I have just finished reading a fiction book with a story so well written that I found myself re-reading some of the paragraphs again and again, just to get the full effect of the imagery produced! "Yolanda Genius", by Carol Fenner, is a story about a girl who has the capacity to explore life around her in the most interesting way.
She has recently moved from inner city Chicago because her mother is concerned about Yolanda and her little brother, Andrew, and their safety from drug pushers and abusers and the related violence. So, she moves them to the much smaller town of Grand River, Michigan. However, Yolanda finds that kids in her classes can be just as mean as the ones in her old classes back in Chicago. They try to taunt her and make fun of her large size. But she is quick in her response and it's always cutting and jabbing back so they soon learn not to say anything at all.
When one of the boys on the bus calls her a "whale", she stands up and goes right up to the face of the teaser. She notices that this kid has "daddy longlegs and pimpled cheeks". "What do you know about whales, blisterface?...Whales are the most remarkable mammals in the ocean - all five oceans...Whales sing to one another through hundreds of miles of water..." She continues to expound on the importance of this particular animal and it's affect on mankind. To say the least, she makes a fool out of the boy in front of his peers and makes a lasting impression on all of those new faces on the school bus.
She loves to look up words in immense old dictionaries in the public library just to hear their sounds wrap around each other. When she looks up "genius" to see if this might better describe her most unusual 6 year old brother, she decides that this is the perfect word! He is so different from others his age. He doesn't talk much. But what he does do is pick up his little harmonica and play a response to a question, or perhaps something else he hears, feels, or sees, (like "a little soft buzz..., trembly like his voice"). Yolanda knows her brother must be a genius when she finds the following definition in a public library dictionary: "A true genius rearranges old material in a way never seen before." Now she must somehow let this be known by one and all. But, by the end of this amazing and wonderful story, you're not sure who is the real genius. Could it be Yolanda? Or perhaps both of them.
Whomever it is, there is no doubt that this book will intrigue and entertain. You will find yourself truly liking Yolanda! No wonder this outstanding book is this year's Newbery Honor book! I recommend this book for ages 10 and older.
"The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins", by Dr. Seuss, is a tale about a boy who is unable to take his hat off for the king. As the king rides by, Bartholomew, takes his hat off to salute the royal majesty. But to no avail, because another hat suddenly appears. The king is upset by what he thinks is lack of respect so he demands that Bartholomew take off the hat. Again, another hat seems to be right where the previous hat was worn. The king now orders that he be brought to the castle.
As Bartholomew rides behind the Captain of the Guard while on his horse, hat after hat flies off. Bartholomew counts each hat as it comes off and the number soon reaches into the hundreds. The clever ending, and the simple yet dramatic pictures, make this story my favorite of all of the Seuss tales. This was written in 1938 and was one of his first, as well as one of his few stories told in story form [unlike his others that are written in a rhyming pattern]. All the colors are black and white except for the hats. Throughout the entire book, the hats are a bright red.
This book will be perfect for any age and a wonderful read aloud!