Sid Fleischman (1920–2010)

McBroom's Ear is the third book in the McBroom series, about simple farmer Josh McBroom's family and their rich soil that can grow ANYTHING. The gimmick of the series is that McBroom professes to always tell the truth, and after an amazing story full of unbelievable exaggerations he'll confess to one small fib that implies everything else was undisputed fact. This was one of my favorite book series as a child.

In McBroom's Ear, McBroom's children show more (Willjillhesterchesterpeterpollytimtommarrylarryandlittleclarinda) find their plans to grow giant vegetables for the County Fair (which, considering their amazing soil, does seem a bit like cheating) threatened by massive swarms of grasshoppers on one of the hottest days of the year.

As with all of the other books in this series, the most charming aspect is the exaggerations and illogical descriptions employed by McBroom in his narration. In McBroom's masterful storytelling hands, the day isn't just hot, it's so hot that the wax beans began dripping like candles, and you have to boil water just to cool it off. The McBroom series is a celebration of the fun side of language and storytelling in which the events aren't as important as how they are described.

On a side note, the McBroom series would be reprinted in later decades with different illustrators, and while not commenting directly on their artistic merits, I think it's a shame that later generations were introduced to McBrooms tales with more cartoonish illustrations. Kurt Werth's artwork in the original McBroom publications introduced a level of realism to the comical tales being told, and lent an air of credibility to the stories that Josh McBroom himself would have appreciated. show less

I’ve been a Sid Fleischman fan for years, ever since one of his books showed up as part of a reading list for one of my first years in school. I fell in love with his style, and so far, I can’t say I’ve come across a book of his that I didn’t enjoy.

After growing up on the likes of By the Great Horn Spoon and McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre Farm, I was surprised to discover, a few months ago, that Fleischman didn’t just write fiction—he wrote some biographies, too! This is the show more second biography I’ve read from his pen, and although I’m unsure just how many other books he wrote that I haven’t read yet, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for other titles!

Everyone has heard of Mark Twain’s famous stories—or at least references to Tom Sawyer and/or Huckleberry Finn. But what surprised me in this book was how little I knew of the author of these stories. I’ve heard vague things over the years, but on the whole, most of the information in this book was new to me—and that was both surprising and made the biography all that much more interesting!

This biography wasn’t as much of a favorite of mine as Fleischman’s one of Houdini (I mean, come on…who can beat cool magic tricks?), but I still found it insightful, entertaining, and intriguing. I enjoyed this peek into what made Samuel Clemens into the world-renowned author, and all the many things he faced and conquered (or didn’t!) throughout his life.

If you’re looking for a short, gripping, easy-to-read biography about Mark Twain, I’d highly recommend you check this book out. It’s a fascinating peek into another century, and is a genuinely well-written story all on its own! show less

Although I’ve been fascinated by magic tricks for years, somehow I never managed to read a biography about Houdini until one of my brothers borrowed the audiobook for this book. I was between books at the time, and on a whim, decided to listen to it—and immediately got engrossed in the story. This is a well-written biography!

As I listened, I realized I hardly knew anything about Houdini. Even though he is a renowned magician, aside from a few of the more famous stunts he pulled off, I show more really had no idea who he was as a man or what came before his famous status. This book filled that in for me—pulling from what his family has said, the available documents, and other historical sources that all give clues into who this larger-than-life master of magic really was underneath.

Although this book tells about the stunts he pulls, that wasn’t the most interesting part of the story for me. I was intrigued by the story of how he became a magician—especially the years of failure he faced before finally making a breakthrough and becoming famous. I also found this peek into the socio-political climate during his lifetime fascinating; things like how people were especially drawn to his brand of magic before movies became a thing, or the way World War I pushed people toward diving into spiritualism as they tried to find closure after the loss of loved ones (and Houdini’s concerted effort to expose the charlatans he found who were faking hearing from the dead).

This is a short, fast read, but I came away from it appreciative of the effort and dedication Fleischman showed in bringing the story of one of the world’s greatest magicians to life. He claimed in the introduction that he’s best as a fiction author; be as that may, I think he did an excellent job in nonfiction as well. If you’re interested in learning more about Houdini, or enjoy magic tricks, or just like a good biography, I’d recommend you check this book out. It’s well worth your time to read it (and the middle graders in your life will likely enjoy it, as well). show less

I first picked up this book because it had a ventriloquist dummy on the cover. I was not sure what a dybbuk was but learned that it was the equivalent of a Jewish Ghost. This is the story of a ventriloquist who is not very successful. That is until he returns to his room one night and finds someone waiting. He finds out the someone is a dybbuk. He wants something from the Ventriloquist. He needs to inhabit his body in exchange he will help him. Against the entertainer's wishes the dybbuk show more enters his body and soon begins to speak for the dummy. They become a hit. The dybbuk needs the help of the entertainer to track down someone from his past. It seems the dybbuk, when alive was a young boy named Avrom Amos Poliakov. When is was alive he and his sister Sulka were hiding from the SS officers who took great pleasure in hunting down Jewish children, bagging them and then killing them. Avrom watched helplessly as his sister was poisoned and died. Avrom was eventually shot by the same officer. As a dybbuk he has unfinished business. Find the SS officer who now lives as a Jewish victim and get revenge.

I loved this book. The mystery of why the dybbuk was possessing the entertainer and for how long kept me reading. As I neared the end I was on the edge of my seat to see what the dybbuk would do. I was very pleased with the way the book ended. About the time I think I have heard all of the things the Nazis did to the Jews I learn something new. This was based on historical fact. The author did a wonderful job of telling it like it was and in a most respectful way. He let the dybbuk and his humor tell the story. I can't wait to recommend this now that I truly understand what this book is all about show less