Katherine Paterson

I like going through library bookshelves and discovering tucked away gems, such as Katherine Paterson's Flip-flop Girl. Even though this novel is not as well known as Bridge to Terabithia or Lyddie, this story stands out. Told from the perspective of Vinnie Matthews, a young girl that has just lost her father to cancer, we see her not only struggle with his death, but also reluctantly adjust to a new school. None of these situations are easy, so one feels immediately sympathetic for Vinnie's show more plight.

Like any other girl, Vinnie wants to fit in, but she finds that she doesn't have the right clothes and her mother can't afford to buy her what she wants. She's frustrated with her little brother, who refuses to speak. Although she can't seem to find any friends in her class, her teacher proves to be a bright spot in her life and she gets to know her classmate, Lupe, who seems to make the best of her situation even though she's worse off than Vinnie.

A friendship develops between the two girls through a mutual understanding of their situations. I think this novel may speak to kids that are currently experiencing loss or financial difficulties in their family. Vinnie has a strong voice and even though she doesn't always make the right decisions, kids may identify with her frustrations and see how she works out her problems even though things are not as perfect in her life as she'd like them to be. show less

Prince Raphael is as rich and as handsome as a prince should be. He is also arrogant, greedy, and selfish. Knowing Raphael to be an unfit ruler, the dying king decrees that his son shall not wear his crown until he marries a woman who equals him in appearance, intelligence, and wealth. Then a magic wolf brings Rosamund, the daughter of a poor farmer, to the castle. The prince and his advisors - amazed by Rosamund's cleverness and beauty - joyfully pronounce her the king's equal. But the show more story is not as simple as that. For not only must Rosamund be Raphael's equal - Raphael must be hers. show less

I've read this so, so long ago, and I'm only reviewing it because I remembered it well enough to know that it deserved a review. But still, since it was years ago since I last read the book, any mistake made would be blamed on me and my poor forgetful mind.

I actually watched the movie first before I read the book. It was part of this movie comprehension thing for my English enrichment class. And it frigging made me cry, as much as I hate to admit it. So I figured that if the story in the show more move could make me shed tears, the book should be worth a shot. And I never regretted my decision.

I loved the friendship. The imagination. When Jess and Leslie smiled you smiled. When they laughed you laughed. And when the child-like innocence of the two kids were broken when Leslie died, it was like a part of me shriveled. Their relationship was so beautifully created and developed, it was simply heart-wrenching and painful that even after all these years, something inside me moves when I think of this wonderful story.

Definitely recommended for anyone; this book isn't limited to only children. show less

Rosa's mother is singing again, for the first time since Papa died in an accident in the mills. But instead of filling their cramped tenement apartment with Italian lullabies, Mamma is out on the streets singing union songs, and Rosa is terrified that her mother and older sister, Anna, are endangering their lives by marching against the corrupt mill owners. After all, didn't Miss Finch tell the class that the strikers are nothing but rabble-rousers--an uneducated, violent mob? Suppose Mamma show more and Anna are jailed or, worse, killed? What will happen to Rosa and little Ricci? When Rosa is sent to Vermont with other children to live with strangers until the strike is over, she fears she will never see her family again. Then, on the train, a boy begs her to pretend that he is her brother. Alone and far from home, she agrees to protect him . . . even though she suspects that he is hiding some terrible secret. show less