Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia

Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia. Barbara O'Connor. 2003. FSG. 112 pages.

Harlem Tate hadn't been in Freedom, Georgia, more than three days before it was clear that nobody wanted anything to do with him. Nobody except me, that is. I had a burning desire to be his friend.

Bird has two main goals--to be noticed by her hometown of Freedom, Georgia, and to go to Disney World. Neither goal seems likely at the start of Barbara O'Connor's delightful Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia. What Bird needs even more than a trip to Disney World is a friend--a good friend, a best friend. Because she's a lonely girl. Her best hope for a friend seems to be the new kid, Harlem, a kid the others in her class dismiss almost immediately. But how can she "get" him to be her friend?

What brings these two together--in the end--is a spelling bee! What can Bird and Harlem learn from one another?

I really, really liked this one. I just love Barbara O'Connor. I do. She has a gift with creating characters that I can love and understand. (My favorite books so far being Greetings From Nowhere and The Small Adventure Of Popeye and Elvis.) I would definitely recommend this one!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Nonfiction Monday: The Champion of Children

The Champion of Children: The Story of Janusz Korczak. By Tomek Bogacki. 2009. [September 2009]. FSG. 40 pages.

On a rainy day in 1889, a boy wandered the streets of Old Town in Warsaw, Poland. The people he saw were very poor, and they all looked hungry. Many of them were homeless children dressed in rags. The boy wished he could do something to help them. If he were king--and he imagined himself on a white horse--he would create a better world for these children, a world where no one suffered. This is the story of Janusz Korczak, a remarkable man who dedicated his life to helping children.

In this beautifully illustrated picture book biography, readers are introduced to the life and work of Janusz Korczak. It's definitely a book for older readers. (Not a picture book you'd grab for story time.)

What did I like about this one? Well, I thought the illustrations were amazing. They really drew me into this one. And the story itself while heartbreaking is oh-so-compelling. I mean it is the story of a child growing up with a dream... realizing that dream...and following it through to the oh-so-bitter end. It's a bittersweet story no doubt. Because the world isn't fair. Because not everyone gets happy endings. But it's an inspirational story as well of a man who dedicated his life to others. The book sums it up like this, "his insistence that children have the right to be loved, educated, and protected has continued to inspire people all over the world."

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire

Ferber, Brenda A. 2009. Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire. FSG. 215 pages.

Tammy said we'd be best friends forever, and I believed her. I was standing on her driveway, squinting in the August sun. The moving truck had left, and Tammy's parents and older brother were already in their minivan. Tammy and I did our secret handshake, complete with butt bump and shimmy. We hugged and promised to call. Then Tammy climbed into the van, and they drove away. The Eriksons were moving to Chicago, only thirty minutes away by car from our life here in Deerfield. But when you were about to start fifth grade, anything further than a bike ride was another world.

It's almost been a year since Jemma said good-bye to her best friend, Tammy. Now the two are getting ready to go to summer camp together. And everything will be perfect again, right? Two girls, two best friends, everything falling exactly into place, right? After all, how much can a girl change between fourth grade and sixth grade? Yes, these two sixth-graders-to-be are getting ready to reunite...but is Jemma ready for the new Tammy?

Six young girls in a cabin together for four weeks. What can go wrong?!

Jemma's summer may not be going according to the way she had planned it. But can Jemma learn to deal with life, to make the best of every circumstance?

I really liked this one. Jemma is not a perfect heroine. She makes mistakes now and then. But she's a heartfelt girl. And I could feel her pain and confusion. I understood her jealousies and insecurities. I felt like I could completely relate to her as a character. And I thought the other characters: Annie and Kat, Delaney, Brooke, and Tammy were all well-done too. Perhaps not as fleshed out as the heroine herself. But certainly more than two-dimensional.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers