From Amazon.com
Tree is 12 years old and the tallest kid ever in his school: 6-foot-3 and still growing. He's a pretty intelligent and sensible guy and he copes by helping people, like his wonderful grandpa, a Vietnam vet who's just had a leg amputated. But still, being tall leads to problems. Coaches always expect him to be good at sports, even though he tries to explain, "I'm not real athletic." When he meets the father of Sophie, the independent-minded new girl at school, he has to show his birth certificate to prove he's not much older. "I'm tall for my age," says Tree. "You're tall for my age," says Sophie's suspicious father. And dance lessons--! Well, they're a nightmare, especially the tango, where he and Sophie have to replace hand-in-hand with hand-in-elbow, and cheek-to-cheek with cheek-to-chest.
But the thing that really makes Tree's life complicated is not his size but his parents' recent divorce. They have joint custody, so Tree has to divide his life, and he's always needing something he left at the other house. Then disaster strikes, and Tree proves that he has courage to match his size.
Joan Bauer's great heart and dry wit is always a delight, especially in Hope Was Here and Rules of the Road. In Stand Tall she gives us wonderfully interesting characters, funny scenes, zingy lines, and a story that has something warm and beautiful to say to kids. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
In her heartfelt and humorous novel, Bauer (Hope Was Here) leaves teenage girl protagonists in favor of a middle-grade boy as she did also in Sticks (1996). But her fans won't be disappointed. At first, 12-year-old Tree, "six feet, three and a half inches and growing," only literally "stands tall." At school, Coach Glummer expects him to lead the basketball team (though he's not very athletic) and teachers expect him to act older than his age. On the home front which shifts weekly due to his parents' recent divorce and joint custody arrangement Tree is the glue of his family. He helps care for his Vietnam vet grandfather (who recently had a leg amputated) while worrying about his aging dog, Bradley, his two college-student brothers and his parents. Bolstered by his budding friendship with the outspoken new girl at school, Sophie, and by Grandpa, Tree finds an inner strength that helps him deal with just about anything including a natural disaster. Bauer once again creates a clan of believable characters scrambling to make the best of their particular brand of dysfunction. Her swiftly paced story artfully blends poignant and outright funny moments, resulting in a triumphant tale that will resonate with many young readers. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
