How to use this Page

Hound Dog True is a quiet, middle grade novel about a girl named Mattie Breen, who is extremely shy, and worries about many things. She and her mom have had to move a lot, due to changes and shifts in her mom's jobs, and that has made the prospect of starting fifth grade at yet another new school even more frightening. This time, though, Mattie has a plan. Since her Uncle Potluck is the janitor at the school, she's going to learn everything there is to know about his work and then become his apprentice so she can avoid having to socialize with her classmates during recess. Her apprenticeship to Uncle Potluck takes an unexpected turn, however, and she realizes she's going to have to face her peers. To do so, she will also have to face some demons from her past and perhaps even trying making friends with Quincy Sweet, an older, cooler girl in her new neighborhood.

I am having a hard time collecting my thoughts about this book. I really wanted to read it, since I loved A Crooked Kind of Perfect so much, but somehow I didn't connect with it as well as I expected. The book has a lot of really strong elements. For example, I loved the specificity of Mattie's experiences. The very simplest of things, such as the loss of a pajama button, or the violation of a private notebook by a nosy classmate, take on a deep and almost indescribable significance in Mattie's life, which really drew her out as a character and provided a lot of insight into her personality and anxieties. I also thought Mattie's shyness was one of the strongest aspects of the book. I think it's difficult to understand the paralyzing feeling of not knowing how to interact with other kids, and even more difficult to put into words, but Urban pulls it off.

Still, though, something in this book didn't work for me. I liked many of the individual story threads, but I never felt like those threads formed one cohesive whole. I was frequently confused, particularly by the continuous use of the word "plunk," and by Mattie's devastation over her lost pajama button, and her need to apologize to it. I could understand her feelings well enough from a logical standpoint, but I never got to the point where I also felt them myself. Usually, I can get into a child's mindset when I'm reading a children's book, but I never saw Mattie from anything but an adult point of view. One of the reviews I saw on Goodreads mentioned that this book would be adored by adults, but maybe not so much by children, and that's the impression it gave me. The writing is strong, even if I wasn't crazy about all of  the characters, and the childhood difficulties Mattie faces are the kinds of things people of all ages can recognize from their own lives, but I didn't connect with Mattie, and I suspect middle grade readers may not either.

---

Here's what some other bloggers have to say about Hound Dog True...

Urban’s writing style can be summed up in one word: likeable. And this is a supremely likeable book. A great new Urban title that won’t disappoint her already existing fans and may lure in new ones. - Elizabeth Bird, Fuse #8

This is a book that will speak

0 Comments on Review: Hound Dog True by Linda Urban as of 1/1/1900

Add a Comment

Swallows and Amazons was originally published in 1930 in the UK, but the version I read is the 1958 US edition. I never read this book as a child, or even heard of it, honestly, until Elizabeth Bird's Top 100 Children's Novels Poll in early 2010. I'm not even sure I would have been interested in the book as a child, as it was old by my standards and involved adventure, which I was staunchly against as a kid. My childhood prejudices didn't stop me from falling in love with this book as an adult, however, and I think I will be thinking about Swallows and Amazons for a long, long time to come.

The story is set in the English Lake District, where the Walker family - John, Susan, Titty, and Roger - are spending a summer holiday at a farm called Holly Howe. After receiving permission from their father, who is in the Royal Navy and away at sea, the four kids set off in their boat, Swallow, to camp on an Island in the middle of the lake. Aside from very occasional visits from their mother, and a once-daily row across the lake to fetch milk from a neighboring farm, the Walker children are completely on their own for the duration of their stay on the island. John, as captain, is in charge. Susan, the mate, takes care of the meals, and Titty and Roger, though subject to the authority of the oldest two siblings, serve as able-seaman and ship's boy. From the start of their adventure, the Walkers allow their imaginations to rule their every move, considering the adults all around them to be "natives", and the man living in the nearby houseboat to be a retired pirate. Also in on the game are the Blackett girls, Nancy and Peggy, who call themselves pirates and challenge the Swallows to a war.

What truly sets a children's book apart, in my mind, is how deeply it is able to immerse itself into the mind of a child. I have often cited Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth by E.L. Konigsburg as one of the best children's books of all time, because it never breaks character, so to speak. There is never an all-knowing narrative voice, or an authoritative adult voice stepping in to tell the reader what's real, and what's imagined. As in real-life make-believe, the children make all the rules, and everything in the story is told from the child's point of view and nothing more. Swallows and Amazons is brilliant in exactly that way. Though the reader is in on the game from the beginning, and knows that the Walkers aren't really sea explorers anymore than the Blacketts are pirates, he or she is taken along on the adventure, and completely buys into every aspect of the Walkers' imagined lives as members of a ship's crew. Because the reader buys into the make-believe, he or she is able to experience all the excitement of an adventure on the unknown seas with the warmth and comfort of the known and the familiar.

There is something for everyone in Swallows and Amazons - adventure, camping, sailing (complete with all the jargon and sailing instruction a child could want), late-night sneak attacks, battles, enemies, and mystery. The characters, especially Roger, Titty, Nancy, and Mrs. Walker, become so real as the story continues that it becomes difficult to say goodbye to them when the book ends. It's a lucky thing there are eleven more books following this one, because once hooked

Display Comments Add a Comment

Abby's teacher, Mrs. Melvino, has a class duck named Max, and Abby wants nothing more than to take him home for a weekend. Unfortunately, Max has a lot of very specific needs, and Mrs. Melvino has to see that all of them can be met before she will allow any student to take him home. Specifically, Max needs an "aquatic" environment without dogs, cats, or clawed animals, with a "calm, secure yard" and "duck food."  Abby gets to work at once, but no matter what preparations she makes, it seems that her next door neighbor, Noah, is one step ahead of her. On top of that, Mrs. Melvino keeps making the requirements more and more strict, until it seems like Abby will never have her chance to babysit Max!

Class pets are a popular topic in books for beginning readers. The Willimena Rules!, Robin Hill School, Horrible Harry, Ready Freddy, and Katie Kazoo Switcheroo series all have titles involving class pets, as do stand-alone books like The Best Seat in Second Grade, 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel / 1 Dog = Chaos. Duck for a Day, originally published in Australia in 2010, shares some common characteristics with these other books, but ultimately takes the class pet concept in a new direction.

Though I wondered at times whether Mrs. Melvino's strict rules about caring for Max were too harsh, I thought she was a colorful and interesting character. I also enjoyed the way Abby and Noah's rivalry slowly evolves into friendship, caused by their mutual interest in the duck. Max's duck behavior also adds a lot of charm and humor to this sweet school story.

Duck for a Day will be published in the U.S. on February 28, 2012. 

I received a digital ARC of Duck for a Day from Candlewick Press via NetGalley.

Add a Comment

I remember reading the original Amelia Bedelia series as a kid, and thinking they were pretty great. I loved seeing her misinterpretations of the instructions she received from Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, which led her to do things like throw dust on the furniture and cut up a calendar to make a date cake. But when I look at those books now, they actually make me somewhat uncomfortable. Though I realize that Amelia Bedelia is meant to stand in for a child, and that her actions are meant to be silly, I can't help but want to roll my eyes at how utterly ridiculous her behavior is, and how she can't function properly in any situation.

But now Herman Parish, the nephew of Amelia Bedelia creator Peggy Parish, has brought Amelia into the 21st century with stories from her childhood. Usually, I object to the attempts on the part of authors or publishers to repackage "classic" characters for new generations. But I have to admit, that compared with the original Amelia Bedelia books, the newer series sits a lot better with me, and I think the writing is every bit as good, if not better in the new books.

In Amelia Bedelia Makes a Friend, Amelia's best friend, Jen, her opposite in every way, moves out of Amelia's neighborhood.  When the new neighbors move in, Amelia isn't very interested, but she does listen as her mother lists the items the movers have brought into the house. These include a footstool, which Amelia imagines as a small table held up by three feet with painted toenails, armchairs, which she draws with her crayons as goofy objects  with long, bendable arms, and a twin bed, which Amelia assumes is home to a pair of twins.

As it turns out, the new neighbor is a grandmother named Mrs. Adams. Though she and Amelia are quite different, they enjoy one another's company. Soon, Amelia and Mrs. Adams do many of the same things together that Amelia and Jen used to do, and they become best friends too.

I enjoyed this book on a number of levels.

First of all, I really liked the way the text and illustrations work together to incorporate the original Amelia Bedelia concept of literal interpretation into this story. Amelia's interpretation of each piece of furniture her mother names as she watches Mrs. Adams move in isn't explicitly stated in the text, but instead comes to life in Amelia's own imaginings and drawings.Her only actual statement revealing her confusion occurs when she asks Mrs. Adams about the twins who use the bed.

Secondly, I liked the theme of unlikely friendships, and the idea of friendships between kids and their older neighbors. Amelia's relationship with Mrs. Adams paints a very positive picture of older folks and encourages the reader to focus on what we have in common as human beings, rather than differences that might pull us apart.

Finally, I like the way Herman Parish has changed Amelia from a bumbling, incompetent, and borderline obnoxious adult to a sweet, outgoing, and confident little girl whose confusion is a product of being young and uninformed, rather than just a gimmick to create silliness. This younger version of Amelia is really appealing, and I think I'd actually like to read some more books about her.

My only complaint is that the cover is misleading. Yes, a girl Amelia's age does appear in the story, but it's a brief encounter, and she is not the new friend referenced by t

Add a Comment

What Happened on Fox Street is a realistic fiction middle grade novel about Mo Wren, a young girl whose single dad has sort of given up in the aftermath of his wife's death, leaving Mo to do the thinking and worrying for the entire family, as well as look out for her "Wild Child" younger sister, Dottie. When developers begin sending letters to the Wrens and their neighbors, Mo realizes she might lose her home on Fox Street that contains memories of her mother, and strives to prevent this from happening. She also must deal with changes in her newly-rich best friend, Mercedes, who is slowly coming to important realizations about her own family.

This book explores similar themes to a 2011 title I really love, One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street. Because I loved Orange Street so much, at times, this book didn't feel like it measured up. Fox Street is a really strong novel in its own right, however, and I found myself becoming more interested and more invested in the characters as the book went on. The strongest character in the book, in my opinion, is actually Dottie, the eccentric, neglected, wandering younger sister. Her behavior and her need for attention from each of the neighbors was really heartbreaking, and drove home the dysnfunction of the Wren family, even when Mo wasn't sophisticated enough to put the family's problems into words. I was also really pleased with the way the author handled the death of Mo's mother. Though this event was clearly a traumatic one in Mo's life, the narrative didn't dwell completely on the mourning process - rather, this is a book about finding ways to move on after a major loss.

What I enjoyed most about this book, I think, was the way the neighborhood came to life. The different buildings and people on Fox Street were so vivid in my mind, and though the street map at the start of the book wasn't labeled, the author's descriptions made it easy to pick out each family's home without hesitation. Additionally, though I won't spoil the ending, I think this book has one of the strongest ending lines in any children's book I've ever read. Not only does it wrap up the threads of  the story, it also hints at the changes brought about between Mo and her sister, and what their relationship might be like in the future.

I think this story will work best for readers who are already hooked on realistic fiction. I'm looking forward to reading Mo Wren, Lost and Found, which was published this past September, to find out what happens next for the Wrens.


I borrowed What Happened on Fox Street from my local public library.

Add a Comment

Today I conclude my series on Maurice Sendak's Nutshell Library with my review of Pierre. Though I was always disturbed as a kid by the idea that a lion could come along and eat a disagreeable child, I still have fond memories of this book from first grade. The book - and Carole King's sung version, of course - made such an impression on me, that I actually ordered my own copy from the school book order way back when, and somewhere, I still have it.

The premise of the story is that a boy named Pierre doesn't care about anything. When his parents get ready to go out, he refuses to get ready and go with them, so they leave him behind and go to town on their own. while they're gone, a lion comes along, and when Pierre expresses his indifference to being eaten, the lion gobbles him up. It is only after a harrowing rescue by his parents and a doctor that Pierre finally learns to say, "I care."

As a kid, what spoke to me the most, I think, was the fact that Pierre finally learned his lesson. I always prided myself on being a "good kid" and bad behavior of any kind intrigued and troubled me. I liked it when other kids - even fictional ones - discovered the error of their ways and started to behave. I think it gave me a sense of moral superiority, but also made me feel safe. I liked knowing that other kids weren't going to get in trouble, and that nothing bad would befall them.

As an adult, though, I find myself looking at Pierre on a somewhat deeper level. I'm no longer focused on trying to reform Pierre's behavior. Instead, the storyline makes me think about apathy, and what that can do to someone's life. Pierre's indifference to everything isn't just obnoxious rudeness - it's also the reason he misses out on opportunities. His lack of interest in anything happening around him - from what he eats for breakfast, to whether or not a lion swallows him whole - causes him to become the victim of others' choices. When he learns to care in the end, it's not necessarily a lesson in being good, like I thought when I was six, but a lesson in being the master of one's own destiny.

The fact that two readings of this book by the same person taking place 23 years apart can be so different is exactly the reason I think Maurice Sendak is so brilliant. There is always something more to uncover beneath the surface of his writing, and always something adults can appreciate along with their children.

Carole King's rendition of Pierre is below:

Add a Comment