Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck

Summary:
Ghosts I Have Been is set in 1913 in Bluff City. Blossom Culp is a 14-year-old adventurous and trouble making young girl that is looked upon as the teenage outcast. She is witty and cunning.  Blossom comes from a very poor family only having her eccentric mother. Her mother claims to have psychic powers just like the women in their family. Her mother is odd and neglects Blossom. Her mother's bizarre fortunetelling behavior does not seem to bother Blossum one bit. Blossom pretends that she has supernatural powers too but then she soon discovers that she also has the ability to see ghosts, can see past events, and can have premonitions about things that will happen in the future. This power is fun until she sees something terrible. She immediately finds herself in the room aboard the Titanic. The room belongs to a small boy who is left to drown by his socialite wealthy parents. Blossom attempts to change history by rescuing the boy. Using her telepathic powers she journeys to the doomed ship. Blossom returns to the present covered in water and wrapped in a blanket from the Titanic. Blossom receives massive attention from the media and a letter from the Queen of England thanking her for exposing the boy's parents.

Mrs.Garza's Thoughts:
When I decided to read this book, I immediately thought of the movie, "Titanic." I reminisced about the part when the boat was sinking and the people trying to load the extra life boats to escape the sinking ship. I think that's one of the most exciting parts of the movie! Children and women were asked to board the rescue boats first while the men stayed behind. I recall the part when one the characters (Rose's mother) asks one of the crew members if the people were going to board the rescue boats according to class. All of these scenes from the movie allowed me to connect to the book. How could a parent leave their child behind to die a horrible death in the deep cold ocean? The boy's wealthy parents reminded me of the people that Rose's fiance and mother (from the movie) associated with aboard the ship. 

This book was the first ghost story I had ever read and I simply enjoyed it! The setting and time were so precise for the story line. I loved how I felt like I was watching a movie, instead of just reading a book. I didn't connect with the main character, Blossum, but I enjoyed reading about her character. She was funny and clever at the same time. She refuses to let life get her down, and despite the horrors that her gift brings upon her (she sees a future of devastating wars in one of her visions), she remains upbeat about her special gift.

The book was unpredictable and it being a ghost story I wasn't frightened at all. The book was an easy read and I especially liked how Richard Peck tied the Titanic into the story. As a librarian, I have many students that are interested in reading stories about the Titanic. This is definitely a book I would recommend for my older students. It's a historical fiction novel that my students will find interesting. Friendships, the Titanic, ghosts, and romance are all topics of interests of my older students. Happy Reading!   

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

Summary:
The story begins in 1929, with nine-year-old Joey and his seven-year-old sister Mary Alice. These two city kids are living thru the depression era in Chicago.  These two siblings have to spend a week out of each summer visiting with their Grandma Dowdel. Grandma Dowdel lives in southern Illinois, in the countryside between Chicago and St. Louis. Joey and Mary Alice are certain that only boredom will await them in their Grandma's country way of living. But surprisingly each of the seven summers they spend with Grandma Dowdel, she manages to surprise her grandchildren with something unforgettable, adventurous, and fun!

Joey narrates each chapter in the novel. Each chapter represents an episode from their yearly summer visits. In those years, Joey and Mary Alice get to see and help Grandma conduct a funeral for Shotgun Cheatham, the town reprobate. They witness her getting even with the Cowgill boys for their vandalism. Grandma Dowel traps catfish in order to feed the traveling unemployed men that are hit hard by the Depression. Grandma Dowel also tries to win the pie contest at the county fair which is a hiliarous chapter! She also helps Vandalia Eubanks and Junior Stubbs elope and get married. The two lovebirds elope Romeo and Juliet style. Grandma and the children use the local rummage sale to keep Mrs. Elsie Wilcox's house from being foreclosed. Grandma Dowel is kindhearted and willing to help everyone she can.  They also observe the town's centennial celebration. Grandma Dowdel sly and deceptively takes on everybody from the town banker, the sheriff, the slick city news reporter, and the local hooligans in her adventures.

The year 1935 was the last visit because Joey was fifteen and the next year would be in line for a summer job in Chicago.

Mrs. Garza's Thoughts: 
The novel was slightly difficult to get into at first but as I continued reading my interest was heightened. The stories were narrated by Joey, and his thoughts on his grandma and his adventures with her and his younger sister were hilarious. My favorite character was Grandma Dowel. She was the most interesting character, and with each chapter I came to love and enjoy her more and more. I was always thinking about what she would do next or who she would help next! She was a kind- hearted woman that would go above and beyond to show her generosity for others. I mostly enjoyed reading the unpredictability of her character. I believe anyone who has any connection to country living can really relate to this novel. I grew up in the country too so I could relate to the book and to the characters. Robert Peck did a great job by writing each chapter as a new little adventure with Grandma Dowel, Joey, and Mary Alice. Peck's writing was filled with hilarious scenarios, funny dialogue, and exciting twists and turns. I really felt like this book took me on an adventure. I was able to grow up with the characters and picture myself going to their grandmas house with them each summer. It was a fun, fast read that made me laugh but also made me think about the life long bonds between grandmothers and their grandchildren. A grandmother can make such an impact on their grandchildren. It made me want to hug and call both my grandmothers to tell them how much I appreciate them!


What I liked best about the book is that there were really no lessons to learn. It was just several funny stories put together to paint a picture of a small Illinois town and the characters in it. The ending is very endearing when Grandma shows Joey an unusual gesture of love. A really neat thing for me about this book was the setting. The kids visited their grandma for one week every summer in Illinois "somewhere between Chicago and St. Louis" in a slow,small town where her's was the last house in the town with a big, open field next to her and woods beyond. I used to visit my grandmother as well and this description of setting matches the place where I used to visit! Unfortunately, though, my visits were not as adventuresome as these kids

On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck

Summary:

On The Wings of Heroes is a story about a young boy named Davy Bowman. Davy Bowman is growing up during WWII in Illinois and must deal with the changes going on around him. He tells his story about life before and during World War II. Before the war things were simple, fun, and childlike. Davy and his friends could have fun in their neighborhood playing games and enjoying Halloween. Davy's father, Earl, is a WWI vet that owns a local gas station. Davy knows that the war affected his father mentally and emotionally because he doesn't talk about his war experiences. He was also wounded in battle. Davy Bowman's world is happy and safe because his Dad and his older brother Bill are home and always there to do things with him. They are Davy's heroes.

Pearl Harbor is bombed and Davy's world changes significantly. Bill has joined the Army Air Corps "for the duration," and the family anxiously awaits word from him after he is shipped overseas. Davy's father is brokenhearted after Bill enlists. Davy's father becomes the local air raid warden. Bill becomes a B-17 bombardier, flying missions over Germany. There are air raid drills and endless scrap drives. Everything is being rationed. The families during WWII are expected to ration food, rubber, gas, and other precious staples. Families are torn apart. New students enroll in Davy's school. Children are being left as orphans while many mothers work from "eight to five" at the local war plants. Davy and his best friend, Scooter, travel around on their bikes savaging metal for the war effort. The whole community comes together to unite and contribute to the war effort.

Davy still has his heroes to depend upon but soon he begins to discover that in his neighborhood there are other heroes and during the next few years he learns what sacrifice and courage really means.

Mrs. Garza's Thoughts:

War can be painful and difficult for adults but can also be very traumatic and complicated for children. This is the story of wartime America from a child’s perspective and the growing up that occurs as a result. Davy's hero, his brother, Bill has decided to enlist causing tension and heartbreak in the family. My brother decided to enlist in the Marines right after he graduated from high school. On the day of September 11, 2001 my brother was boarding a plane in Corpus Christi, Texas when 9-11 happened. He was fully dressed in Marine uniform when chaos struck. As a family, we feared for his life and his future as we were watching events unfold on our television. My mother was frantically driving back from the airport listening to the radio updates. I could relate to Davy and his family. Families can change in a matter of seconds because of war. My family feared for my brother and his fellow Marines futures. Marines are the first ones to fight and that's all we could think about at the time.

This book is an outstanding example of well written historical fiction that captures the heart and soul of families during war times, not only the wars of the past, but also the wars of the present. I immediately made the connection to 9-11 as the story progressed thinking of my own family. I highly recommend this book as a useful tool for history teachers. It could also be used as a resource for young adult readers that have family members in the military. I sincerely hope that veteran grandparents share this book with their grandchildren and children.