Search Results

I truly enjoyed this book! I could really tell author Erica S. Perl was both a fan of discount clothing and had, nevertheless, done hours and hours of research in vintage stores. I could really see such detail in the vintage store where Veronica worked, from the seclusion of the Consignment Corner to the sprawling chaos of the Dollar-a-Pound floor, to the odd characters that both work and shop there. Kudos to Perl for having the courage to portray her protagonist, Veronica Walsh, as a sensitive, self-protective, insecure 15 year old survivor of early childhood trauma in the form of teasing because of her overweight body. When Veronica is being prickly, projecting an “I don’t care” attitude toward other characters, I understand it’s her self-protective reflex and I empathize. Conversely, when Veronica’s allowing others with cruel impulses to dominate her, as if she was trying to please them, I empathize with how this also stems from her body weight insecurity. Perl tests the limits of that empathy when she has Veronica caving into negative peer pressure and treating a truly “nice guy” character, Lenny, really badly. It’s only when she begins to discover Lenny’s caring and gentle personality, as well as his compassion for animals, including a lizard named Violet, Veronica realizes how her assumptions about him were just a way to avoid being vulnerable; its easier to make fun of someone else rather than being the one made fun of. However, when things blow up in Veronica’s face, she is initially in denial of and seemingly cannot face the consequences of her actions, making any bit of wisdom she eventually gains hard won. There were several times when I groaned because Veronica had yet again missed an opportunity to tell the truth to bullies and stand up for herself and Lenny. The ending was not clean and neat, but satisfying in its hopefulness. I got to vicariously experience Veronica’s moment of clarity and self-growth, though learned the hard way, that other people have feelings too. By the end of the book, I felt Veronica begin to grow up. Overall, a well written book with a protagonist who is a challenge to like, but definitely worth the journey.

This book is wordless and yet, says so much about a child's imagination. Reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon, Journey's protagonist is a little girl who is sadly ignored by her family. She uses a red crayon to draw a doorway into a magical realm. She also creates a boat, a hot air balloon and a magic carpet. She eventually finds a doorway back to the default. She has brought back the magic with her and she finds another child to imagine with, as he has a crayon (purple) too. They draw the wheels of a tandem bike and off they go. Great book!

I could definitely relate to the protagonist, as I remember the feelings of overwhelming frustration when something I was doing as a child wasn't turning out quite right, especially if it was supposed to be something creative. I loved how at the end, the child ends up creating a scooter and attached side car for her best friend, her dog. The well done illustrations beautifully illustrate the little girl's creativity and imagination.

Loved this concept! If crayons could speak, I guess they really would express their grievances in letters written to their owner, Duncan. Each had a distinct personality and complaint regarding their use, abuse or in the case of some, unuse. In the end, Duncan colors a picture using all the colors in a non-traditional way (pink dinosaurs, blue alligator, orange whale.) This book is a great way to inspire children to think outside the box when being creative, to not be held down to rigid notions of what is "right" and "wrong" when it comes to creativity.

This is a great book that can teach a child the value of a making a new and genuine friend. Plot is as follows:Tim is a boy who feels invisible. He meets a lost whale named Sam and the two become friends. Tim tries to get Sam back to the sea, finally opting to pull the whale on his bicycle. But when Tim falls into the sea, Sam returns the favor and saves Tim, since "friends don't let friends down." The colors in the illustrations are big and bold and help tell the story of this special friendship.