Customer Reviews

A Begonia for Miss Applebaum

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CRITICAL BOOK REVIEW FOR A BEGONIA FOR MISS APPLEBAUM

A Begonia for Miss Applebaum by Frank Zeildman, is a wonderful book about a friendship between two students and their teacher. Miss Applebaum, Henry and Zelda's eccentric science teacher, retires. Henry and Zelda like to spend time with her, so they go places with Miss Applebaum every Saturday. Miss Applebaum shows Henry and Zelda how to see all things in a differently in a positive perspective, and to really care about all creation....
The main characters in the story were Zelda, Henry, and Miss Applebaum. Zelda is a very kind and caring person, unlike Henry, who really doesn't know how to express his feelings. I liked them both, but my favorite character was Miss Applebaum. She had a way of pulling out the best of both of her students. I think that the theme was that if you try to look at all things in a positive perspective, you can truly live life to the fullest. I didn't like when Bernice, Miss Applebaum's niece, was trying to run Miss Applebaum's life when she would visited her....

I really enjoyed the authors style. Every chapter alternate's from Henry to Zelda's point of view. This is very entertaining because it really let's you feel the emotions from each person. The vocabulary is not difficult at all. I like the way the book is written, and I wouldn't change anything about the book. The book seems to be written for pre-teenagers to teenagers because it has issues that are relevant to teens. I would definitely recommend this book because it has humor, sadness, and parts of the book that will warm you heart.

Although this book was good -it is almost thouroughly impossible to miss with Paul Zindel- it was very much like his most famous book, The Pigman. In The Pigman, two high school friends, Paul and Lorraine, befriend an extremely lonely elderly man and live out his last days with him. In A Begonia for Miss Applebaum, two high school friends, Henry and Zelda, become closer friends with their lonely elderly high school science teacher. Both are good reads, but it was annoying to read the same book in a different guise.

Overall, A Begonia for Miss Applebaum was a good book. It was poignant, gentle and somewhat funny. However, the similarities to The Pigman were so glaring that it interfered with the book.

For one of my YAL assignments I read "A begonia for Miss Applebaum" by Paul Zindel.
A begonia for Miss Applebaum is very gripping story. One that holds your attention from the beginning to the very end. I was moved by the vulnerability of Miss Applebaum and the bond she had with her two students, Henry and Zelda. When reading the book, I could really picture this eccentric lady in front of a class full of students who were hanging on her every word. During the course of the story it becomes clear that Miss Applebaum lost the most important person in her life when she was a young girl and that event obviously had a great influence on her decisions in later life. I recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about true companionship and never ending love and devotion.

Wow,this book was truely the best book I've ever read!You should take my advice,and read this book.Its not just a book for kids either,I think adults would like this book too!Wonderful Book!:)
Read "A Begonia For Miss Applebaum"!

Henry and Zelda arrive at the beginning of the school year to find that their favorite teacher, Miss Applebaum, has retired. They decide to bring her a begonia, and soon learn that she is actually dying of cancer. But, Miss Applebaum has quite a few more things to teach them before she goes.
This novel is at times wacky and delightful, at times poignant and grave, and always quite genuine and believable. One wishes for her own Miss Applebaum to learn from.

Though I thought this book was a good read, it was almost a total copy of another Paul Zindel book: the Pigman. In both, there are two teens befriending a lonely elderly person. If the plot differed a little, I would have thought this book great. As it is right now, I'm rather disappointed.

I would recommend this book to all young adult readers who enjoy books about friendship, having fun, and loyalty. Zelda and Henry are two high school students with a special relationship with their wonderful science teacher, Miss Applebaum. Unfortunately, the students learn that Miss Applebaum has had to retire from teaching because she is ill and will inevitably die. But Zelda and Henry don't let this set-back keep them away from their favorite teacher.

Zelda and Henry continue to visit Miss Applebaum at her home and together they go on wonderful eye opening and learning adventures. Their special bond continues to grow and their relationship is not one of just a teacher and students, but rather that of good friends.

I don't want to give away the details of the story, but expect fun, adventures, lies, and a decision/crime that if discovered would be punishable by hard time in jail. But all of this is done in the name of love and friendship. The characters all care for each other and attempt to do what they think is the right thing. But I don't condone some of the actions of the characters. In particular "the caring out of a last wish." As you will see, it is a sweet book but what the characters do is unreal and hopefully not what any teenager would ever truly carry out. Overall, it is good, easy, and fast reading which shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to get through.

This book is a nice book because I like how Ms. Applebaum wants to teach the two kids life answers and general knowledge. This book really shows what it is like to be a student in NY.

I first read "A Begonia for Miss Applebaum" when I was 10 years old. It was the first book that made me laugh and cry (sometimes simultaneously!). I absolutely love the scene where Henry, Zelda, and Miss Applebaum are playing elevator roulette! After reading this book, it sounded like so much fun that a couple of friends and I decided to do it. The imagery is vivid and the portrayal of the character is brutally honest. It's definitely a book that I can relate to on a personal level. I fell in love with Henry from the start with his "Luke Skywalker good looks", and Zelda is just terrific! I strongly reccomend that you get a cup of frozen hot chocolate with extra whipped cream from Large Marge and curl up with this book. I do so every year.... A Begonia for Miss Applebaum never gets old, and I discover something new every time I read it. Thank you Paul Zindel!!

A Begonia for Miss Applebaum was the best book I have ever read. Paul Zindel understands teens, what we're going through, and how we feel. Never, in as long as I have been reading, have I found such an author as Zindel. A Begonia for Miss Applebaum is a delightful, terrific story that will touch your heart, warm your heart, and even break it. Get to know Paul Zindel, he understands you.