Julia Gillian (and The Art Of Knowing) (Hardcover)

by Alison Mcghee (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 2–5—Nine-year-old Minneapolis resident Julia Gillian leads a comfortable urban life surrounded by caring parents and helpful neighbors. Her parents permit her to be on her own and take a nine-square-block walk for one hour with her devoted dog, Bigfoot. Each day, within these parameters, Julia Gillian explores her world. A pattern of repeated conversations, moods, and outcomes gives the child sufficient information to analyze the behavior of her neighbors, her dog, her parents, and herself. Her list of accomplishments includes making papier-mâché animal masks and knowing how other people feel. When her parents insist that she finish reading a book about a boy and an old dog, she is sure it will have an unhappy ending and goes to great lengths to avoid it. Her neighbor tells her about her own demons and says that, "Sometimes the only way out is through," and Julia's self-absorption starts to recede as she discovers that she is not alone in being afraid. The illustrations of Julia Gillian's masks and supersize St. Bernard add a whimsical note to the book. Julia Gillian isn't the perky, smart-mouthed heroine one finds in many contemporary books. Instead, she is acutely conscious of achieving a new maturity that allows her to question authority and to assert herself-not bad for a nine-year-old.—Lillian Hecker, Town of Pelham Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
For nine-year-old Julia Gillian, life in Minneapolis has been nearly perfect. But as the summer progresses, that changes. Her parents are taking summer classes, which means no picnics at the park; the stuffed meerkat that Julia wants to win in the claw machine at the hardware store seems to elude her at every try; and the newspapers her parents read are filled with depressing headlines. And then there’s the book Julia does not want to finish because she suspects it will have an unhappy ending. This gently told tale shows how she learns to deal with these bumps in the road. At times, her parents’ lax attitude toward Julia’s unsupervised wanderings may seem unrealistic, and Julia herself is a bit of an odd duck whose friends are mostly adults (except for one large, loving dog).Yet readers will root for Julia, whose appealing, if quirky, personality comes out in the plentiful sketches as well as the text. The first of an intended series. Grades 3-5. --Bina Williams

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545033489
• ISBN-13: 978-0545033480
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #456,477 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Curiosity and Worry, June 9, 2008

By	Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

All summer, almost-fifth-grader Julia Gillian tries her hardest to avoid reading a book about a boy and his dog because she assumes it will have a unhappy ending. After all, it seems as though dogs don't often survive those stories - Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc. She doesn't want to think about such things, especially because she has a pet dog, Bigfoot, who is her constant companion. Though she's good at doing things, she really doesn't want to read that particular book, but procrastination and avoidance just stress her out!

Julia is a fun character. I love her curious nature. She has a great sense of loyalty. She's surrounded by artsy-cool folks, like her parents and her neighbors, two of which are siblings: her former baby-sitter, now a hip young woman she looks up to, and her brother the baker, who makes tasty and interesting treats. As she walks around Minneapolis, you can tell that she is totally comfortable in her city and in her home. She's totally a city girl, but she acts her age - not overly precocious, not at all naive, definitely and firmly her age, and always curious and questioning.

This is the first in a trilogy. I'll definitely be reading the next two books to see what else happens to Julia, and I'll continue to read Alison McGhee's other books as well. I have enjoyed her previous novels, like Shadow Baby, Snap, and Falling Boy, and there seems yet to be an audience for which she can't write successfully!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, February 1, 2009

By	K. McManus (Fairfield County, Connecticut) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While I can understand the "senseless" part of another review posted here, I actually sort of liked this book. My 4th grader selected this book for a book report so I thought I'd give it a quick read. It's a fast read (thanks to the double spacing of the text on each page) and the illustrations add to the charm of the story. But the story is slight so if you're looking for action and adventure, look elsewhere. However, I thought there were a lot of great themes throughout the book. I could relate to Julia Gillian and her fears and worries. I think a lot of kids worry about the things she does, especially in these uncertain times. But the ending is hopeful... and I for one am looking forward to reading more about Julia Gillian in the future.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, May 16, 2009

By	Mama Sherri (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

Ordered this for my Granddaughter who is in first grade but is reading on a third grade level. She loved it because it is a chapter book and very interesting. That's big time to young readers!