Newberry #2

A Year Down Yonder was written by Richard Peck. It is the follow-up to the Newbery Honor book, A Long Way from Chicago. It won the Newbery Medal in 2001. It is suited for students in grades 3rd-7th. This book relates to topics such as the Great Depression, grandparents, bullies, and family relationships.

In 1937, fifteen year-old Mary Alice Dowdel is sent to rural Illinois to live with her grandmother as her family tries to get back on their feet after the 1937 recession. Mary Alice's grandmother is not your typical grandmother. She is rough, tough, and mischievous. Deep down, she has a soft heart. Mary Alice is taken on many adventures as they reverse pranks on Halloween pranksters, one of which turned out to be the principal's son. Grandmother Dowdel with Mary Alice's help steals ingredients to take to the community Halloween party. Being a city girl and the granddaughter to Grandmother Dowdel makes it hard for Mary Alice to fit in. However, she ends up landing the role of Mary in the Christmas play and studying with the star basketball player. Mary Alice learns that her grandmother has a soft soft and is there when she needs her.

This book was excellent. Grandmother Dowdel and her ideas are hilarious. I enjoyed reading the historical information about the recession that was included. This would be a great read for any child or adult!

This book reminded me of my grandparents. Like Mary Alice, I had grandparents that lived far away (New Jersey) that I saw only for a 1-2 weeks a year. Sometimes they could be embarrassing like Grandmother Dowdel. For instance, my grandma loved waiting for the school bus with us. She would even make us line up in front of the bus and take our picture. It's cute when you're 5- not 15. Despite all of their embarrassing antics, I know that they love me and are there for me at all times.

Children's Books = Feature Films #3

Hoot was written by Carl Hiassen in 2002. It is the story about Roy Eberhardt who has just moved to Coconut Grove, Florida from Montana. Being the new kid at school really stinks for Roy because he sits by himself at lunch, and is bullied by Dana Matherson. One day while Dana was forcefully pressing Roy’s face against the bus window, he saw a shoeless boy running on the sidewalk. Intrigued by this boy, he tries to find out who he is and why he was running. Soccer jock Beatrice is not enthused about Roy sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. Roy finds out that Beatrice and that boy, called Mullet Fingers, are step brothers and sisters. Roy, Mullet Fingers, and Beatrice fight to protect the burrowing owls that live in a lot where a new pancake house is being built. The kids work together to put a stop in the construction of a building that will endanger the miniature owls. Two notable characters are the deputy and the foreman of the construction job that just can’t catch a break because of these meddling kids.

I found Hoot to be well… a hoot. It was very funny in some of the tricks pulled by the kids. For instance, spray painting the windows of a squad car while the patrolling policeman slept. The major themes in this book include bullying, friendship, and animal conservation.

After reading the book, I watched the movie which came out in 2006. The movie was less than 90 minutes. It’s almost impossible to capture on camera what is on the pages of a book. The major weakness of the movie is that it failed to show the importance and strength of the friendship created by the three main characters. The movie did not spend much time showing the owls maybe to highlight the fact that they are endangered. It is a very entertaining movie. Of course, I found the book more entertaining than the movie.

Carl Hiassen has written several books. The theme of conservation is apparent in many of his books. Skinny Dip is a book about a marine scientist named Chaz who is trying to put a stop to illegal dumping of fertilizer in the Everglades. Paradise Screwed is a book about Southern Florida’s wildlife.