Skip to main content

Nancy and Plum


by Betty MacDonald
Knopf, 2010. 222 pgs. Fiction.


Betty MacDonald, best known for her Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books, also published the story of two orphan girls (of the title) in 1952. Lucky for us, Nancy and Plum (is/are) back. After their parents are killed in a train wreck, Nancy and Plum (Pamela) are sent by their Uncle John (who lives at his club and knows nothing about children) to Mrs. Monday's boarding house where he thinks they are being well taken care of when in fact they are virtual slaves living on burned oatmeal and prunes--really old chewy prunes--and having even that icky food taken away when they fail to complete their list of innumerable chores. Nancy and Plum's lives are made even worse by Mrs. Monday's niece Marybelle who constantly contrives to get them into trouble and who steals their packages from Uncle John (who hadn't the sense of a rabbit). Gentle, law-abiding Nancy is cared for and bossed around by her younger and feistier sister Plum who decides finally that the two need to escape. Nancy and Plum is laugh out loud funny--Mrs. Monday is "as warm and motherly as a pair of pliers," Mrs. Gronk, the Sunday School teacher takes the children on a picnic to the cemetery, and Plum tries to smuggle a letter to Uncle John using a chicken as a carrier pigeon. Just like the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books, Nancy and Plum would be a great read-aloud, a book where virtue is at long last rewarded with plenty of laughs along the way.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...

De la hora del cuento: Semana 8 de verano

  Cuentos QuizĆ”s algo hermoso Escrito por F. Isabel Campoy y Theresa Howell Ilustrado por Rafael López Boston ; New York : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. Libro ilustrado. "Viendo lo que Mira y sus vecinos descubren, ¡mĆ”s de lo que nunca pudo imaginarse! Basado en una historia real, "QuizĆ”s algo hermoso" nos revela cómo el arte puede inspirar la transformación -- y cómo incluso la mĆ”s pequeƱa artista puede llegar a conseguir algo grande. ¡Toma un pincel y Ćŗnete a la celebración!" --Editor Cuentitos ¿Dónde estĆ”s, Cerdito? Por Margarita Del Mazo y Laure du Fay Madrid, Spain: NubeOcho, 2021. PequeƱo libro ilustrado. "¿Alguien ve un cerdito por aquĆ­? ¡Shhh! Creo que estĆ” en el Ć”rbol ..." --Editor