Garmann's Street is about a boy named Garmann and a friendship he forms on his street. The story starts out by telling some background information on a boy name Roy. He happens to be the neighborhood bully. Roy tells stories to the neighbors about the "Stamp Man." He is said to be the grouchy old man who lives at the end of the street. However, one day Germann wandered into his yard to gather some flowers for his collection. That day, Roy get Garmann in trouble with the Stamp Man or so he thinks. From that point on Germann and the Stamp Man become best buds. The message of this story is to not judge people off what they hear about a person. Do no assume things unless you get to know someone. I believe this is a great book for kids because they need to understand this message. Kids can be brutal and judgmental. Reading a story about a young boy befriending a scary old man may help children understand that they are capable of being friends with their classmates. ( )

This book is placed in a very mixed place in my heart. I appreciated the use of the elderly man and child to be able to show that there were many ways that people can bond and agree. Some of the things I unfortunately disagreed with were the honestly frightening and very realistic illustrations. I as a young child wouldn't have been able to enjoy the plot because I'm to focused on what will jump out next on the book. I also as a young child would have been confused by the plot, because the beginning of the story made me believe the book was about bullying and then it changed to being about the elderly man. Then it changed at the end of the book discussing the twins and the bully. I feel that this book would be better suited for an older boy who wants a bit of thrill when he reads. ( )

This book tells the story of an unexpected friendship that results from an unfortunate event. It is about bullying, facing fears, and making new friends in unexpected ways or places. The illustrations were very unique and odd. I think the illustrations would be kind of creepy for young children, so I wouldn't use this book with children below third grade. ( )

This book addresses bullying in a different way. The young boy in this book is pressured by a bully to light a match and he accidentally burns his neighbor's yard. The boy and the neighbor become friends after the incident. It tells the readers that you can be friends with just about anyone. Bullying was definitely in this book but I think it could have done a better job of talking about it. It may not have been in the author's intentions to discuss bullying but I feel as though it's there and should be talked about somewhere in the book. ( )

The pictures in this story were amazing, as well as the life symbolisms throughout the book (the number seven being one). However, the story was hard to get interested in. The original Norwegian version of the story won the literature prize given by the Nordic Association for School Librarians in 2009, however. ( )