Replay

Although Leo often feels overshadowed by his siblings, he knows he was meant for something big. His class play seems like the perfect opportunity to shine, until he is given the minimal part of the old crone. Meanwhile, Leo finds his father’s journal from when he was thirteen and struggles to reconcile the short-tempered father he knows and the fun loving boy of the journal. This is the story of a boy’s attempt to find his role in his family, the play, and in life. Sharon Creech’s book covers a wide range of emotions effectively. Its ending is uplifting, but also realistic, leaving some problems unsolved. Written in the present tense with special attention to actions, Replay almost reads like a play. It even starts with a list of show more scenes and a description of the cast of characters. Although it frequently jumps from the present into Leo’s memories and dreams, it is always easy to follow. Replay is a unique book for children in fourth through eighth grade. This book is highly recommended for the children’s section of public libraries and elementary school libraries. show less

Creech has done it again! Deftly mixing family life, growing-up issues and humor she weaves the tale of Leo "fog boy" or "Sardin-o" to his family as he balances feeling unseen in his big, boisterous Italian family and finding his voice onstage in the school play. Another great story from a master storyteller for children.

Leo is the middle child in a large family. He often feels invisible among his loud siblings and relatives. Leo is also a dreamer, who uses his imagination to picture how he would like the world to be. This book is about Leo growing up and learning about family history, and thinking about what he would like to become in the future.

This book had a lot of elements that I should have loved (the school play, the family dynamics, the imaginative main character) . . . but I didn't love it. It was all right, but not fantastic. All in all, a book that I don't mind having read once, but not one that I would want to read again.

Replay is the story of a boy who feels lost in his large family. His siblings have talents that he views as more appreciated by his parents, like football and singing. During the story, the boy discovers that he wants to try his hand at acting and earns a part in a play written by his drama teacher. His best friend also earns a part. In the end, he learns that he is a fine actor and his parents are proud of his accomplishments.

While much of the story is surface bound and does not deal with the tougher issues of adolescence, the revelation of his friend's loss of a little brother earlier in her life brings some depth to the plot. As an only child, the busy, bustling family life that was so difficult for the main character sounded show more fantastic to me!

In the classroom, I would use the play script at the back of the story to act out the actual play prior to reading the accompanying story. In addition, it might be useful as part of a bigger study of family units and sibling relationships. show less

Personal Response:

While, I did not think this was the greatest book ever, it still had a lot of good points. It was somewhat reminiscent to Creech's "Walk two Moons" in the way that Leo tries to figure out his father is similar to how Sal in "Walk two Moons" tries to learn more about her mother. I liked how this book didn't sugarcoat some of the issues that families often face. I think a lot of kids could fine something to relate to in this book.

Library/Classroom Uses:

This book has a lot of over-the-top dramatic characters in it, and would work well for a read-aloud.

If I were a classroom teacher, I think this would be a fun book to read to my students right before beginning to work on performing a play. This book includes the script show more for play Leo was in, so the class could even act the same play out.

The play in this book would be a fun one for a group of students to act out or do a puppet show of at a public library. show less

3.5 stars? I dunno, this one just didn't hit me in the same way as the other Creech I've read so far. It seemed a little contrived, a bit as if the author was stretching beyond her reach.

Poor Leo lives in a large Italian family where he is called Sardine and no-one seems to have any time for him. When he tries out for the school play- he gets the part of “the old crone” which is very disappointing but turns out differently. At the same time, he discovers his father’s diary written when he was 13 & begins to see a different person to the man who recently had a heart attack and has lost the hope he held as a young tap dancer!!! Great story – funny too.p.39-44 Improvising