Jake Stemple, kicked out of every Middle School in the area was headed for Juvie. His last chance was to be home schooled at "Wits End", the Applewhite compound. Jake quickly realized that the Applewhites, a family of artists, were not bothered by his inappropriate behavior and uncoventional dress. He learned far more than the three R's from the Applewhites. He leared about acceptance and love.

I really liked this YA novel. I had no idea what the story was going to be about before I started it. But I was pleasantly suprised and truly enjoyed it. ( )

Richie's Picks: SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES by Stephanie S. Tolan,
HarperCollins, August 2002

High on a hill was a lonely goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay [uh-oh!]
Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd
Lay ee odl lay ee odl [oh-no!]

Folks in a town that was quite remote heard
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee [crash!]
Lusty and clear from the goatherd's throat heard
Lay ee odl lay ee odl [oh sh__!]

What would you get if you crossed the Marx Brothers with Maria von Trapp and
plunked it all down in the hills of North Carolina? If you can begin to
imagine that, then you'd have a sense of what you'll discover in SURVIVING
THE APPLEWHITES. This is a hilarious tale of a middle grade boy from Rhode
Island, whose transcript rivals that of Martin Anderson (from David Lubar's
HIDDEN TALENTS). And, in fact, "hidden talents" is an apt phrase for this
book too.

Jake Semple, the young lad with "spiked scarlet hair, a silver ring through
one dark eyebrow, and too many earrings to count," has relocated to North
Carolina to live with his grandfather after his parents' clandestine
agricultural pursuits land them in jail. Three weeks later, Jake's worn out
his welcome at the local middle school, and his social worker has worked out
a last-chance opportunity: go live with his grandpa's neighbors, the
Applewhites, who own the sixteen-acre scattering of cabins they call Wit's
End, and be homeschooled along with the Applewhite kids at their
self-proclaimed "Creative Academy."

The Applewhites are a most idiosyncratic and creative crowd, who seem to get
more and more crowd-ed as the story progresses. (Think Monkey Business.)
Set off in contrast to her more flamboyant--or in one case,
reclusive--relatives is E.D. Applewhite, named after Edith Wharton, who is
Jake's age and who, as the "straight man" as well as the only seemingly
organized one of the bunch, is given charge of Jake's education. (All of the
Applewhite kids figure out their own educational needs.)

Jake's facade--that of the hardcore delinquent--begins to wear away when,
first, he is not faced with the usual rules and authority figures he is used
to battling, and second, as he is "adopted" by a chunky old hound dog named
Winston and by the youngest of the Applewhites, four-year-old Destiny:

" 'How did your hair get that color?' he [Destiny] asked. Even if Jake had
intended to reply, he couldn't have. The boy went right on, leaving no time
for Jake to squeeze in so much as a syllable. 'Did it just grow that way?
Mine just growed. My hair's blond. Did you know they don't gots a blond
crayon even in the sixty-four box? I think they should, don't you? Lots of
people gots blond hair. What do you call your color? I bet they have a
crayon for it. I like it! And how do you make your hair all stick up in
points like that? When I wake up in the morning, mine sticks up sometimes.
But not in points. Mommy always combs it down. Can you comb your points
down?' The boy took a breath and kept going. 'Does it hurt to have that
ring sticking through your eyebrow? It looks like it hurts. How come you
gots so many earrings? What does your shirt say? Is that a pirate skull?
It doesn't have the crossbones like a pirate flag. I like pirates. I wanna
be a pirate when I grow up. And a painter. And a king...' "

This is a great read for any kid who has seen The Sound of Music. (You'll
have to read it to find out why.) For all the talk of Jake's foul language,
we never do actually hear any of those words, so this would make a great
classroom read aloud for fifth grade and up. But if you read it when you're
supposed to be asleep or when you're supposed to be doing something else,
then be sure to laugh quietly!

Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy at aol.com ( )

A book about a juvenile delinquent who is transformed while becoming a part of an eccentric home schooling family. Although the writing is fun, and the story is enjoyable, Tolan doesn't seem to speak with the voice of one who truly knows what home schooling is about. Yes, I recognize that the Applewhite family is a caricature of sorts, but as an adult who was long ago homeschooled in a very non-traditional way in a somewhat eccentric family, I found it unconvincing. Nevertheless, homeschooling students may find the book thought-provoking and worthy of lively discussion.

great book! ( )

Surviving the Applewhites is a realistic fiction novel about a foster boy who is labled as a troublemaker and is continuously kicked out of foster homes. He is sent to live at a home where the kids are "homeschooled" and basically design there whole education. His first opinion of their family is pretty accurate, however, it does change through the course of the story as he discovers the real meaning of family. ( )