When Junior accidentally gets caught in his own coyote trap deep in the woods, he is rescued by the reclusive woman known as Mad Mary and begins an unforgettable adventure.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7 Mad Mary, who lives in a cave and collects her meat from the highway, rescues Junior Blossom from a cage and takes him home to keep him safe when she thinks that he has been abused. Actually, Junior had made that cage himself, hoping to trap a coyote and win a reward. His disappearance brings out his entire family (introduced in The Not-Just-Anybody Family Delacorte, 1986), and each one's personality, fears, and needs is highlighted during the search. This is a lively, likable family, handled lightly but surely by an author known for her abiltiy to write believable dialogue and present the desires of her characters with humor and understanding. Mad Mary's history, sketched throughout the story, brings readers more and more into contact with an independent, determined woman who has created a workable life for herself. If some would argue that mental illness rather than independence drove her to the cage, then at least her illness is that of a genuinely caring person bewildered by the world of man. This is a short book, moving from one character to another and back again in a way that may confuse less sophisticated readers. The situation isn't as dramatic as in The Not-Just-Anybody Family , and the action is more diffused through the characters' internal lives. Yet thoughtful readers will find the story to be satisfying, and Mary and Junior's friendship heartwarming. Sara Miller, White Plains Public Library, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A lively, likable family, handled lightly but surely....Heartwarming" (The Bulletin )
"Another irresistible story told only as Byars can tell it.…Tender and hilarious.” (Publishers Weekly ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
"Another irresistible story told only as Byars can tell it.…Tender and hilarious.” (Publishers Weekly ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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More About the Author
Betsy Byars began her writing career rather late in life First, she married and started a family. The writing career didn't emerge until she was 28, a mother of two children, and living in a small place she called the barracks apartment, in Urbana, Illinois. She and her husband, Ed, had moved there in 1956 so he could attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. She was bored, had no friends, and so turned to writing to fill her time. Byars started writing articles for The Saturday Evening Post, Look,and other magazines. As her family grew and her children started to read, she began to write books for young people and, fortunately for her readers, discovered that there was more to being a writer than sitting in front of a typewriter. "Once a wanderer came by my house and showed me how to brush my teeth with a cherry twig; that went in The House of WingsThe Summer of the Swans." Since that time, Byars has written more than 45 books for young readers and has won numerous awards, including The American Book Award, which she received in 1981 for The Night Swimmers. The humor, compassion, and insight Byars brings to each of her books won her a large audience of admirers both in the United States and abroad. Six of her novels were presented on national television, and her books are translated into nine languages. Six of Byars' novels have been named ALA Notable Books, and in 1971, The Summer of the Swans -- a story about a 14-year-old girl and her mentally retarded brother -- won the Newbery Award as the most distinguished contribution to literature for children in the year of its publication. Byars was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 7, 1928. Unlike many of the characters in her books, Byars grew up in a normal, loving family. Her father was an engineer and worked as a bookkeeper in a cotton mill. He was stern and hardworking and had a strong sense of humor. Her mother was a lively woman who loved acting and music. Byars's sister, Nancy, two years older, was sometimes an inspiration and sometimes an evil nemesis. Byars has always been adventurous and never allows a few setbacks to prevent her from doing things she wants to experience, like petting a blacksnake and flying planes. The snake was named Moon and became the subject of her 1991 autobiography, The Moon and I. Betsy Byars and her husband live on an air strip in South Carolina, and have traveled widely throughout the United States in pursuit of their interest in gliding and antique airplanes. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everybody is Somebody,
By Susan Dermond "author of Calm & Compassionate... (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady (Paperback)
This unusual story comes right in the middle of the Not-Just-Anybody series. Some of the other titles are funnier (The Not-Just-Anybody Family) and some are even more touching (Wanted: Mud Blossom), but none is more effective in depicting friendship and expanding our sympathies outward. Junior makes a most unusual friend--a homeless woman whose use for vultures I won't even mention. The way we come to appreciate her and see that everybody IS somebody is done subtly and gracefully. It's a great read-aloud. Byars is a master and this series is her masterpiece.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A funny and exciting story!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady (Hardcover)
In "The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady," you will learn that you shouldn't always judge a book by its cover. If you like books about adventure you will love this book. You won't be able to put it down!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Now what are you doing, Junior?",
By A Customer
This review is from: The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady (Hardcover)
In the book The Not Just Anybody Family, Junior was jumping off their barn and in the book, The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady, Junior is up to something again. I would say that this book is a 5th or 6th grade reading level. One more thing, the vulture lady's name is Mad Mary but she is not mad. Read this book if you like the Blossoms and their weird adventures.
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