When Chloe is sent to spend the summer with her aunt Bernadette, she makes a promise to "give the unexpected a chance." From the minute she steps off the plane, life with this aunt is full of surprises. Newbery Medalist E.L. Konigsburg's new book is "Offbeat, comic, thought-provoking: a top-notch author at full strength."--Kirkus Reviews (pointered review).
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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From Publishers Weekly
Newbery Medal winner Konigsburg introduces another of her typically saturnine heroines in this tart, smart novel. Suburban New Jerseyite Chloe is spending the summer in Florida with her aunt Bernadette. A one-time commune dweller, Bernadette is like nothing from Chloe's universe: she drives a commissary van and sells junk food at roadsides, she expertly teaches Chloe to swim but will not go in the water herself, and she puts wild mushrooms and flowers in her salads. Chloe overcomes her own taste for the ironic to develop an unvarnished affection for Bernadette, who likewise softens, relaxing her strict guard on her own privacy. Konigsburg gives this movingly developed friendship extra weight by centering her tale on timely, thoughtful plot lines: Two shapely new commissary drivers start wearing "T-backs"--G-string-like bathing suits--denting Bernadette's sales and causing an outcry from local conservatives. Bernadette will not don a T-back, nor will she oppose the costume on moral grounds, despite pressure from a fundamentalist group. In a twist that will especially interest admirers of Konigsburg's Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth . . . , Chloe decides to punish the smug son of one of the T-back wearers by convincing him that Bernadette is a witch--only to discover, too late, that the son is aligned with the fundamentalists. The issues are as complicated as the characters; teenagers as well as the target audience will enjoy this book. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-It's summer, and Chloe, 12, is about to sign a compact with her best friends that if one girl has a "bad hair day," all three must jump in the water. If she refuses, they'll shun her; if she signs, she faces the possibility of immersion in the local pool-a much-feared consequence, since she cannot swim. Her stepfather comes to the rescue, sending her to Florida to visit his sister, and advising her to "give the unexpected a chance." Chloe begins to develop real affection for and understanding of the woman, a former flower-child activist. When a heated debate ensues over the decency of wearing revealing bathing suits to work, Bernadette is caught between COAT (Citizens Opposing All T-Backs) and the pressure of her co-workers for "solidarity." With the help of her lawyer-friend, she stands up for her own beliefs, teaching Chloe an invaluable lesson and opening up her own closed-off life to the possibility of loving another person. Konigsburg has developed unusual characters who reveal their innermost secrets as the story unfolds. Despite the initially trivial premise, the plot is carefully constructed and the humorous dialogue will engage readers. While it offers a lighter look at self-discovery than that found in the author's Throwing Shadows (Macmillan, 1988), T-Backs could serve as a possible discussion-starter on the importance of commitment and personal values.
Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, Wheeler School, Providence, RI
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, Wheeler School, Providence, RI
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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First Sentence
Going to Peco for the summer was not Chloe's first choice. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Going to Peco for the summer was not Chloe's first choice. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
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By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This book really covers the bases: witchcraft, friends, family, religion, hippies and food. What more could you want? You must follow Chloe on her summer of suprises, this is one of Konigsburg's finest!
Format:Hardcover
If you go in for hipster pop-psyche of the trendy and trite, then by all means you'll love this exercise in stereotypes. Or if you wish your five year old could only get in more prime-time TV, you may also like it. If not, however, feel free to skip this pseudo-intellectual claptrap.
Format:Hardcover
The book T-Backs,T-Shirts, Coat, and Suit is about a girl named Chloe who has to go to her step- dad's sister's house,Bernadette over the summer. The book is mostly about what she does and who she meets, and how they try to ban a kind of bathing suit called a T- Back. A good point about the book is that all the characters are all different and fun to read about, and a bad point is that the end of the book is sort of confusing. But other than that it is a great book.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!
The book t backs t shirts COAT and suit is a great book. I have read two of E.L. Koningsburg's books and so far this is the best. Read more
Published on Dec 3 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book shows you not to judge a person by what's outside
This book is outstanding! The combination of witchcraft,high society,loyalty,betrayal,standing up for what you believe in, and believing lies twisted together,your outcome is... Read more
Published on Jan 17 1999
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