A Fun Book for Grandchildren to Read
I’ve got an attitude. Yesiree, Bob. (Only one? my husband retorts. )
It’s an I-can-do-it attitude. It probably started around the terrible twos, that age when kids want to do things for themselves. That can-do attitude stuck to me through the years like a cocklebur clings to a sock.
That’s probably why I enjoyed The Summer of Hammers and Angels by Shannon Wiersbitzky.
Delia, the main character, has that can-do attitude. She has spunk. She has initiative. She has drive. What a delightful character.
Delia lives with her mother in a ramshackle home. An inspector visits their home and threatens to condemn it unless repairs are made — and there’s a long list of them. Before they could do anything, a bolt of lightening strikes the home injuring Delia’s mother who is rushed to the hospital in a coma. As Delia’s mother lays in the hospital, Delia feels time ticking by. They have only 19 days before the inspector returns. Delia’s can-do attitude kicks in and she tackles the repairs with the help of her best friend, Mae — and with Tommy’s help, someone who Delia considers scum between her toes.
This book is for middle readers. If you have grandchildren in this age bracket, I recommend this as a good summer read for them — the characters are beliveable and the what-is-she-going-to-do-now plot sucks readers in. You keep reading because you want to know how in the world Delia is going to make all of those repairs — especially fixing the blackened hole in the roof left by the lightening.
The author sprinkels expressive phrases throughout the book. Novel and fresh phrases that enchanted my reading. Phrases like ‘hot and humid enough to make a toothpick wilt’ and ‘honeysuckle smells warm, like fresh buttered buiscuts’ and sunflowers that ‘started scarlet in the center and then faded to butter.’ (I wish my writing was like hers and not the drab oatmeal brown crud that plops out of my fingers onto the page.)
So, grab your middle-grade grandchildren. Snuggle together on your comfy couch and read the book outloud to them. This memory-making activity would last a long time for your grandchildren.
Two thumbs up on this book, Shannon! Can’t wait to read your next one!
(I went to a conference in Philadelphia the end of June. A few days before the conference, my husband and I visited several places in Pennsylvania — Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Hershey, Lancaster. Come to find out, Shannon lives in that area. Had I known that, I would have dropped by to say hello. It’s always fun to meet authors in person. Maybe next time . . .)

Posted July 19, 2011
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