“The ever-popular World War II genre gains new depth in Hahn’s painfully honest story about a sixth-grade girl in small-town Maryland…As in the best political fiction, there are no simple messages. Everything is rooted in story and character and in a view of the landscape where categories waver in the heat, blur in the snow.” Booklist (starred review)
Description
Margaret and her best friend Elizabeth both have brothers fighting the war against Hitler and, like everyone else they know, they are filled with feelings of patriotism. But the girls are also involved in their own personal war at home. Gordy Smith, the worst bully in the sixth grade, teases and torments them, and Margaret is scared to death of him. But when Gordy and his pals Toad and Doug grow bolder than ever, Margaret and Elizabeth come up with a daring plan to get even. That's when the girls discover a shocking secret about Gordy that turns their lives upside down and draws them into a startling confrontation with family, friends, and their own strongly held ideas.
Praise
“The ever-popular World War II genre gains new depth in Hahn’s painfully honest story about a sixth-grade girl in small-town Maryland…As in the best political fiction, there are no simple messages. Everything is rooted in story and character and in a view of the landscape where categories waver in the heat, blur in the snow.” Booklist (starred review)
“Subtle, thought provoking…Hahn succeeds in raising questions as valuable as they are vexing.” Publishers Weekly
“There is plenty of action and page-turning suspense to please those who want a quick read, but there is much to ponder and reflect on as well.” School Library Journal
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Jun 30, 2013 |
| Release Date | July 1, 2013 |
| Release Date Machine | 1372636800 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Children's Books, Growing Up & Facts of Life, History, Education & Learning, Children/YA, Children 8-12, Fiction - All, Fiction - Child |
Author Bio
Mary Downing Hahn, a former children’s librarian, is the award-winning author of many popular ghost stories, including Deep and Dark and Dangerous and The Old Willis Place. An avid reader, traveler, and all-around arts lover, she lives in Columbia, Maryland, with her two cats, Oscar and Rufus.
Narrator Bio
Rachel Dulude is a costume technician at Trinity Rep. She earned a BA from Plymouth State University in acting. Rachel has performed in productions with the Wilbury Group and at Barker Playhouse in Providence and in the US premiere of Anne Boleyn at the Gamm Theatre in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She is a member of Providence’s Improv Jones.
Overview
Margaret and her best friend Elizabeth both have brothers fighting the war against Hitler and, like everyone else they know, they are filled with feelings of patriotism. But the girls are also involved in their own personal war at home. Gordy Smith, the worst bully in the sixth grade, teases and torments them, and Margaret is scared to death of him. But when Gordy and his pals Toad and Doug grow bolder than ever, Margaret and Elizabeth come up with a daring plan to get even. That's when the girls discover a shocking secret about Gordy that turns their lives upside down and draws them into a startling confrontation with family, friends, and their own strongly held ideas.
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