Sheila Greenwald

I read Andersen from an early age and love his tales whether familiar like Thumbelina or The Little Mermaid or those that are less well known.
His world is the quotidian world of cobblers, ploughmen, fir trees and darning needles. It is this that makes Andersen's universe such a vital one. For, unlike the Brothers Grimm who collected German folk tales that had been sitting deep in the culture for centuries, Andersen made his stories up from scratch. Naturally he called on the trolls, show more tricksters and ice creatures who were part of the oral tradition of his peasant background, but much of what he did with them came directly out of his own sad, fertile brain. Instead of the Grimms' timeless forests and wicked step-mothers, Andersen gives us soldiers returning from war, the Round Tower of Copenhagen, rocking horses and a Lutheran deacon. While the Grimms' world is elegiac, Andersen's is fast, loud and crackling with the busyness of now. And they are filled with names of young people like Hans and Gretchen who might be living in your neighborhood. The tales live for me today just as they did when I was a boy. show less

Thank goodness Mariah eventually learns to love books more than business! She was pretty ruthless - and now I have better insight into the motives & attitudes of real-life adults who value money & power more than they do people. But *how* is Mariah saved from that fate? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out.

Surprisingly fun. Really clear on what some kids go through as they cope with a learning disability, but not at all preachy or saccharine. Iow, Gertie is a regular girl, going through the expected gamut of self-identity issues a girl her age would be going through, and starting to relate to the larger world and to better empathize with other people, most especially her cousin. There's an HEA, but it's not magical, there's no pretty bow tying everything up.

I especially enjoyed the show more well-crafted side characters & other adventures, and appreciate that a child, re-reading this, would get more out of the book the second (or third) time because the first read would focus on the principals, but re-reads would reveal the extra subtleties and details.

Even though I'm not a child craving 'more, more' I do wish there were a sequel so I could get to know all these characters better, and watch as the kids face new challenges. Meanwhile, I will see what else the author has written. show less

I really enjoyed this book. I think it does a really good job of incorporating environmental issues and science into a book that is directed to elementary school students. It shows students that they too can "go green" and help the environment too. As Rosy and her group figure out what to display at the fall fair, it makes children want to do these things too. I think it also has a really special message of friendship and working together. At first no one wanted to be a part of Rosy's group show more for the fair but they all worked together in the end and had a successful outcome. show less