Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | J FICTION MAD | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Dad says because of the army he stood shoulder to shoulder with polar bears and watched the sun rise over the frozen fields of Alaska, which sounds really exciting. And because of the Army he slept in sludge, shoulder to shoulder with snakes and watched the sun set over the swamps of Alabama -- which does not.
In a timely, but not politically charged way, author Alan Madison looks at the way a family copes with having a parent away on a 100 day, 99 night military tour of duty through the eyes of the very loveable Esmerelda (Esme) Swishback McCarthur. Esme wants to be good while her dad is away. In fact, she feels like it's her duty to be good. But being good can be hard, especially if you have a little brother like Ike. By following Esme's story, as she awaits her father's return, readers will see how heroism can translate to every member of a family.
Aside from the military families that this book serves, readers who wonder what it would be like if their mother, father, brother, or sister was sent away will relate to Esme's quiet strength and candor and will understand her worry about what could happen. This story has the potential to speak to readers on a personal level and to turn a concept that seems so hard to grasp--war--into one that feels much more personal.
Author Notes
Alan Madison is the author of two picture books published by Anne Schwartz Books. After interviewing some kids whose father was away on a 100 day, 99 night military tour of duty, Alan was inspired to write this story. Alan works on Emeril Lagasse's shows on the Food Network.
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
Esme survives her father's military deployment by helping her mother and remembering her father's rules (e.g., "The first person that hits is always wrong"). She deals with the changes in her home routine and counts the days until her father returns. Esme's first-person narration is not convincingly childlike, but it does draw readers into the protagonist's very difficult situation. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Living on the army base in Alexandria, Virginia, seven-year-old Esme is mad-sad when her father, a sergeant, is called to the front. As she counts off the 100 days of his tour of duty, her bedzoo of stuffed animals, from aardvark to zebra, comforts her. One at a time she tells their stories, remembers how she got them, and talks about life missing Dad. In this moving debut novel, wordplay is part of every chapter. Esme hears her father's playful, loving voice ( Rhinoceros. Of courserous. ) and remembers what he taught her: rules are fun-de-mental not only in the army but also when you make pancakes (Dad is the finest flipper from Fiji to France ). When Dad announces that he must leave, Esme recalls it was scary silent except for the angry hiss of butter skiing across the skillet. To be patriotic, Esme bikes to conserve gas and organizes a scrap-metal drive, but there's no glorification of war. Rather, this is a mix of hilarious language and one child's terror that there could be bad news. Illustrations not seen.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2008 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Esmerelda Swishback McCarther has spent most of her seven years living in four different countries on four different continents with her military family. Arriving back in the United States, she and her brother begin school in a suburb of Washington, DC. Unfortunately, her father must leave for a tour of duty-100 days and 99 nights. Saddened and fearful for him, Esme gives him the precious remnant square from her "blankie" to take with him. While he is away, she struggles to remain dutiful and strong, traits that her family values. Madison authentically portrays the stresses experienced not only at home but also in the classrooms of children whose loved ones are away at war. When Esme and her friend Martina spearhead a project to help the troops by collecting scrap metal, the entire community becomes involved and the news reaches her father, who proclaims Esme a hero. This is a light yet realistic novel about a reality well known to many American families. All branches of the armed forces are featured in some capacity although Esme's father is a sergeant in the Army.-D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Second-grade army brat Esmerelda Swishback McCarther knows all about duty. Uncle Sam has moved her family to Korea, then Kenya, then Germany, before finally depositing them back in the "good ol' U. S. of A." Then one day, during their Saturday morning pancake-making ritual, her father breaks the news that he will be gone on a tour of duty for 100 days and 99 nights. Though Esme is glad that the family doesn't have to move again, she is dismayed at the thought of being without her father. The 100 days turn out to be difficult ones, as do the 99 nights, which are filled with nightmares. To get through them, Esme gets her second-grade class involved in home-front efforts such as a scrap-metal drive and riding their bicycles to and from school to save gas. Although the humor is occasionally off-the-mark and the narrative as a whole is sometimes heavy handed, Madison provides a serviceable and much-needed vehicle for discussing military life and the psychological effects of war on families, particularly children, in modern-day America. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.