The Feester Filibuster [Paperback]

Molly Levite Griffis (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

"Pearl Harbor got bombed. Rachel thought John Alan did it. He did not."

That's how John Alan Feester sums up what happened in The Rachel Resistance. In The Feester Filibuster, which tells his side of the story, John Alan shows he's not a spy at all–even though he does a lot of spying to prove it. 

Spies may or may not lurk in the shadows, but mysteries still abound in Apache, Oklahoma. A package holding an angel begins to tell the untold story behind John Alan's mother. The previously silent Simon Green begins talking and can't seem to stop–and in the process reveals a secret about himself. And everyone keeps watch on whether blue stars turn to gold in the windows of residents like Mrs. Snow.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Life on the home front is richly depicted in this touching story in which World War II is the backdrop for a battle between two fifth graders. The story is John Alan Feester's response to the suspicions raised by Rachel Elizabeth Dalton in The Rachel Resistance (Eakin, 2001). In that book, he is new in town, and she suspects him of being a spy responsible for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Set in Apache, OK, John Alan's side of the tale is filled with conflicts with Rachel, his own unhappiness about his mother's leaving the family, and the need to keep the truth about her a secret. A new friend, Simon Green, is instrumental in encouraging a truce between the feuding classmates. The historical background is excellently integrated into the story. A great deal about how Americans at home reacted to and dealt with the war is given here. But on a larger scale, Griffis introduces the prejudice against Japanese Americans as a friend who has moved to California writes to Rachel, John Alan, and Simon about classmates and a teacher who are suddenly forced to leave their homes and go to internment camps. The sadness and worry about the war and the poignant losses in this small town are clearly felt. This is a compelling book, filled with humor, emotion, and well-drawn characters.
Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Eakin Press (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571686940
• ISBN-13: 978-1571686947
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 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: #3,971,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Molly Levite Griffis is an inveterate letter writer. Not those boring one-size-fits-all E-mail things, but real letters transported by snails. Like the heroine of Five Two, Five Blue (She is, in fact, that little girl grown up), Molly grew up in the small Oklahoma town of Apache in a soft and gentle time.

Reluctantly, Molly abandoned her lead pencil and Big Chief tablet and adapted to a typewriter. But the same technological advances which took away the Central telephone operator and gave us rapid dial, have eliminated production of typewriter ribbons. She is down to her last three. Luckily, she is a founding member of The Lead Pencil Club. So when the ribbons run out, she'll happily go back to her Big Chief tablet and pencil.

In 1955, when Molly was a junior in high school, she was selected to attend Oklahoma Girls State, an inspirational training ground in government for juniors in high school. She was elected governor and selected to represent the state at Girls Nation in Washington D.C.

Those experiences instilled a love of her country and a patriotic pride which shines through in her children's books, THE RACHEL RESISTANCE and THE FEESTER FILIBUSTER, where the American Legion Hut is the focal point of activity for the young people during the war years.

Molly is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and lives in Norman, Oklahoma. She has two grown children, a red-haired daughter, who was the inspiration for Rachel, and a writer son who lives in the Czech Republic.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, February 18, 2010

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This review is from: The Feester Filibuster (Paperback)

This book is the second in a series that brings to life small town Oklahoma during WWII. The story is humorous and heart warming. It is a really fun read for the whole family!