Do Bananas Chew Gum?
by Jamie Gilson
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Able to read and write at only a second grade level, sixth-grader Sam Mott considers himself dumb until he is prompted to cooperate with those who think something can be done about his problem.Tags
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In style and topic, this is very similar to Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements—both are about kids who are dyslexic and having trouble in school. The copy I read was deaccessioned from the library, probably because the MC’s parents discuss whether or not he is “r#t#rded” and because the type of orthodontia in this book is out of date and contemporary kids might not understand what was happening. (Do kids still have to wear retainers and accidentally throw them out in the lunchroom?) But the novel was really funny and well-written and had lots of action, including a tornado. It was like a beautiful slice of my 1980s childhood and I enjoyed it very much. Apparently Jamie Gilson died just last year. I am going to show more look for more of her books. show less
Sam acts like a smart aleck to keep from looking dumb Sam Mott's made it most of the way through sixth grade barely able to read and write. Now Sam's family's moved again, and none of the kids in his new school have started calling him Dumbhead Sam -- yet. But how long can Sam keep his problem secret when even the second grader he baby-sits for reads better than he does?
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21 Works 1,822 Members
Children's author Jamie Gilson was born in Beardstown, Illinois on July 4, 1933. She received her B.A. from the Northwestern University School of Speech after starting out her education at the University if Missouri. Before becoming an author, she was a teacher, a staff writer and producer for the Chicago Board of Education radio station, a writer show more of Encyclopaedia Brittanica films, and was a monthly columnist for Chicago magazine. She wrote commercials for radio station WFMT in Chicago as well as writing film and film strips for Encyclopedia Britannica Films. Most of her novels are humorous contemporary works set in Illinois. She draws on her own childhood as well as visits to local schools for book ideas. As a child, she lived in Pittsfield, Illinois for a few years which later became the setting for two of her novels. Her book Wagon Train 911 was based on her experience of spending two weeks with an entire fifth grade class while they studied the Western Movement using total immersion. The students took pioneer identities, joined a wagon train, and made decisions concerning their trip. Her books have won numerous awards including the 2005 Prairie State Award for Excellence in Writing for Children presented by the Illinois Reading Council. Two of her books, Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub and Do Bananas Chew Gum?, have won state child-voted awards from Florida, Ohio, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Do Bananas Chew Gum?
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- Members
- 162
- Popularity
- 201,594
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.42)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 15
- ASINs
- 4
