Penguin Group 2004
Genre: Historical Fiction (Early 1900s)
Awards: Best Historical Fiction Book For Children 2004 (Disney Adventure Magazine)
Peck: Often referred to as America's best living author for Young Adult Literature.
He was the 2001 recipient of the Newbery Medal ALA for "Down Yonder".
He was the 2002 winner of the Chicag0 Tribune Prize for young adult fiction.
He was awarded the prestigious Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1990 for his legendary body of work.
Peck was was awarded the National Humanities Medal by George W. Bush
He is the only children's book author to recieve this honor.
Plot Summary:
Times were more relaxed, children were relatively innocent and everyone took pleasure in enjoying the simple things in life. This was the way of life in rural Indiana just after the turn of the 20th Century. Russell, a fifteen year old itching to fulfill his dream of ditching school and heading off to the Dakotas to join a wheat threshing crew is the protagonist narrator, who guides the reader on an enjoyable and humorous journey back in time.
When their teacher Miss Myrt Arbuckle "hauls off and dies", as Russell so eloquently puts it, he and his younger brother are thrilled beyond belief, as she passes on in August, just before the start of the new school year. Russell and Lloyd are hopeful that the school board will just close their one room schoolhouse in Montezuma, Indiana and leave them off the hook. No.... such.... luck! Things went from yeee-haww and awesome to positively awful for the brothers, as the board named their big sister seventeen year old Tansy to replace old Miss Myrt Arbuckle. Greatly enjoyable adventures are had by the family and neighbors, despite the enduring pain of Russell, Lloyd and the rest of the community's children as Tansy learns the ropes of teaching and "takes control" of the odd-ball kindergarten-adult student body.
As it turns out, Tansy becomes certified as a teacher by the state and the students receive a not-so-typical, but quality education. The fun of this book is the old time nomenclatures, the countrified humorous sayings and the interactions of the odd, small town community members, on their farms and in the schoolhouse. Historical references are abundant. Educational tid-bits such as: female teachers had to give up teaching positions upon getting married in the early 1900s, and the first automobile/horse and buggy entanglements occurred around 1904 in rural Indiana, are found throughout this novel.
My Reaction:
I highly recommend this book. It is lighthearted, very humorous, entertaining, educational and an easy read. It is compelling in that I found myself constantly wondering what was going to happen next. The plot was not at all predictable and the character development by Richard Peck was brilliant. You will get a good, wholesome feeling reading this book and you will laugh, despite the unthinkable title, from our perspective.
My Recommendation:
I would gladly recommend this book to any student in grades 5-12. It is easy to read, yet it is interesting from many perspectives. Older, more accomplished readers may get bored as their are lulls in the plot at times. But more sophisticated readers will recognize the historical significance of the details provided in those so called lulls. All readers will appreciate the humor and the adventures of the characters.
Book Talk Hook:
Have you ever thought of school in a one room schoolhouse where all of the grades were taught together? Better yet, have you ever wished that something would happened to your teacher or your school, right before a new year started, so that you might not have to go? This is exactly what happened to Russell and his brother in Indiana in 1904. Find out if they ever had to go to school again. Would that be a good or a bad thing for you and why?
Not only is the title interesting, but growing up a "stone's throw" from Montezuma, Indiana makes me want to read this selection. Students will certainly be interested in the unique problem, have their own reflections and keep reading to see how the situation is resolved. I am sure that the language that the author uses from this time period will also provide an opportunity for a great deal of discussion and explanation. For example: "She had a snout on her long enough to drink water down a crawdad hole." This certainly brings a picture to my mind, but will certainly need further explanation for many.
ReplyDeleteI like how you make it clear that the book is humorous and light-hearted cause the title says otherwise. I think it's good to throw humor with history. Keeping the lesson fun will keep the reader engaged. I'm looking forward to reading this book!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that two students chose to read this book - the power of a well-chosen title?
ReplyDeleteI love your book hook. It puts the students in the characters shoes before they even read the book. I always find if I can relate to the character within the first couple chapters it is a book I want to finish.
ReplyDeleteThe more I read about this title, the funnier it sounds. It would be fun to read the book as a class read or read aloud and follow it up with a trip to Carriage Hill Farms.
ReplyDeleteI had recently read where this book can be considered quite humorous along with some of Peck's other titles. I want to recommend it to as a student who finished all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I wonder if he could handle the time period. It sounds like a book I would enjoy and I like you hook, too.
ReplyDeleteThis does sound like a fun book, and so far I haven't seen many humorous titles within our historical fiction list. Students will love your hook--the idea of getting out of school is very tempting! I will definitely have to read this book.
ReplyDeleteI'll say it again, this book is fantastic. All of Peck's books are packed with humor. I'm looking forward to reading "Here Lies the Librarian" next :)
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