The Curious Garden Book Review

By Peter Brown

Book Summary: Liam lives in a gloomy, depressing city where nothing grows, and people stay inside. Liam finds a patch of wildflowers high above the city on an abandoned railway during his daily walk. "When he took a closer look, it became clear that the plants were dying. They needed a gardener." Liam decides he can help. "The flowers nearly drowned and he had a few pruning problems, but the plants patiently waited while Liam found better ways of gardening." As wildflowers often do, they begin to spread. They transform the dreary city into a beautiful city of color.

Book Review: The Curious Garden starts out much like the garden itself, dying for light and happiness. It doesn't take long to find hope in the little patch of dying wildflowers. Excitement follows as Liam learns to grow the garden. The painted pictures highlight the transformation from dreary to cheery. Dark, muted pictures depict a sad city and a bored Liam. As the garden grows, so does the color. Liam's gray coat is replaced by bright shirts. The hazy gray sky becomes blue. This is a beautiful story that, without preaching, shows children what can be accomplished with a little effort.

Interest Level: Pre-K - 3
AR Level: 4.4 (.5 points)
Lexile Level: AD840L

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate References:
None

Potentially Inappropriate Behaviors:
None

Parental Concern Rating:
0 (scale 0-5)

One Crazy Summer

By Rita Williams-Garcia

Summary: Eleven-year-old, Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, travel from New York to California to spend 28 days with the mother that abandoned them. The girls are disappointed to find that their mother, Cecil, doesn't want them there. Cecil sends the girls out each morning to get a free breakfast from the Black Panthers (a group of mostly black people who are fighting for their rights in the 60's) and tells them not to come back till sunset. With nothing better to do, the girls stay for the Black Panther Summer Camp after breakfast. It's not so bad, so they keep coming back. Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern make new friends, go on a few adventures, and learn new things about their mother.

Review: One Crazy Summer is not exactly what the title implies. The title gives the impression that the story will be fun and humorous. It is neither. It is well-written, though. One Crazy Summer shares details of life as a black person in the 60's, and, in greater detail, the life of three young black girls surviving in an unstable and unsafe environment. Rita Williams-Garcia has created characters that are so thoroughly developed that you will think you actually know them. It is the kind of story that readers will not want to wait to finish.

Interst Level: 3-6
AR Level: 4.6 (worth 7 pts.)
Lexile Level:  750

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate References:
None

Potentially Inappropriate Behavior:
None

Parental Concern Rating:
0