Love from Your Friend, Hannah

By Mindy Warshaw Skolsky
Harper Trophy, 1998
Ages 8-11
5/5

When Hannah's best friend moves away during the summer of 1937, Hannah is sad, but excited: she and Aggie have promised to be pen pals, and Hannah has always wanted a pen pal. After sending Aggie six letters and not getting any answer, Hannah picks a name out of the "Pen Pal Box" on her teacher's desk, but she thinks Edward Winchley's reply to her letter is so stupid she does not want to write him back again. Determined to have a pen pal, Hannah begins sending letters to her grandparents in New York, her aunt, and even President Roosevelt. Then Edward Winchley writes again: if Hannah doesn't send him another letter, he's going to get a zero in being a pen pal! Hannah and Edward begin exchanging letters, and although they start out antagonizing each other, they quickly realize they have become friends from across the country.

Written entirely in epistolary style, this is one of the best novels I have read in months. The story of Hannah's letter writing adventures, as well as her developing friendship with Edward, is sweet, but with a funny, honest edge. Hannah's voice is earnest and her observations of life around her are hilarious. Just as enjoyable are the letters she receives as replies, especially those from President Roosevelt and his wife. One of the things that impressed me most about this novel is that Warshaw Skolskycan write convincingly from so many points of view, including the President, Hannah's grandparents, Hannah's aunt, and dopey Edward Winchley from Kansas.

In addition to the funny story, this book contains a great deal of interesting information about the Great Depression and Roosevelt's response to it. Readers learn about popular culture in 1937: Hannah is fascinated by The Wizard of Oz, the Dionne Quintuplets, and the radio show The Witch's Tale. However, this information is completely secondary to the story and is so subtle children probably won't even realize they are learning.

A great novel about an interesting little girl - I highly recommend it.

The Glass Castle

Our Canadian Girl Series
By Sharon E. McKay
Penguin Books, 2002
Ages 8-12
2.5/5

After the Halifax Explosion, Penny Reid's father sends her to live with her rich grandmother in Montreal. Unfortunately, Grandmother dislikes Penny's father and forbids the mention of his name. Homesick and lonely, Penny must learn to adapt to her new life and find a way to become friends with her grandmother.

Although The Glass Castle is filled with information about Halifax and Montreal during World War I, including discrimination against the Irish and the conflict between French and English Canadians over participation in a British war, the story's plot is weak and uninteresting. There is minimal character development: Penny is headstrong, Aunt Colleen is kind, and Grandmother is stern. In addition, the writing is poor; several chapters end with cliff-hangers that are not resolved, or even mentioned, in the next chapter.

While I like the idea of the Our Canadian Girl series, The Glass Castle is not a great book.

Papa and the Pioneer Quilt

Written by Jean Van Leeuwen
Illustrated by Rebecca Bond
Dial Books, 2007
Ages 4-9
4.5/5

Papa has "wandering feet", so Rebecca's family must leave their farm in Missouri and journey west to Oregon. Along their journey, Rebecca collects scraps of cloth - from an apron, Papa's torn shirt, a friend's bonnet - to make a quilt when her family reaches their new home.

Told in Rebecca's voice, this book describes what it was like to travel in a covered-wagon train across the American west. Rebecca talks about how worn out her shoes are, how frightened she is when her father almost drowns, how her mother cries when they have to leave a chest of her fine china by the side of the trail, and how beautiful Oregon is when they finally arrive after six months. The story is enhanced by joyful watercolour illustrations that evoke the changing landscape and express a range of emotions through both people and animals.

The author's note about the pattern of Rebecca's quilt reminds readers that many families did travel across the American west, and that many girls may have made quilts like Rebecca's.

The strength of this book is that it gently teaches children about an important part of American heritage without sounding too preachy or boring. In effect, it makes history into a story.