Cynthia Cotten

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

Michael always spends the summer at his grandparents' farm, and he is really looking forward to this summer. He and Grandpa always go fishing on the first day, and this year he will be allowed to drive the tractor. They pack up and drive to the farm, but when they arrive, an ambulance is just leaving with Grandpa, who has had a fatal heart attack. Michael is devastated...how can this happen? Michael's uncle and cousin decide to put up the hay that show more Grandpa had cut so that it wouldn't spoil, but they refuse to let Michael drive the tractor -- they are afraid that he can't handle it.

Back in the city, Michael feels truly alone since Dad is always busy with his schooling and working on the dissertation for his P.H.D. Dad suggests that Michael might like to take some individual art lessons from his good friend, Charlie, since Michael always seems to have a pencil and paper at hand and is very good at art. Michael decides to do that, and trades doing some summer yard work for art lessons, and he and Charlie become friends.

Michael chooses a portrait of Grandpa for his art project at school, but he just can't seem to get the eyes right, even though Charlie works with him every week to improve his skills. This is a very emotional story, as Michael swings from denial to anger to sorrow, and feels that the whole world is against him. He feels that his math teacher hates him and his best friends have distanced themselves from him. They just seem to have other interests this year that don't include Michael. He does make a new friend in Melanie, the cute new girl across the aisle from him in math class. Then Michael learns that his new friend and art mentor, Charlie, might be dying from cancer.

Cynthia Cotten writes with great sensitivity about a difficult subject in this story with compelling characters and a well-developed plot. The title, FAIR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, is right on. Life is not fair, but learning to cope with what life hands out is crucial to our children's mental health. This book should be in every library and on your child's summer reading list. show less

Set in the early 19th century, young Abbie must stitch her first sampler, but she'd rather be reading. I will confess that like Abbie, I too, would have preferred to read at that age. I did eventually develop a love for counted cross stitch somewhere around my senior year of high school. I think there will be other young girls who can relate to this story. The illustrations were not as clear as they could have been, probably due to the technique used by the artist in creating them.

This was a good book about what children do when it starts to rain outside. It was set in the form of a poem and had amazing illustrations. Each picture looked like a collage where the characters and events going on in the story could pop out and come to life. The illustrations were very visually pleasing and engaging, and would help readers see how the characters were reacting to what was going on in the story. Second, the story employed poetic devices, such as rhyming throughout the story show more in AABB format. For example, one page stated, “Rain begins. Cools our skins. Raindrops splatter. People scatter.” Even though the text was very minimal and simple, this would be a great book for a teacher to read energetically during a poetry unit or even for readers who are beginning to read independently. It also helps readers understand that if they were on a playground and it started raining, it is important to go inside. The purpose of this story was to express the experience of children who are playing outside when it begins to rain. show less

Abbie in Stitches takes place in western New York, in the early 1800s, sharing the expectations of young women of this era. Despite one’s true passions, women were expected to complete certain tasks. This text would be a great accommodation for a history lesson within the time period, especially for the female population, sharing an appreciation of the developed maturity of our society.