Ellen Fremedon, Journalist [Paperback]

Joan Givner (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Ellen Fremedon

An aspiring yet practical author, Ellen Fremedon decides to start a newspaper. After all, everyone buys newspapers, so she’s bound to turn a profit. But after promising her subscribers a paper full of truth and free of errors, Ellen finds that journalism isn’t so easy after all. Obituary notices for pets — not a hit. An incorrect muffin recipe? Disaster. Spelling and grammar mistakes? Many, as the village librarian is quick to point out. Then there’s the little matter of managing the cash flow. But Ellen is intrepid, especially when it comes to investigative reporting. Is the new neighbor sinister, as village gossips suspect, or merely secretive? Is the Fremedon’s new housekeeper really the upstanding community member she appears to be? Even members of Ellen’s own family fall under suspicion. This smart, witty sequel features the charmingly eccentric characters of the original — Ellen’s philosopher dad, the impossible twins, Larry the librarian, and the Bible-quoting Mrs. T. — as well as a delightful dose of intrigue.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–With school out, and summer stretching before them, Ellen and her friend Jenny decide to publish a newspaper, hoping to make some spending money. But when pet obituaries upset their owners, muffin recipes contain the wrong measurements, and the town librarian points out spelling errors, the girls learn important lessons about journalism. When a mysterious stranger rents the property next door, Ellen investigates and learns that people are not always as they first appear. This also rings true when her family hires a new housekeeper who covers up personal facts to keep her job. Then Ellen learns a secret about her own past. Jumpy dialogue and too many subplots may make this a hard sell to most readers, but those who persist might enjoy this nostalgic mystery that encourages a love of books and writing.–Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. In this sequel to the Canadian writer's Ellen Fremedon(2004), the title character begins another summer in the quiet community of Partridge Cove. With her best friend, Jenny, Ellen starts a newspaper, little suspecting what kind of stories she will uncover. Still reeling from a shock delivered by her parents, Ellen must deal with a troubling revelation about the village vandal, the disclosure that their Bible-quoting housekeeper has a secret identity, and the surprising fact that her interview with a kind but mysterious new neighbor brings wider press coverage to Partridge Cove. From Ellen's mother's long-term illness to Jenny's mother's lesbianism, Givner doesn't shrink from placing Ellen in a realistically complex environment, but she handles issues lightly and keeps the focus squarely on Ellen, a sympathetic character and convincing first-person narrator. Readers who enjoyed the first book will want to know what happens next, while those new to the series will have little trouble picking up the thread. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books (September 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888996918
• ISBN-13: 978-0888996916
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,123,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling romp through the world of journalistic integrity, and friendships that will last a lifetime, January 23, 2007

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ellen Fremedon, Journalist (Paperback)

Ellen Fremedon wants nothing more than to see her name in print, and know that people are savoring every word that she puts down on paper. But things aren't always that easy. For instance, she's already tried her hand at writing a novel, and failed miserably with the task. But now that the summer has arrived, Ellen thinks that she may have the opportunity to prove herself a successful writer after all. So, with the help of her best friend, Jenny, as well as the privacy of Something Cottage (Somecot for short), Ellen decides to do the unexpected...create a newspaper! After the misunderstanding that took place last year regarding Ellen's twin younger brothers, Timmy and Toby, Ellen wants nothing more than to have the opportunity to print the truth. After all, there are too many lies in the world, and Ellen sees this as her opportunity to right as many untruths as she possibly can. The only problem is that Ellen can't come to a decision regarding what she'll write about. Sure, she'll include recipes and death announcements, and Jenny will illustrate the pages with her artistic skills, but Ellen has the hard job...finding interesting, hard-hitting news that her neighbors will want to learn more about. When Ellen realizes that two new people have mysteriously dropped into the small town of Partridge Cove, she believes that she's found her subjects. There's Mrs. T., the religious old woman working for her family as a housekeeper/cook, who spends her days terrorizing Timmy and Toby with talk of God striking down on sinners; and then there's the elusive new woman next door. No one knows anything about her, aside from the fact that she always wears a large-brimmed hat, and sunglasses, and a mysterious man from Seattle arrives at her place every Wednesday to remove boxes from the premises. Ellen decides to take on a job weeding the garden for the middle-aged quiet old woman, in an attempt to investigate, but the more she speaks to the woman, the more Ellen realizes that she's revealing more about herself, than she is snooping into her subject's life.

I missed the first book in the series titled ELLEN FREMEDON, but when I stumbled upon the sequel ELLEN FREMEDON, JOURNALIST, I knew that I had to have it. I love reading tales about aspiring journalist's who sideline as amateur detectives, and from page one fell in love with Ellen Fremedon's character. Ellen is a cross between Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet M. Welsch (of HARRIET THE SPY), and Carolyn Keene's NANCY DREW. Her determination to snoop into the lives of everyone around her, whether they're rich and famous, or middle-aged and retired is beyond enjoyable; while her curiosity regarding absolutely everything around her is insatiable. Like author James Howe, Joan Givner does not shy away from subjects that many authors try to ignore. She includes information and characters who are exposed to adoption, homosexuality, and invalidism on a daily basis; while, at the same time, touching on subjects such as thievery, vandalism, and religion. Her writing is crisp and clear, while her ability to wrap up the story, and prepare for a sequel is absolutely wonderful. A thrilling romp through the world of journalistic integrity, and friendships that will last a lifetime.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer