Ginger Pye (Young Classic) [Paperback]

Eleanor Estes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000 | Age Range: 9 and up | Series: Young Classic

Eleanor Estes’s Ginger Pye, a 1952 Newbery Medal winner, is a warm, witty mystery set in a small-town American community. Ginger Pye, the star of the show, is the very smart dog that ten-year-old Jerry Pye buys for a hard-earned dollar. The most famous pup in Cranbury (a town between Boston and New York), Ginger knows many tricks, is as loyal as he is smart, and steals the hearts of everyone he meets . . . until someone steals him! Will Jerry and his sister Rachel ever be able to find their beloved terrier? The author’s own black-and-white sketches leave just enough to the imagination.

Don’t miss the sequel, Pinky Pye, also available in paperback!

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Here is the book for which we have been waiting...a story written with sympathy, humor, and understanding. An outstanding book.' The Horn Book --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

ELEANOR ESTES (1906-1988), a children's librarian for many years, launched her writing career with the publication of The Moffats in 1941.

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; 1st Harcourt Young Classics Ed edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152025057
• ISBN-13: 978-0152025052
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ELEANOR ESTES (1906-1988), a children's librarian for many years, launched her writing career with the publication of The Moffats in 1941. Two of her books about the Moffats are Newbery Honor books, as is The Hundred Dresses. She won the Newbery Medal for Ginger Pye in 1952.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Ginger Pye April 2, 2004

By Kristen

Format:Paperback

Ginger Pye is the story of two siblings, Jerry and Rachel Pye, and their very intelligent dog, Ginger. Jerry wants to study rocks when he grows up and Rachael wants to study birds like her father. The children are very inquisitive and worry about things constantly. This book is a suspenseful mystery. The mystery begins when Ginger is stolen. The children think that an unsavory character in a yellow hat stole him; they search all over town for their beloved puppy.
This book is witty and funny. The children ask strange things throughout the novel like whether New York or Boston is more important. I think this book would be great for any child; it kept my attention. This is definitely a book that I will read again.

32 of 38 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovable Characters, Pretty Good Plot June 27, 2002

By Tammy

Format:Paperback

This is a very sweet story that details the happenings as two siblings who get along strangely well go about earning money to purchase a puppy, get and keep the puppy, and then have the puppy stolen from them. The main characters, Jerry and Rachel Pye get along better than any brother and sister pair that I've ever known. In addition, they are quite avid readers and seem to think deeper than most children of their age. My favorite character was Rachel Pye who tended to be on the fairy tale side of most situations and whose "reasonableness" sometimes wasn't so reasonable. Ginger, the puppy that gets bought and then stolen is a very remarkable dog and is considered highly intelligent by most of the family and small town in which they reside. The author does a great job in portraying the dog's thoughts but during the description of the "pencil incident" I felt she was untrue to the story's previous voice. Before and after this point in the book she had used Ginger's actions to describe what he was thinking or feeling, but during this incident only, the puppy takes on qualities of personification that don't ring true for the rest of the book. One slightly irritating part of the book was another main character, Sam Doody. Sam Doody seems to always come by with a miracle in his pocket. I wish that Estes had spent a little bit more time developing his character rather than have him come swooping in out of nowhere to save the day on several occasions. Uncle Bennie, the siblings three-year-old uncle, was a favorite character of mine. I loved that he was a hero in Cranbury and that he was allowed to do certain things because he was an uncle and even took on certain personality traits because of his young age at having a niece and a nephew. Mr.... Pye is a pretty absent father throughout most of the book and even seems a bit flaky when he is at home. Mrs. Pye seems to be a very good hearted person, yet very young mother. The illustrations by the author are very interesting and I was left with the question on whether these were carvings in wood or actually paper/pen illustrations. They are always true to the story and give a completeness for many of its younger readers. Overall, this book is a good mystery with some lovable characters and a pretty good plot throughout. You breathe a sigh of contentment as you close the book knowing that Ginger is in a safe place. Read more ›

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Dog Book I've Ever Read! March 25, 2002

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

Ginger Pye is about a boy named Jerry and his sister Rachel. When Jerry decides he wants a dog, Rachel, Uncle Bernie, and him work so hard to earn a dollar to buy the smartest pup in town. On there way home from grandma's with the puppy a mysterious footstepper was following them. Then on Thanksgiving Day Ginger Pye is stolen. Could Ginger have been stolen by the mysterious footstepper? Or someone else? Where is Ginger Pye and will the Pye family ever get back their smart pup?

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Action packed! fun! fun! fun! December 3, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

In the book Ginger Pye Jerry is just some normal boy who is trying to figure out how to buy a puppy. Once Jerry has the dog he can't stop thinking about him. Jerry is really the kind of character who just can't stand not being around his dog. He loves him so much. Half of the time Jerry tries to figure out what has happened to Ginger and can't fid him. Jerry loves to have a perfect day and that's impossible without his dog. Jerry is one of those characters who grabs your body and tells you the story in a very exciting way.All of the best feelings you can think of, Jerry is almost two of them at once. I absolutely adored the book Ginger Pye because the book was very exhilarating, funny, and everything about the boook was unique. The book was very enjoyable. I would recommend the book to anyone who likes a lot of action. This book can take every single bit of time of your day until you finish it. It's just so exciting

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Ginger Pye... May 30, 2001

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

Ginger Pye was awesome. My friend let me borrow it for my book talk in english. And I just finished it! It took me about a week. This book is good because it is like a mystery book and I love mysteries! The main characters in this book are Jerry, Rachel, Uncle Bennie and Ginger Pye. Jerry always wanted a puppy and worked hard to earn a dollar to get one. Until someone in a mustard colored had captures him who is Ginger Pye. Will Jerry and Rachel get him back? Read and find out! This is a great book! I really enjoyed it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ginger Pye December 18, 2005

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

One boy named Jerry Pye has always wanted a dog. He finds his sister, Rachel, at his house one day, and he says he is going to buy a puppy from Mr. and Mrs. Speedy, who have a litter of them. All Jerry needs is just one dollar, but he doesn't know how to earn the money. Jerry and Rachel just happened to be in luck, because along visited their friend Sam Doody who told them that he would give them a dollar if they would dust the pews at the town church. Uncle Bennie, considered a hero in the town, Cranbury, for being an uncle at the age of three, helped too. Rachel thinks she sees someone at the entrance of the church, but she soon forgets it. After they finish, they finally get their dollar and they race to the Speedy's barn. But, someone else had wanted the puppy, as they soon find out. Jerry buys the puppy and soon names him Ginger when he gets home. After he had bought the dog, he had thought that he saw a man running with a yellow hat on. Then, he and Rachel hear footsteps behind them. They dismiss this until Uncle Bennie sees a yellow hat sticking through the fence outside, and Rachel finds the yellow hat while Jerry and his friend was swimming. When Ginger stumbles into Jerry's classroom, a boy named Wally Bullwinkle gives him the eye. On Thanksgiving Day, Ginger is stolen. For months Rachel and Jerry search for Ginger. One day, they knock on Wally Bullwinkle's house, and he strangely replies in an angry and agressive manner. Meanwhile, they hear a whine coming from the area that Wally lives in. While visiting a train station, Jerry and Rachel see Wally standing on the end of a speeding train with a yellow hat on. Soon after that, Uncle Bennie comes along with Ginger, and the story ends with Jerry, Ginger, and the Pyes being one big family.... Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes, is an exceptional novel to read. It is a great mystery, has plenty of suspense, and is a novel that tells a heart-warming story of how a boy finds his dog after months and months of being without his friend.

Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes, is an exceptional mystery. During the time that Ginger was missing, Jerry, Rachel, and some of their friends looked for clues. The yellow hat was an important clue, for example. When the yellow hat was found sitting on Wally Bullwinkle's head, a large part of the mystery had been solved. Also, the whine was really from Ginger, who had been held by Wally. The reason that Ginger had been stolen was for Wally's own profit. He was supposed to be in a dog trick act for an enormous audience.

Ginger Pye has a great deal of suspense. There are some parts of the novel that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. An example of this is when Jerry and Rachel are walking down the street when they hear footsteps. This would easily put someone into a stage of suspense and would make that person want to read more.

Ginger Pye was a heart-warming story that told how a boy found his dog. There were many exerts in the book that would just make some people cry. A good example of this is in the end of the novel, when Jerry finally sees Ginger after so many months of searching. Instead of being a puppy, Ginger had grown larger and more mature.

Overall, this novel was a great thing to read. Except for the plentiful gramatical errors, Ginger Pye is an exceptional book to read because of the mystery, the suspense, and how it tells an emotional tale of a boy and his dog. I reccomend this book for everyone who likes to read. I rate this book a total of five stars out of five.

A. Chappell Read more ›