Customer Reviews

Funerals and Fly Fishing

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I found this book to be a charming and well-written story of a lovable and misunderstood young boy. Bartek's descriptive yet undaunting writing style makes her characters warm, realistic, and easily-relatable. I don't think there are many people who could read this book and not remember the awkwardness of early young adulthood; growing into oneself yet with the excitement and hope of a child. I would recommend the story to any young reader or their family at any level of ability.

It's the last day of school in Pennsylvaina for Brad. His mom tells him that she is taking a summer vacation. His mom sends Brad across country to Colrado to stay with his grandfather. His grandfather owns a funeral home, Brad stays there and eats frozen dinners, then has fun at a football game. A boy named Pat tells Brad that his grandfather has a bag of scalps. Brad finds them and they end up being a bag of fly tying things. They go to a church and set up for the St.Mary's Festival. Brad eats food he has never heard of before and he learns how to Polka dance. He also plays Chuck-O-Luck, a gambling game, with his grandfather and Mike. Later that night Mike had Brad call his mom then they went to the hospital. When they got there they went to see grandfather. Brads grandfather ends up being in the hospital because he fell at the festival going from the Chuck-O-Luck to the church basement to get something to eat. This was a very exciting book!!!

I found this book to be so charming. Brad is a likeable character that I feel any middle schooler or advanced elementary school reader would love. While the adventures are pretty tame by today's tv and movie standards, the book represents every day, real life in a compelling and suspenseful way. I recommended this book to my daughter (who is now a student teacher) for her middle school students as boys may identify with this young boy, Brad, and the dilemmas he faces. Well written, fast paced, entertaining.

Brad Stanislowski's lanky, laid-back, middle-school humor shines - even when he finds himself face-to-face with dead bodies. This is a great read! A must for every middle-schooler's bookshelf.
Jean

Perhaps I am biased as the daughter of the author, but you can't find a much cuter read for kids in the 7-10 age group. Lots of great messages about being happy with who you are and learning that everything is not always as it seems.

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