Synopses & Reviews
In this warmhearted middle-grade novel, Oona and her brother, Fred, love their cat Zook (short for Zucchini), but Zook is sick. As they conspire to break him out of the vets office, convinced he can only get better at home with them, Oona tells Fred the story of Zooks previous lives, ranging in style from fairy tale to grand epic to slice of life. Each of Zooks lives has echoes in Oonas own family life, which is going through a transition shes not yet ready to face. Her father died two years ago, and her mother has started a relationship with a man named Dylanwhom Oona secretly calls the villain.” The truth about Dylan, and about Zooks medical condition, drives the drama in this loving family story.
Praise for The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook
STARRED REVIEW
"Rocklins characters are fully developed: readers will be invested. Set in Oakland, readers are also treated to a refreshingly authentic childs view of a diverse city. The only imperfection in this novel is that it ends."
Booklist, starred review
Oonas character is a combination of Harriet the Spy in curiosity and Anastasia in spunk. Another emotionally satisfying outing from Rocklin; hanky recommended.”
Kirkus Reviews
"Just as she did in One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, Rocklin intertwines her characters so smartly that the many coincidences and serendipitous events feel organic to the story. The storys endingbittersweet, inevitable, and trueoffers much-needed catharsis for the family and for anyone who has ever loved a pet."
The Horn Book
"This heartwarming family tale is filled with resilient and thoughtful characters who are willing to learn from their mistakes. Readers who enjoy the novels of Jeanne Birdsall and Leslie Crunch will appreciate this charming story."
School Library Journal
"There is a strong sense of place in this loving story with the ending sure to generate some tears. This would make a strong library lesson extension activity."
Library Media Connection
Awards
SCBWIs Golden Kite Award for Fiction - 2012
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award
Review
"original celebration of life...memorable tribute to the joys of living"(Deborah Wiles, Kirkus Reviews, Feb 15 2005 )
Review
"A memorable tribute to the joys of living."--
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Wiles has a gift for bringing readers into the hearts and minds of her main characters . . . As she faces the changes that life throws her way, Comfort grabs onto the readerand#8217;s heart and refuses to let it go."--BookPage
Review
Kirkus Reviews
Review
"This sweet story has an old-fashioned feel."
—Booklist
"Piper Lee is an instantly likable, flawed character with a good heart. Hand this one to kids who want realistic fiction with just a dash of excitement."
—School Library Journal
"Winget's poignantly flawed characters and honest emotional circumstances draw readers into a story that feels like its set in a simpler time and place."
—Publishers Weekly
"Piper's voice is authentically youthful, as are her questionable decisions, and plenty of kids will find common ground with her as she struggles with her mother's remarriage and with the fact that her father is gone for good."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Synopsis
Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger has attended 247 funerals. But that's not surprising, considering that her family runs the town funeral home. And even though Great-uncle Edisto keeled over with a heart attack and Great-great-aunt Florentine dropped dead--just like that--six months later, Comfort knows how to deal with loss, or so she thinks. She's more concerned with avoiding her crazy cousin Peach and trying to figure out why her best friend, Declaration, suddenly won't talk to her. Life is full of surprises. And the biggest one of all is learning what it takes to handle them.
Deborah Wiles has created a unique, funny, and utterly real cast of characters in this heartfelt, and quintessentially Southern coming-of-age novel. Comfort will charm young readers with her wit, her warmth, and her struggles as she learns about life, loss, and ultimately, triumph.
Synopsis
Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger learns about life's surprises in this funny, poignant, and very Southern coming-of-age story.
Synopsis
A funny, poignant, and very Southern coming-of-age story, now in paperback
Synopsis
In this warm and witty middle-grade debut set in the deep South, ten-year-old Piper Lee struggles to accept her daddy's death, her mama's upcoming marriage, and the new step-family that will come along with it. But when her plan to call off the wedding spirals out of control, Piper Lee must face the consequences and figure out how to fix things.
Synopsis
Whether she likes it or not, ten-year-old Piper Lee DeLuna is about to get a new family. Four years after the plane Piper's daddy was piloting disappeared, her mama is remarrying. The way Piper sees it, Mama's being plain disloyal. Besides, who'd want to get stuck with a prison guard for a stepdad and that weenie, Ginger, for a stepsister? But when Piper Lee hatches a foolproof plan to get the wedding called off, it quickly spirals out of control. And by the time Piper realizes what shes done—and just how much she really cares about her new family—it might be too late. Told in Piper Lee's irresistible Southern voice, A Smidgen of Sky is about new families and new beginnings.
About the Author
Joanne Rocklin is the critically acclaimed author of several books, including One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, which School Library Journal called “fascinating and thought-provoking . . . sweet and tart and sure to satisfy.” She lives in Oakland, California.