The Help - Kathryn Stockett

The Help

By Kathryn Stockett

★★★★★

Summary

Miss Skeeter is an independent thinking, Ole’ Miss college graduate.  She is a reporter and wanted to do more than write a help column for people looking for cleaning advice.  Skeeter decides to secretly write a book about “the Help”, black women working for white women, in the 1960’s, in the south.

Aibileen and Minny are two of the women who tell their stories and help Miss Skeeter write the book in private.  The stories range from daily cleaning and childcare to the once in a lifetime stories you just have to read about.  The friendship that develops between these women is unconventional for the time, but has a great sincerity from all participants.   

Review

The craftsmanship is great, and the voice and dialect changes when the story is told from the perspective of Minny, Aibileen or Miss Skeeter.  This is a fictional book, inspired by the author’s personal experiences and research, but each piece of the story could have been true on it’s own. 

This is a humorous book that made me laugh out loud on several occasions.  The book tells it how it was, with a constant leaning toward the better times to come.  While this book was probably not written for school aged children, I believe that middle school and high school students would get a lot out of reading this book.  It puts the Civil Rights movement in a much more relatable light than the Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities that are usually observed in schools. 

Author Website

http://kathrynstockett.com/

I did not find her website very helpful, there were a few “no brainer” discussion questions, but mostly it served as a promotional tool.

Technical Stuff

Paperback: 544 pages

Publisher: Berkley Trade; Mti Rei edition (June 28, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0425245136

ISBN-13: 978-0425245132

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  

The Cat That Was Left Behind - C. S. Adler

The Cat That Was Left Behind

By C. S. Adler

★★★★☆

Summary

Chad is a foster child who has been transferred so many times he is not expecting to stay with the Sorenics past the summer months.  His mother, April Anne, has promised year after year that she would come for him.  Chad would like nothing more, when he is devastated by a letter telling him that she is getting married and doesn’t want him any more.  Chad feels like the cat he has spent all summer taming that was tossed aside by another family.  He is eventually open to the Sorenics and can finally see their open arms welcoming him to their family, not as a foster child but as an adopted son.

Review

This is a great story about fitting into a family group, and what learning what true family is all about.  Chad must find his place in the world, just as we all must learn to transition from being told what to do all of the time to making our own decisions, and accepting the rewards and consequences for those decisions.  I would recommend this book for 4-8^th graders.

Author Website

http://www.c-s-adler.com/

Technical Stuff

Adler, C.S. The Cat That Was Left Behind. Clarion Books, New York. 1981

ISBN 0-395-31020-2

Courtyard Cat - C.S. Adler

Courtyard Cat

by C.S. Adler
★★★☆☆

Summary

Lindsay is eleven years old and tasked with taking care of Garth, her 3 year old brother, for the summer while her mom works and her dad goes to school.  They had to move to the city to be closer to Garth's doctors, as Garth had previously been in an accident that disfigured his face.  Lindsay is angry that she has to take care of him, that she had to move away from her friends and that she can't leave the courtyard of their apartment building.

Even though life seems impossibly rough, a cat named Sapphire and the task of saving her from the landlady's clutches brightens their otherwise dull summer days. 

Review

At first this was a slow read but as I got into the book, it touched my heart.  I would recommend this book for 4th-7th grade readers.  It has a little mystery and gives the reader lots of personal connection points such as struggles with money, parents working and in school, taking care of siblings and pets, and much more.  

Author Website

http://www.c-s-adler.com/

Technical Stuff (from Amazon)

• Age Range: 8 and up 

• Hardcover: 172 pages

• Publisher: Clarion Books (September 18, 1995)

• Language: English

• ISBN-10: 0395711266

• ISBN-13: 978-0395711262

The Many Troubles of Andy Russell

The Many Troubles of Andy Russell
by David A. Adler

★ ★ ★ ☆☆

Andy Russell is a young boy with lots of troubles at home and at school.  Andy's best friend Tamika who lives in foster care might be forced to move away if he can't convince his parents to let her move in and share a room with his sister.  Before he has a chance to ask his parents seven of his gerbils escape and are running all over the house. Ms. Roman, his teacher, is always calling on him when he isn't paying attention in class.  Andy tries so hard, but he just can't seem to make things turn out the way he wants. 

I think that this is a good book, where the children in it are not purposefully causing trouble, but inconveniently things are always happening to them.   I would recommend this to kids in 1st-4th grades.  This book might be helpful for kids with ADHD symptoms to understand their situation better as Andy has a mind that wanders and he can't focus even when he really, really wants to.  

Adler, David A. The Many Troubles of Andy Russell. Ill. Will Hillenbrand. Gulliver Books, Harcourt Brace & Company.  San Diego, CA. 1998.  

ISBN: 0-15-201295-8

That Horse Whiskey

That Horse Whiskey
by C.S. Adler

★★★☆☆

Lainey is the youngest child and the only girl, with three older brothers who have left home.  Her father is a construction man, but hard times and no sales have left him unable to fulfill his birthday promise of a horse to his "little girl."  Lainey is determined not to be sheltered from the family's financial responsibilities and gets a job at Mr. Dodge's ranch taking care of some of the horses.  Over time, and with a lot of hard work, she gets Whiskey, a stubborn horse, to follow her direction.  

This is a good story of determination and hard work.  It is also wholesome as Lainey is a great kid and even gets permission from her parents before beginning to train Whiskey.   She is a good example to kids and I would recommend this book to kids in grades 5-8.

Adler, C.S. That Horse Whiskey!  Clarion Books, New York. 1994.

ISBN 0-395-68185-5

The No Place Cat

The No Place Cat
C.S. Adler (link to her webpage)

★★★★☆

I had never heard of this author before I began on this quest to read through the library and I have to say I'm falling in love with her.  She likes writing about different problems that real kids face in real life, like parents' rules, other kids, pets, responsibility, friendships etc.  I would recommend this book to any young reader grades 4-8.  


Tess, a young independent girl, has been trying to get used to her new stepfamily, but it just isn’t working.  When a school project gets ruined by her little stepsister, Tess has finally had it. She decides to run away and live with her mom on the other side of Tucson. The drive there didn't seem that long but the walk took two days.  While trekking through the park a cat begins to follow Tess adopting himself to her.  As she deals with the cat she is able to learn some difficult lessons about what is best for her and her parents.  It was a good lesson that what we want is not always what is best for us.