Reviewed by Michelle VanHorn, ERC President
Book Description?
�If your teacher has to die, August isn�t a bad time of year for it,� or so 15 year old Russell thought. He and five other students make up the class size of their one room schoolhouse in a small corner of Indiana and Russell is just itching to get away and see some of the country. He figures that now that their �teacher hauled off and died,� they will shut down the school and he will be free to discover his dreams. He did not count on his older, bossy sister, Tansy, becoming the new teacher. Russell figures that he will have to outsmart his sister and so begins a year of hilarious pranks including; snakes in the classroom, stolen supplies, jamming the school bell and a fire in the privy. Tansy, despite all the antics of the class and especially her brother, proves to the town and the school board that she can handle this teaching job and help to steer these kids onto a better course. Tansy and Russell both discover some truths and strengths about themselves throughout the school year and Russell begins to view things in their little corner a little differently.
Review ?
The Teacher�s Funeral by Richard Peck is a must read! He has a way of charming the reader and enticing them into his down home world of country characters. One of the things I love best about Richard Peck�s books is that in all of them someone always has to grow up emotionally and they always learn something about themselves and others that are in their lives and this book does not disappoint in that area. This is a great book to read alone or out loud to a class or to family. The Teacher�s Funeral is a witty, side-splitting, hilarious book that you won�t want to put down. It is full of entertaining and heartwarming details and once you meet these great characters, you will never forget them. Enjoy!
Other great reads by Richard Peck: A Long Way from Chicago, A Year Down Yonder and Fair Weather
Reviewed by Marilyn Carpenter, ERC Advising Faculty
Review
Imagine a story where fictional characters spring to life from inside a book, and real people disappear into it. When twelve-year-old Meggie was three, her father, Mo, read aloud from a novel, Inkheart. As he read, an evil ruler, Capricorn, escaped from the book and came to life. Other characters escaped with him, while Meggie�s mother disappeared into the world of the book. Later the wicked Capricorn captures Mo, and Meggie goes on a quest to save him. Their adventures in escaping from Capricorn and finding Meggie�s mother make a rousing and complicated tale. The diverse characters add drama and spice to the plot. The many layer fantasy has dark tones when the villains perform evil and sadistic deeds. Inkheart has been skillfully translated from the German by Anthea Bell. A bonus is the references to the pleasure of reading. For example, Mo tells Meggie when they are packing books for their journey... books are like flypaper--memories cling to the printed page better than anything else. Expect a sequel soon.