From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9–Richard Peck seems determined to create his own sub-genre: nostalgic fiction. Just like
A Long Way from Chicago (Dial, 1998) and
A Year Down Yonder (Dial, 2000), this title (Dial, 2006) is a keeper. Set in rural Indiana, circa 1914, tomboy PeeWee works with her adored older brother Jake. The automobile is replacing the horse and buggy and the young brother and sister run a fledgling gas station. When a tornado rips through town and tears up the defunct library, the town elders are shamed into re-opening it. Irene Ridpath and three of her sorority sisters fresh out of library school arrive and set the small town on its ear. Motherless PeeWee has never encountered women with such sophistication, and she begins to re-examine her own femininity. Jake is determined to win a rough and tumble automobile race, but when hes injured, PeeWee jumps in and finishes the event. Peck is a master at creating enchanting characters—even his dead librarian has personality. The setting is vivid—listeners can almost hear the sound of those first automobiles chugging up the road. Narrator Lara Everly brings the story to life with great charm. Listeners will enjoy this well-done audiobook that weaves in facts about rural life in the early 20th century, feminism, and automobile history.–
Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
If any author could combine auto racing, feminism, cross-town rivalries, orphaned children, a tornado, and libraries into an engaging novel, that author would be Richard Peck. Lara Everly skillfully narrates the story of this quirky Indiana town of 1914. She exudes the independence of Peewee, née Eleanor McGrath, who is not going to continue her schooling or wear a dress unless it fits into her plan. Everly brings personalities--an eccentric uncle, the show stopping Butler University library science students with their flashy cars, the conniving Kirby brothers--to life. She narrates with a flat affect that underscores Peck's signature deadpan humor. A.R. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
