Grandpa's Mountain [Paperback]

Carolyn Reeder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1993 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Eleven-year oldCarrie loves spending summers with her grandparents in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Their farm with a country storeand a lunchroom, is safe and far removed from the terrible depression that grips most of the nation. But this summer, something is happening that will change the lives of all the people who have called the mountains home for generations. The government is creating a national park buying all the land and houses that are in the way. Grandpa is outraged, vowing never to move. Grandma is secretly preparing for the worst. The neighbors are turning against one another. And Carrie, who wants to believe Grandpa will win his battle, is very worried that she has decieved him in a way that may make him lose.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-- Historical facts surrounding the 1935 creation of Shenandoah National Park form the base on which Reeder convincingly overlays a fictional story rich in character delineation and development. Carrie, 11, loves to spend summers at her grandparents' home in the Blue Ridge Mountains, away from hard times in the city. Everything is thrown akimbo when the government begins buying up thousands of mountain acres, evicting the occupants and burning their homes. At first Grandpa is unbelieving, then he convinces himself that, with the support of his like-minded neighbors, he can fight to win. However, many of them--poor and uneducated, some merely subsistence tenant farmers--welcome the chance to sell or be relocated near town and are furious at him for interfering. The longer Grandpa fights, the more alone he stands. While resisting change, he himself is changed, becoming as hard and intractable as the men he opposes. Carrie is torn between her respect for him and shock at his behavior. Through seemingly traitorous actions, Grandma makes it possible for him to win his personal fight against defeatism. Carrie returns to her parents' home at summer's end, strengthened by two stalwart grandparents and the way each chose to deal with crisis. This portrayal of one set of events and its consequences during the Great Depression has relevance for situations today in which the government still pits projected benefits for the many against total disruption of the few. --Katharine Bruner, Brown Middle School, Harrison, TN
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

During her usual summer's stay with her grandparents in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, Carrie finds that the government is buying all the local farms and burning the homes to convert the area to the new Shenandoah National Park. Grandpa, who has a general store with a lunchroom run by Grandma, refuses to sell and fights every step of the way; but though he tries to get neighbors to join his battle, many are glad for the chance to move to towns and conveniences. Carrie is torn between admiring and believing in her increasingly obsessive Grandpa's cause and appreciating Grandma's common-sense approach. Staunchly, she stands up for Grandpa to local bullies and various officious people, meanwhile learning that it's a good thing to have strong feelings and to express them. Grandpa's battle may drag on a bit, but Carrie's increasing strength and her fierce loyalties hold attention as she learns that relations mean more than locations, and that losing may not be so bad if you have tried as hard as you can. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperTrophy (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380719142
• ISBN-13: 978-0380719143
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,865,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I think this is a very good book. It is full of adventure., April 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Grandpa's Mountain (Paperback)

It is about a who visits her grandpa in the moutains but that year they trow down it and.......?