Synopses & Reviews
Ten-year-old Star Mackie lives in a trailer park with her flaky mom and her melancholy older sister, Winter, whom Star idolizes. Moving to a new town has made it difficult for Star to make friends, when her classmates tease her because of where she lives and because of her layered blue hair. But when Star starts a poetry club, she develops a love of Emily Dickinson and, through Dickinsonandrsquo;s poetry, learns some important lessons about herself and comes to terms with her hopes for the future.
With an unforgettable voice with a lot of heart, Hope Is a Ferris Wheel is the story of a young girl who learns to accept her family and herself while trying to make sense of the world around her.
Praise for Hope is a Ferris Wheel
STARRED REVIEW
andquot;Herreraandrsquo;s first novel is quite accomplished, with plenty of heart and humor, especially apparent in the spelling assignments Star has to complete but refuses to turn in, as she uses them as a sort of journal. Star is a unique, determined, and loving child making the best of a bad situation; readers cannot help but root for her.andquot;
--School Library Journal, starred review
andquot;Well-constructed, thought-provoking and appealing, this first effort bodes well for the authorandrsquo;s future.andquot;
--Kirkus Reviews
andquot;In her debut, Herrera has created a delightful narrator with a memorable voice and surrounded her with a unique supporting cast. Got fans of Joan Bauer in your neck of the woods? Send them this way.andquot;
--Booklist
andquot;A tender and truthful novel that addresses stereotypes without promising easy answers or cookie-cutter closure.andquot;
--Publishers Weekly
andquot;First-time author Herrera, telling the story from Starandrsquo;s point of view, gives readers a front-row seat to all the embarrassment and angst of Starandrsquo;s jumbled lifeandmdash;and all of the triumphs. Hereandrsquo;s hoping we hear more from this author.andquot;
--The Horn Book Magazine
andquot;Starandrsquo;s contemplation, through poetic metaphors and real-life relationships, of what really matters in her life is compelling. Additionally, the poetry angle offers food for thought for those just coming to understand the power and purpose of metaphor, and Starandrsquo;s vocabulary assignments, occasionally interspersed between chapters, provide inspiration and entertainment for word-lovers.andquot;
--Bulletin of the Center for Childrenandrsquo;s Books
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Review
"Give this to readers of Cleary and Blume and cross your fingers for more." Kirkus Reviews(starred review)
Review
"Along with humorous bits, Pennypacker seamlessly weaves into the narrative common third-grade themes...Fans of Judy Moody will welcome this portrait of another funny, independent third-grader." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
"Pennypacker once again demonstrates her keen insights into the third-grade mind with Clementine's priceless observations of the world around her" Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
Praise for CLEMENTINE'S LETTER"This may be the best entry so far in the series, as Pennypacker develops her ingenious but impulsive character...And Frazee's line drawings go a little further this time in showing Clementine's highly charged emotions and her capacity for creating chaos in her surroundings" The Horn Book
Review
Praise for CLEMENTINE"A delightful addition to any beginning chapter-book collection." School Library Journal (starred review)
Review
Praise for TALENTED CLEMENTINE"Libraries will need multiple copies of this one, because early chapter-book readers will jump at the chance to spend another eventful week with Clementine." School Library Journal (starred review)
Review
“A suspenseful, surprising novel of friendship and family from the creator of the popular Clementine series.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
“Beautifully evoked, the novels Cape Cod setting plays a focal role in this richly layered tale of loss, resiliency, and belonging.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“Pennypacker is a Beverly Cleary-caliber girl-whisperer; she can weave a yarn both funny and touching, with all the beloved, timeworn themes at the ready: friendship, family, loyalty, loss and independence.” New York Times Book Review
Review
“Pennypackers marvelously tactile writing animates Stellas narration and brings both engaging, resilient, and resourceful characters to life.” School Library Journal
Synopsis
Stella loves living with Great-aunt Louise in her big old house near the water on Cape Cod for many reasons, but mostly because Louise likes routine as much as she does, something Stella appreciates since her mom is, well, kind of unreliable. So while Mom "finds herself," Stella fantasizes that someday she'll come back to the Cape and settle down. The only obstacle to her plan? Angel, the foster kid Louise has taken in. Angel couldn't be less like her name—she's tough and prickly, and the girls hardly speak to each other.
But when tragedy unexpectedly strikes, Stella and Angel are forced to rely on each other to survive, and they learn that they are stronger together than they could have imagined. And over the course of the summer they discover the one thing they do have in common: dreams of finally belonging to a real family.
Synopsis
From
Clementine author Sara Pennypacker, this is a poignant middle-grade novel about two foster children who must find a way to work together in order to survive.
Eleven-year-old Stella misses her (unreliable) mom, but she loves it at great-aunt Louises house. Louise lives on Cape Cod, where Stella hopes her mom will someday come and settle down. The only problem? Angel, the foster kid Louise has taken in. The two girls live together but theres no way theyll ever be friends.
Then Louise suddenly passes away one morning—and Stella and Angel decide not to tell anyone. Now they have to depend on each other for survival. Now they are forced to trust each other with the biggest secret ever.
With great empathy and humor, Sara Pennypacker tells the story of two very different girls who unexpectedly become each others true family.
About the Author
When Sara Pennypacker was a kid, she thought her parents' job was to keep life dull. She is very much afraid her own children felt the same way about her. Now that she's grown up, she is the author of the acclaimed middle grade novel Summer of the Gypsy Moths; the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling Clementine chapter book series; and the picture books Pierre in Love and Sparrow Girl. She divides her time between Cape Cod and Florida.