Pleasing the Ghost

Pleasing the Ghost
written by Sharon Creech



I understand that this book is for younger readers, but I did feel like it was not a very well-written book. It reels the reader in with short, snappy sentences and a catchy concept--a boy who can talk to ghosts. It's an overly simplified plot, but again, just a kid's book. I did wonder, while reading, if kids would be patient enough to put up with Uncle Arvie's unique speech patterns. I was also highly unsettled in reading and seeing such a strong emphasis put on money in a children's book. That's not really something I want kids to prize... I don't know. The whole book seems rushed, unresolved, and disconnected. It's just not much of a story, but it for younger readers, so some of this would probably not be so unsettling to them. I do know Creech is capable of putting together a much better quality story for children, as she's done in the past, so I think I would just wait until the kids were a little older and let them read Creech's much better works like Absolutely Normal Chaos and Walk Two Moons.

I got this book from...:Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia

written by Katherine Paterson

My biggest issue with Bridge to Terabithia? I don't know why, but somewhere along the way as I grew up, I heard of this book, and I somehow gained the impression that it was a fantasy novel, where these two kids travel to a magical land. Granted, Jess and Leslie do travel to a magical land, they only do so through their imagination. So while I was thinking this was a fantasy novel, it is a realistic fiction one. So uh. That kind of ruined the book for me. Big time. One of the first comments I made after figuring this out is one that I have made for Newbery winners repeatedly: "Is this a popular book because kids like it, or is it a popular book because teachers like it as a tool for analysis?" Having finished it, I think one would be hard pressed to a find a child who really loved this book, and instead would find teachers who love it, because of exactly what I said. Considering that this book was read by me for an environmental lit class, obviously it's a favorite for teachers. It's a very dry book, with not much action until the very [depressing and hard to handle emotionally] end. There is some language in this book that is objectionable and has supposedly led to the book being banned, although many argue that the bannings are more for the "controversial" religious content. The foreshadowing in this book is painfully bad. I did really love hearing some of the sentiments expressed in this book, particularly Leslie's views, but in the end, not a fan of it. May Belle's role at the end of the book and just the ending in general are too convenient, and the big climax just ticks me off.

side note: See the cover? Does anyone else think Leslie looks like Luna? They are, I would say, very similar characters...

I got this book from...:Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh