You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
A fun and introspectic novel set in 1977 about a boy who dreams of going to the moon...and of finding his father who went to Vietnam and never returned. Read my full review at:
http://greatbooksforkidsandteens.blogspot.com/2012/12/middle-grade-review-greetings-from.html
http://greatbooksforkidsandteens.blogspot.com/2012/12/middle-grade-review-greetings-from.html
This was good, no one had taken it out from my library in a while so I decided to see if it was worth saving. Good historical fiction. Certainly not going to jump off the shelf in popularity, but it is a keeper, for now!
You meet Theo and immediately sympathize with him. It's his birthday and his sister gets him some pimple cream. His grandma gets him a gift from his dad, but they never talk about his dad. He knows that when he was younger, his dad went to war. He doesn't know what happens after that.
His grandma secretly offers to tell him more about his dad if he can keep it a secret from his mom. Which means that this is not going to be good news. But he agrees because bad news is better than no news. He learns more about his dad and what he learns makes him angry, at his mom.
Throughout the book, you travel with Theo and his class as they try to individually decide what's the most important thing on earth.
This book will make you laugh and cry. The voice is so strong you feel like you are Theo and as everything becomes a little clearer, you are just as emotional as he is.
My only issue was the author's stance on the Vietnam War was a little bit heavy-handed for me. Not enough to dampen my enjoyment of the book though.
I read about this book on the Literate Lives blog. They used it for their Grand Discussion, when some students and their parents read the book and get together to discuss it. I would never have picked it up otherwise, so I thank them!
It was a nice, fast read and I can't wait until we discuss it in book group.
His grandma secretly offers to tell him more about his dad if he can keep it a secret from his mom. Which means that this is not going to be good news. But he agrees because bad news is better than no news. He learns more about his dad and what he learns makes him angry, at his mom.
Throughout the book, you travel with Theo and his class as they try to individually decide what's the most important thing on earth.
This book will make you laugh and cry. The voice is so strong you feel like you are Theo and as everything becomes a little clearer, you are just as emotional as he is.
My only issue was the author's stance on the Vietnam War was a little bit heavy-handed for me. Not enough to dampen my enjoyment of the book though.
I read about this book on the Literate Lives blog. They used it for their Grand Discussion, when some students and their parents read the book and get together to discuss it. I would never have picked it up otherwise, so I thank them!
It was a nice, fast read and I can't wait until we discuss it in book group.
I was completely surprised by how much I liked this book.
I picked it up because it related directly to something I'm currently writing, and I hadn't seen many pieces of writing that even discussed the same topic.
What I found was a great little book about our place in the wider world and how the decisions of the people around us can affect that place.
I picked it up because it related directly to something I'm currently writing, and I hadn't seen many pieces of writing that even discussed the same topic.
What I found was a great little book about our place in the wider world and how the decisions of the people around us can affect that place.
A sweet heart-tugger with a decent mystery at its core. Nothing earth-shattering or groundbreaking in terms of children's literature, but definitely a worthy read and a good segue into discussions of war veterans and what it would be like to come home after combat.
A great package. It's 1977, and Theo loves science. Voyager 2 is about to be launched, with its golden record as a message to whomever might be out in space. Theo's teacher is inspired to create this assignment: what is the most important thing about the Earth? The kids all have different ideas about what they would include in their own space message, but Theo becomes confused when he tries to choose just ONE thing. Partly as a result of thinking about these big questions ("Who are we?"; "Where do we live?"; "What can we do?"; What have we accomplished?"), Theo is beginning to chafe at the rules his mother has about his dad, who served in Vietnam but never came home. She gets upset whenever he's mentioned, so Theo and his older sister Janet just don't. That has worked for a while, but Theo is getting more curious. What was his dad like? What did he think of Theo? What EXACTLY happened to him? Does his mother not know, or is she hiding something? What? Why? Kerley weaves this story together masterfully. As the siblings follow people and snoop around, trying to find out the truth, the suspense builds to a very satisfying climax and ending. Themes of honesty, war and its aftermath, and family ties are effortlessly strung together. Parts of the story are told as letters--to a potential alien? To his dad? Only seven libraries in Westchester own this book, and it's too good to miss.
Quite frankly this book ticked me off. I can't say much about why this is the case without giving away the ending. I honestly think that I took this book a little too personally. But, I am not sure that the author thought about when creating an ending that feels like a band aid on a gaping wound. I don't recommend this book. This is nominated for a California Young Reader Medal this year. As a responsible librarian, I have the obligation to present it impartially which will be very difficult, but I will do my best!