How Many Days Until Tomorrow? [Paperback]

Caroline Janover (Author), Charlotte M. Fremaux (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Spending a month on a remote island in Maine with his teasing older brother and grandparents he hardly knows is not Josh's idea of a great time. But that's what happens the summer his parents go abroad. Twelve-year-old Josh, who has dyslexia, can't do anything right in his grandfather's eyes, and is constantly compared to his perfect bookish brother Simon. Feeling stuck and counting down the days until he can go home only reminds Josh of his childhood plea, 'How many days 'til tomorrow?'. Josh secretly plans to run away back to New Jersey to stay with his friend Zipper. Gramps (alias Grumps) is always barking at his grandsons and giving them backbreaking chores. It's his attentive, sweet-natured grandmother, Nana, he doesn't want to leave behind. Life on Seal Island also captivates and challenges Josh, teaching him about self-sufficiency and respect for the rare sea animals that inhabit the rugged New England coast. Finding unexpected romance and kinship with a young visitor offers another first-time rite of passage. Josh's biggest challenge comes at the end of the summer when he faces a life-threatening emergency and uses skills he doesn't know he has to lead the rescue. This is an inspiring and realistic portrait of a boy with a learning disability on the brink of adolescence and struggling to find himself. Young readers will see themselves in Josh as he copes with frustration and loneliness. They will also feel vindicated when his ingenuity and bravery help him to avert disaster and gain respect.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-This sequel to Josh: A Boy with Dyslexia (Waterfront, 1988) was worth the wait, for it has an extraordinary protagonist. When the 12-year-old's parents go to Europe, he and his gifted brother stay with their grandparent on an island in Maine. There, Josh struggles not only with his own learning disability but also with trying to enjoy a summer away from his home and friends. Elder brother Simon is forever giving him a hard time and his emotionally distant grandfather never seems to approve of anything Josh does. His grandmother is loving and supportive but can do little to help him. Throughout the summer, Josh's adventures on the island teach him skills that he doesn't realize he has learned until a critical emergency befalls his grandfather. Janover has created a real flesh-and-blood protagonist. Josh's life is not easy but his complaints and defeats never come across as whining or pathetic. He shows heroism every day as he struggles with his disability, so it is only his grandfather who is surprised when Josh acts to save him. A fine novel that happens to have a dyslexic hero.-Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Twelve-year-old Josh, who is dyslexic, initially resents it when his parents send him and his intolerably "Gifted and Talented" older brother, Simon, to spend a month with their grandparents on an island in Maine. When ornery Gramps takes an immediate liking to Simon, Josh plots to run away, but slowly he begins to appreciate parts of island life and to earn a sure place in his grandfather's affections. Generally well crafted, the story creaks a bit when Janover introduces a love interest, when she pushes the dyslexia theme too hard, and when Gramps' near-death experience brings about an abrupt personality change. Still, the setting is vividly created, the main characters are multifaceted, and Josh's conflicting emotions are well portrayed. One of the few books that touches on how dyslexia affects a child outside the classroom. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 173 pages
• Publisher: Woodbine House; 1 edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890627224
• ISBN-13: 978-1890627225
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,185,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging, inspiring, and realistic novel, February 7, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Many Days Until Tomorrow? (Paperback)

In Caroline Janover's highly recommended novel How Many Days Until Tomorrow?, Young Josh is so lonely and unhappy that he things about running away from his grandparent's home on Seal Island, a remote island in Maine to New Jersey in order to stay with his friend Zipper. This is because of his teasing older brother, and Gramps, who is always barking at his grandsons and giving them backbreaking chores. It's Josh's attentive, sweet-natured grandmother Nana that he regrets having to leave behind. Then life on Seal Island captivates and challenges him, teaching Josh about self-sufficiency and respect for the rare sea animals that inhabit the rugged New England coast. Josh's biggest challenge comes toward the end of summer when he must face a life-threatening emergency and use skills he doesn't know he has to lead the rescue. How Many Days Until Tomorrow? is an engaging, inspiring, and realistic novel of coping with frustration and loneliness, and is enhanced for young readers grades 3 to 6 with ten black/white drawings by Charlotte Fremaux.