Jane Leslie Conly

Vernon is a junior high student who spends his time hanging out with his friends on the street corner, stealing the occasional candy bar and making fun of the local crazy lady and her mentally disabled son when they walk by. He needs help to pass his English class, and his tutor - an old lady/retired English teacher who lives next door to the crazy lady - helps him to get to know Maxine (crazy lady) and her son, and soon he becomes close friends with Ronald (the son).

A good show more bully-turned-caring person story that stays clear of any saccharine flavoring and actually offers up a touching story with characters that ring true. Both Maxine and Vernon have complex layers, and the conflict of the story goes beyond the simple wicked-boy-turns-good. Overall, a solid middle school pick. show less

I think this book might be confusing for some middle school readers if they don't have adult guidance to explain parts. For example, they'll only know the historical time period if they read the jacket blurb (assuming the book jacket is still present), so the use of "colored boy", some segregation issues, and acceptance of abuse may be assumed to be current. The final problem of dealing with an abusive father will be very heavy for children unless they have support from other adults to know show more how to deal with it in our current times. It also has a side-story of her mother's rheumatoid arthritis creating more tension.
The opening chapter made me think this would be a great book for our rural community, because it had good description of lying in a barn loft.
The main character, Dawn, appears completely free of racial prejudice and very self-confident with her chosen passion (baseball), and has the usual ups-and-downs of getting along with someone new. show less

Timothy Frisby is off to Thorn Valley for his third year of school with the rats, but this time, Jeremy the crow is unable to fly him there, so he sets off on foot. He meets a stranger, a city rat called Racso, and they journey together; when Timothy is nearly carried away by an owl, Racso cares for him until the rats of Nimh find them both. But upon their safe arrival at Thorn Valley, they learn of a threat to the community: the humans are planning to dam up the river and flood the valley show more to make a lake. The rats cook up a plan to sabotage the dam, and for once, they might be on the same side as the farmers.

A worthy sequel to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. show less

This would be a great book for reluctant readers. I understood it so differently as an adult, and the writing was so strong that I expected more from it that I needed to. That's a compliment, I promise. Poverty in this novel wasn't tragic. Neither was alcoholism. Single parenthood was treated realistically. I remember crying at this book as a kid. As an adult, I just felt sort of moody afterward. I congratulate the author on her success and hope this book continues to do well.