Skip to main content

Kyle's Island

By

Kyle's Island
By Sally Derby
Charlesbridge, 2010. 191 pgs. Fiction.

Kyle's father has left their family to do some things he has always wanted to do, to "find himself." Angry and hurt as he is, Kyle finds solace in his family's annual trip to his Gram's cottage at the lake. But Gram has died, and Kyle's mom needs to sell the lake house because she can't afford the upkeep. Kyle alternates between happiness in the pleasures of the lake and bitterness at knowing this will be his last summer there. He takes a job rowing a neighbor out to fish, trying to make enough money to pay the cottage taxes and save it, but what he learns during the summer from his sisters, his brother Josh, his mother, and his neighbor Tom is worth more than the five dollars a morning he gets for rowing the lake. Kyle's Island is a gentle book, maybe too slow-moving for lots of kids, but rich with experience and comfort for children of divorce or abandonment, for anyone who needs a reminder not to judge others by appearance. Set in the 1970s, the story disconcerts a bit with the mother's casual smoking. Also, it's difficult to imagine anything more compelling to the father than his fine little family. Still, the bittersweet ending gives all the family some of what they want, and enough to make the future hopeful with a significant possibility of happiness.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

By
If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.
Post a Comment
Read more

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

By loo
Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

By Anonymous
J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.
Post a Comment
Read more