Emily Hanlon

This book is the first of a series about a group of delightful characters in a small town church. Books two and three are available now and I've just ordered them. Even though this book was a bit 'preachy' for me -- I loved the two main characters - especially Marya who was a lot sharper than she was given credit for by the other members of the church. Marya is in her 80s, always dresses in purple and is referred to as the 'purple pest'. When their priest confesses to the murder of a show more difficult parishioner, Marya is sure that he's innocent but needs some help finding the clues that will prove his innocence. She recruits Martha to help her. Martha is the proverbial church lady -- she has her hands in everything going on in the church and is very judgmental. With her index cards full of proverbs, Marya convinces Martha that she is more on the ball than people think she is. I thought that it was cute that she always had a quote from Scripture to meet every event. Will Marya and Martha working together be able to prove the priest's innocence? show less

The Swing is a great book written by Emily Hanlon about Emily, a young deaf girl, and Danny, a misunderstood youth. The book takes place on the country side in the summer somewhere in middle America. Trying to escape the individual challenges of their life they retreat to a swing that holds many good memories for both of them. Throughout the book the two feud over the swing until they get themselves into a mess and a mix up that the whole town becomes involved in. Which will require them to show more come together.

This book happens to be a great read for upper-elementary to junior high. I remember reading this book in 5th grade and loving it. I have read it over many times since then.

I would suggest asking children to discuss their personal sanctuaries with class. You could ask them where do they go to be alone and why. I would also take the first part of the book and have them choose which character they feel deserves the swing the most and why? Have them write a journal entry through the eyes of each their favorite characters. show less

This is a great book to introduce when teaching a lesson on homonyms. Before reading it to the child, it is important to teach what a homonym is otherwise the child may get confused. This story is both humorous and adventurous.

A play with words. Rhyming. Very detailed illustrations. Funny. Would be fun to read aloud and have students imagine what was going on.