Joanne RocklinReseñas

children's fiction (eBook edition). Sweet but highly unlikely (a recently-home-from-brain-surgery baby brother would probably not be let out of the parents' sight, I'm thinking, much less sent down the block to hang out with nanny and older sis), and ultimately unmemorable

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Penelope is writing to her not yet arrived little sibling. She shares what is going on with their moms (not yet married), her school (big ancestry project), her friends (its complicated) & her much beloved Golden State Warriors (moving toward a championship). Lots of local bay area interest whether its the sports teams, the visits to the Oakland Museum or info about the Ohlone shellmound.

I liked this book a lot.

I'm glad this book is helping me to remember "shehechiyanu" which is an awesome concept and a word I can just never remember.

This story is about a substitute teacher,named Mr. Moffat, and how he uses poetry and journal writing with his students to impact their thinking, their writing, and their lives. Lucy pours out her heart and writes about everything, while Andy, the class trouble-maker,only draws pictures of exploding fighter planes. It isn't until some ducks come to live at the pool of Andy's apartment building that Andy starts to write about what is really on his mind,even a secret that he can no longer hide. This is a great story for introducing poetry, journal writing, author's voice, visualization, making inferences, and drawing conclusions.

Well, this book is very, very good for you. I can't think of a single societal issue on which it didn't touch. Plus, it includes vocabulary words and little lectures about nutrition. It is occasionally fun and does impart some good information, but it feels more like a lesson than a story sometimes.

*****PLEASE NOTE THAT I WON THIS BOOK IN A GOODREADS GIVEAWAY*****

This review was originally posted on Melissa's Midnight Musings on August 6 2012.

I loved this book. The characters are loveable, the wordplay is fun, there are tons of interesting theories told only the way a child would tell them. I loved it for the variety in perspective. It was such a nice change from all the YA and Adult fiction that I normally read.

In this story we meet Freddy and Oona, brother and sister who are being raised by their mother after their father's death. They have a cat, named Zook, who has become a beloved member of their family. When Zook suddenly gets sick, it brings back memories for Oona of the time when her father is sick too, so she has to deal with all of those memories and emotions that she's kept hidden for so long.

This book is full of stories within stories. It's told from Oona's perspective, and man is she one smart kiddo. She has very creative and inventive theories. One is the Big Whopper theory, where all the lies people tell are color coded for the kind of lie that they are. Black Whoppers are meant to hurt someone, White Whoppers are meant to make someone feel better.

Or, there's the name theory, in which Oona declares that everyone's name is perfect for them, no matter what. Here's a quote to explain the theory:
"Gramma Dee's name is easy Dee RW (rhymes with) bee=honey=sweet like candy. Gramma Dee likes to make Russian taffy, which she learned from her Russian grandmother, who was born in Russia." (pg. 49)
I think what she's trying to say is that people grow into their name, or the meaning of it. They personify that meaning. I think to some extent that becomes true after a while.

I love the wordplay in this book. The play on words with Zook (the cat's) name. Then there's the fact that the kids get paid in fried Zuchinni and pizza is great, and so are the cute word games that Oona plays with Freddy to teach him to read. I love when authors take the time to add these small but important touches to their stories because it helps you become that more attached to the characters.

Oona also has a lot of responsibility for such a little girl. She picks her brother up from school, she's teaching him to read, (with rhyming games and pictures, which I loved) and she even has an after school job. She gets paid in food, but still. For someone so young, that's a lot to handle, but Oona handles most of what comes her way pretty well. She isn't too fond of her mother's new boyfriend, but for a girl whose beloved father passed away that's not a surprise.

Among all these inventive theories and stories about cats who have 9 lives there are a lot of real life observations and lessons which are told in only the way a child can see them. Children have such a different view of the world than adults. There's such innocence, and yet such depth, as well as insight. It's easy to forget how much insight kids have until you read a story like this. And when you do, boy can it pack a punch.

I feel a bit silly admitting this, but I found myself tearing up at the end of this novel, not because of what happens to the characters, but because of the depth and richness of the lessons that Oona learns and the changes that she goes through throughout the course of the book. Now, it takes a lot for me to cry at a book. I have to be really invested in the story, and this was definitely a story that I was invested in. It's got a little bit of everything. It's a sweet story about family, love, loss, friendships, and growing up. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys heartfelt stories.

What about you, do you have any interesting theories that you'd like to share?

3 1/2 stars
I liked a lot of this story but it felt uneven to me. Some chapters were compelling and others were boring. My favorite character and story was the old woman with some kind of unspecified memory loss.

Penny is excited to welcome her new sibling, so throughout her mom’s pregnancy she writes letters to it (not it, YOU!). She introduces herself (Penelope, but she prefers “Penny”) and their moms (Sammy and Becky). She brags about their home city, Oakland, California (the weather, the Bay, and the Golden State Warriors) and shares the trials and tribulations of being a fifth-grader (which, luckily, YOU won’t have to worry about for a long time).

Penny asks little questions about her sibling’s development and starts to ask big questions about the world around her (like if and when her moms are ever going to get married “for real”).

Honest, relatable, and full of heart, Love, Penelope explores heritage, forgiveness, love, and identity through the eyes (and pen) of one memorable 10-year-old in a special year when marriage equality and an NBA championship made California a place of celebration.

Out March 2018

BIO

“I was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the land of four distinct seasons. The winters are so long!

Wintry days and nights inspired me to read many, many books, the most important thing a writer can do. Of course other seasons inspired me, too! And as soon as I learned to hold a pencil I began writing poems, stories, and diaries.

I have always owned cats (or they have owned me, a cliché, but true!) Coincidentally, all our cats have been authors, and I’ve compiled their writing secrets in the essay “Why Cats Write.”

And I have always lived within walking distance of a library. (O.K. in California, within almost-walking, but driving distance!) I love to read and write, but I also love to talk–especially about writing.”

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this uncorrected proof in exchange for my honest review.
Some parents may struggle with having talks with their children about many difficult topics such as same sex parents/relationships, bigotry, racism, bullying and poor treatment of others by the police, climate changes, and how many prejudices are directed toward indigenous people and people of color.

This book is a great tool for helping parents and children understand all these issues. It should be in all libraries, for easy access.

Lucy Knisely’s work has always intrigued me so I wanted to see how she handled all of the above and requested the book to review. Whereas the MC is supposed to be writing letters from the perspective of a sibling, the book read more as lessons from an adult preaching morality.

I did love the MC who was developed nicely and had quite the personality. Her excitement over the arrival of a sibling was contagious. As Penny documents events while the pregnancy runs its course, she is certain to include things she did with her family and friends, what happened during the California drought, and all about her attempts to finish school assignments. She made certain to include her dedication to her fav basketball team, the Golden State Warriors, or the ‘Dubs, too.’

Sadly, because the author included so much and many of the issues were rather extensive, the voice of the author diminished into a factual accounting of things that happened instead. A preachy air took over, edged with a noticeable lack of emotions that made the story fall flat.

Other parts seemed to lay everything out at the reader’s feet, not allowing the reader to use their own imagination to fill in the blanks. This made the story lose its interesting edge and appear a bit campy and somewhat insulting, like the reader isn’t smart enough to figure it out for themselves.

I do like the part where she is conflicted over her heritage and feels she is being disloyal to biological mom for wanting to share the Ohlone heritage belonging to her non-biological mother. Many stepchildren/adopted children often are conflicted over sharing what is and what isn’t to be shared with non-bio parents or their bio parent, and need to know that it is okay regardless because all are part of their family structure.

Unfortunately, I felt that Penny’s voice became overwhelmed by the author’s own point of view on many of the topics addressed in the book. The saving grace or graces for this book is how it’s set up. In letter format, Penny addresses many issues while comprising letters to her soon-to-be-born sibling. Although kids today seem to grow up far faster than they used to, the topics included would probably aim more for the older middle-graders. It’s truly unfortunate that kids today are having to address so many things now and you have to wonder why this is. But the reality is what it is and this book would help them to cope and understand a lot of it.

I can see this book doing better in a graphic novel format and probably would attract more kids of the younger ages. If it were, I’d give this book a five out of five stars just for the content, and maybe bonus points if the illustrator does a great job!

Overall, and despite my own issues with how the author writes this story, I do think it’s a very needed book for today’s kids and highly recommend parents and kids read this to form their own opinions.½

I think this is a good book. First, I like how it alludes to the popular book for young readers- Charlottes Web. Allusion is a difficult concept to understand, and this book really uses this literacy element well. Franny, the main character, befriends a flea; just as Wilbur befriended a spider. I also like how the book is set in the past, and Franny is recovering from polio. While many children can't directly relate to this, the language and detail in the book make Frannies struggles become personal to the reader. The connection the reader develops with Franny is strong and thoughtful, to young readers this is a key factor to engagement. I also like how the book is funny. Sometimes historical fiction can be dry, but the author was very thoughtful to make the interactions Franny has humorous. For example, during her physical therapy she falls and embarrasses herself in front of some of her classmates. They make this into a joke that carries throughout the story. The moral is you can find friendship anywhere.

The story is about all the times a little girl finds over the course of a year to say “shehechiyanu,” the blessing for significant moments. For instance: “When my baby brother grows a new tooth.” “When the first big snow comes and I am snug and warm, inside.” “When I see the full moon and it’s so clear and round I can almost see footprints on it.” Shehechiyanu is my fave blessing and a powerful parenting tool—there are so many small miracles to encourage kids to be grateful for. The illustrations are cute and warm, and the diversity of this girl’s community is heartening.

Voting on a guinea pig as a prospective class pet, the students of Mr. Day's class calculate how much recycling they will have to do in order to afford one.

Narrated by Lisa Baney. There is an orange tree in the vacant lot that is the gathering place for all the kids living on Orange Street, and a reminder for elderly “Ms Snoops” of how the neighborhood used to be. One morning an orange traffic cone appears in front of the vacant lot which sets off speculation of what it could mean. This is a pleasing story about the quiet, strong presence of a tree and the many meanings and stories it holds for the neighborhood. Baney voices the story in a quiet compassionate tone that suits the themes.

I liked this chapter book for many different reasons. I liked the language of this book. This book was written in the way a child would write in a diary. For example, Lucy the main character says, “That would surprise me. Poor snail! Oh, and poor Mrs. Silverberg!” The language of this book would be focused on 5th graders and 6th graders. The plot of this book has events and different scenarios children who were in 5th or 6th grade would go through. The point of view is written like it would be from a child who was writing in their journal every day. I liked this because many children have journals or diaries and share events that happened throughout their days. I also liked the illustrations in this chapter book. This chapter book included illustrations a child would draw if they were doodling in their diary. For example, the author draws two people fighting to show what happened on the playground that day. This makes the book become more realistic as a journal or diary. The big idea or message of this story is beauty can be found anywhere even if the surroundings are ugly. Beauty also can be found through art and poetry which this book encompasses. The poetry that can be found throughout this book helps the readers look at things in new and creative ways. Readers can relate to the age group through these poems.

I'm glad this book is helping me to remember "shehechiyanu" which is an awesome concept and a word I can just never remember.

I chose the audiobook edition for Fleabrain Loves Franny written by Joanne Rocklin and narrated by Julie Marcus. The year is 1952 and ten year old ,Franny Katzenback is learning to cope with the paralysis that was caused by her bout of polio. While at home from school recuperating Franny meets a flea with an extensive vocabulary and a bold personality and the two begin a friendship. Although, Fleabrain is exceptionally intelligent his social quotient isn't quite as high and there are some lessons to be learned along the way. I'm glad I chose the audiobook version for this book because I think I would have rated it lower if I was reading it myself. Julie Marcus' Fleabrain voice was just hilarious and helped add to the story which was somewhat slow at times. This book which is targeted to middle grade audiences is well written but a bit disjointed at times with the sections that feature Frannie and Fleabrain together being out in left field. While not a bad book I don't see that it will have a large appeal to its target audience because of some of the thematic elements, such as agape love, Kafka and Nietzsche. Although, the more mature middle grade student might understand the concepts I think the story line drags to much to hold their interest. 3 stars, interesting concept but lackluster execution.

NOTE: This refers to the unabridged audio book edition.
It's 1952 and eleven year old Franny Katzenback is discovering that life for her is different and extremely unfair. Not only has polio taken away her ability to walk, it has instilled irrational fear in her friends who mistakenly believe she's still contagious. Add in a nurse who treats her cruelly and a sense of isolation and you get a picture of what her life has become. Enter Fleabrain, a brilliant, but pompous insect living at the tip of her dog's tail. He's an obsessive reader and uses various types of flea saliva to introduce Franny to a new world.
Despite his pomposity, he helps Franny get through the rough spots, even turning her into somewhat of a mystery hero and banishing the cruel nurse in one of the funnier parts of the story.
Narrator Julie Marcus does a good job with the voices, although Fleabrain's stridency may grate on some ears. The weaving in of information about the birth and death dates of so many historical figures may put off some younger listeners, but the way the author brings an earlier time and a frightening epidemic to life make this a very good addition to historical fiction for juveniles.

The book "How Much Is That Guinea Pig in the Window" is a story about a class of students that are working to raise money for a class pet. It is a very interesting way to talk about and encourage the use of math by using a story that could actually happen. This story is one that is relatable for children because it is about a group of students in a classroom setting. Not only is the story interesting but, it incorporates math. A child could be reading this book and not realize that they are doing math at the same time. Since math is a tough subject, this is a great technique to encourage math skills. This book also provided a lot of pictures which can help a child to see the numbers being talked about to help them follow along with the story. This story could actually happen which makes this a realistic fiction. This is book that I would recommend in a math class.

It's 1952, and Franny has polio, so badly that the book begins with Franny in an iron lung, the machine whooshing as a friendly nun reads to her from newly-published Charlotte's Web. Returning home should mean she's reunited with family and friends, but everything seems different now. Some parents still think her polio is contagious and keep their children away. Even her family seems different. Her visiting nurse thinks she's not trying. But someone is watching -- Fleabrain the flea, who interacts with Franny via her journal. At first, he is a welcome friend (albeit a bit overly intellectual for middle-grade Franny). But why can he not ever share her affection for Charlotte's Web? Is it because Fleabrain's friendship is really about Fleabrain's needs, and he cannot validate Franny's? While Fleabrain's trajectory is a bit too-fantastical, and it is Franny's story of increased physical and emotional strength that grips the reader, this is a story of a sweetness that we rarely see in today's fiction. Pair with Kehret's Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio. Recommended. (76)

For cat lovers especially, this story is of Oona, an older sister desperately trying to protect her younger brother from the harsh realities of life, through the inventive telling of whoopers and lies. All the while putting on a brave face instead of grieving over the death of their father, Oona tries to find redemption in the adoption (some would say abduction) of a bb-bullet riddled cat, christened Zook. When Zook suddenly gets sick, can Oona spin a lie that will not only give comfort to her brother, but help save Zook's life?

***Listened to audiobook***

Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-7

Plot Summary: Oona has a lot of problems. She is responsible for taking care of Fred, who is still having a hard time getting over the loss of their dad. She's teaching him to read, and also telling him stories about the first five lives of their beloved cat, who is in the vet hospital. While working for Mario and Maria, Fred and Oona earn money from the people walking by. Their mom seems to be interested in Dylan, AKA the Villian, whom Oona is convinced is the one that previously owned their cat. That's another problem: she's living with a big secret. When she found Zook in the alley, she took off the tag with the address of his owner and pretended it didn't exist because she was appalled someone would let Zook go, plus she was concerned about the the BB gun pellet stuck in Zook's skin. Suddenly though, it all seems like too much. Will Oona's problems work themselves out?

Setting: city with alleys

Characters:
Oona - has a Secret Love who doesn't notice her, storyteller, rebus-maker, and whopper teller like her dad
Zook - AKA Zucchini, has 26 toes, meows loudly
Fred - doesn't want to eat often after his dad died, learning to read with the rebus' that Oona makes,
Mom - AKA Terri
Dad - died from cancer two years ago
The Villian - AKA Dylan, lives in the same apartment as Mud's owner
Mario and Maria - owners of O'Lear's Pizzeria, hire Oona and Fred to sing and dance to gain customers
Riya - Oona's friend, lives in the same building, half Indian and half Swedish, inspiration for Oona's theory of multie-culties
Gramma Dee - speaks Yiddish sometimes, friends with Riya's grandmother, lives nearby and frequently babysits
Phin - used to live in Dylan's apartment, owner of Mud, plays in a band

Recurring Themes: Rebus, lies, band, family, garden, loss, learning to read, gardening

Controversial Issues: none that I remember

Personal Thoughts: I think this book has a lot of personality in the writing, but I didn't like the reader of the audiobook. She paused in awkward places as she was reading the story and made it seem slower. I'm not sure if I would have liked it if I read it.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: slow, no narrative arc and there isn't one big problem in the story, but as you continue you learn of a bunch of little problems
Characters: well developed
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: whoppers (types of lies) each one has a different color, teaching someone how to read½

This is about a hungry cat, who bakes cookies for his friends and divides them evenly among them all, but eats them instead. He keeps baking more and keeps dividing them evenly. It is a good book to teach students about fractions.