From Publishers Weekly
Paulsen revisits the terrain of various autobiographical writings (Father Water, Mother Woods; Eastern Sun, Winter Moon; and sections of My Life in Dog Years) for this affecting story of a pivotal summer. The 14-year-old protagonist, who is named only as "the boy," has been sliding slowly toward troubleAnearly flunking school, working odd jobs early in the morning and late at night, and sleeping near the furnace to avoid his perpetually drunk parents. So when the boy receives a letter from his grandmother Alida, asking that he come work on the farm, owned by two Norwegian brothers where she is employed as a cook, he is quick to accept. Paulsen brings his great skills as a naturalist and his enthusiasm for the outdoor life to descriptions of the boy's adjustment to the orderly farm, from vivid descriptions of an encounter with hostile geese to the work of milking cows and tending fields. The characterizations are deeply affectionate if a little Waltons-ish: Alida and the two farmers are strong, self-contained and yet keenly attuned to the boy's unstated needs. Several narrative frames neatly set off the effect of the farm interlude: the book begins as the protagonist, grown and in the Army, pays a visit to Alida, and it ends when he, "old enough to have grandchildren of his own," discovers that there was more behind that special summer than he had known. It's Paulsen's classic blend of emotion and ruggedness, as satisfying as ever. Ages 10-up. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-A sequel to The Cookcamp (Orchard, 1991), in which a little boy is sent to Minnesota to stay with his grandmother who cooks for a crew of road builders. Grandma Alida once again steps in at a troubled time in her grandson's life. Now the boy is 14; living with violent, drunken parents; and surviving on a variety of odd jobs and the kindness of neighborhood shopkeepers. A strategically timed letter arrives from his grandmother offering him a summer job as a hired hand on a farm owned by two Norwegian brothers for whom she cooks. He accepts the offer and experiences a season of hard work, music, dancing, and hearty meals served up with warmth, love, and understanding. The rhythms and rituals of farm life are described with alluring detail-enough to make any city kid yearn for a summer away. The book begins with the boy (readers never do learn his name), now a man on leave from the army, visiting his grandmother and remembering that wonderful time in his life. It ends with the man, now married with a family, learning of Alida's unspoken sacrifices for him from a cigar box full of old letters. This beautifully written novella is a quiet tribute to a loving relative.
Barbara Auerbach, Brooklyn Public Library, NY Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
