Customer Reviews

My Daniel

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Prairie girl Julie Creath adores her older brother, Daniel, idolizing him over three generations. These two enjoy a unique and intense bond of love--the only surviving children of a Nebraska farm family, living in a primitive soddy. But the youth has grand dreams: to find his own dinosaur skeleton and sell it for a small fortune, thus saving the family farm. Bones and Bravery are all he needs--plus the devotion and quick wit of his little sister.

Noble aspirations truly, but naive Daniel is soon to be initiated into the dirty business of dinosaur hunting, excavating and profiteering. He is unprepared for unscrupulous men who lie, deceive, cheat and even commit murder for gain and fame. Three gutsy kids try to protect their amazing creekside discovery, but beware the snakelike antagonist with deadly dreams of avarice.

Mostly flashbacks, the book engages in time-shifting--a literary seesaw which keeps readers alert as we glide between Present and Past in the same chapter. Young Julie's passionate memories of that fateful summer are intertwined with her long-savored trip to a city museuem with her grandchildren, to whom she confides the entire tale. This spunky Grandmother has a private agenda, as she saves Dinosaur Hall for the last. Will she bring a little sourvenir of her girlhood, as she seeks to put closure on a painful wound which has haunted her all her life? What emotions and memories will be`resurrected as she confronts the reconstructed skeleton? This is an emotionally exciting, dramatic read, pervaded by grim foreboding. Should be of equal interest to boys and girls.

Julis Creath, now Julia Summerwaite, is taking her grandchildren through a history museum when she remembers her young life when her brother was alive. Julia tells the story to her grandchildren of when her brother got dinoasaur bone finding fever. I really like this book. It leads you from one page to another, not even realizing you're turning the page. Daniel, Julis's brother, finds dinoasaur bones, but has trouble with a greedy paleontologist that is trying to take the bones for himself. During the commotion Daniel gets hit by lighting and is killed. Then Daniel's pa takes over. Julia also has a little something to show her grandchildren in the museum.

This was my favorite childhood book. It inspired me to want to become a paleontologist. I find the study of dinosaurs fascinating. I am now 18 and just re-read it recently. I was just as intrigued with it now as when I was an 8-year-old child. A beautiful book that everyone should read.

I had to read it twice to get it because it switches back and forth from present to past. It's a brilliant story; one that reaches out to you. It's one of those books where you say you will only read 2 chapters and save the rest for tomorrow and you ending reading the rest of the book. I think this would make a great movie.

One of the best books Iv'e ever read. I read it in the first night I rented it from the library. Iv'e read it more than once and would read it again. At times chills ran up my back. A definite read

The book was in very good condition when we received it, and my son enjoyed it very much.

I just finished reading this book aloud to my 10 year old daughter and we both loved it. It is a harsh read, with many unlikable characters and disturbing images. That being said, the heroes are so well written that you can't help rooting for them as the story unfolds. You know right away that it is to be a sad story but it takes you to a time and setting in a very compelling way. It deals with real life issues very head on and it is told through such loving eyes that we both found ourselves teary at the end. Lovely book, would recommend for older, more mature kids and adults as well. Simply beautiful story.

Fun book to start kids reading nonpicture books with joy. I even enjoyed it as an adult.

Given that there is no information about the product on Amazon, I thought I would add some information:

Comes on 4 CDs that run for 4 hours.

About the book:

Julia Creath Summerwaite is 80 years old and far from her Nebraska prairie home. But when she goes with her two grandchildren to the Natural History Museum, she once again becomes the young tomboy who helped her brother Daniel on his quest to find a dinosaur in the vast grasslands surrounding their sod home. Wandering through the museum, Julia brings Daniel to life as she tells her grandchildren of his irrepressible dinosaur fever and shares with them her fierce dedication to her brother. The old woman's poignant narrative is told through a magical blend of past and present that highlights the grandchildren's growing fascination with her adventure. As they hear her vitality and wisdom, she draws them, step by step, toward Daniel's dream. Pam Conrad, the award-winning author of Prairie Songs and over a dozen other beloved children's novels, creates a heartwarming celebration of timeless memories in My Daniel.

About the narrator:

Narrator Barbara Caruso is an accomplished actress and critically acclaimed audiobook narrator. A graduate of London's prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she was a featured player in the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has played starring roles on Broadway and in theaters across the country. She won the Alexander Scourby Reader of the Year Award for her performances of young adult fiction, and has more than one hundred Recorded Books narrations to her credit. According to Kliatt, "Caruso's warmth and energy, clarity and moderatepace work together to capture the listener."

Julia Creath-Summerwaite has many memories of her beloved, deceased brother, Daniel. The more exciting ones include dinosaurs, murder, a psychic, and a villain she was determined to keep away. Now Julia is 80 years old. Everyone from those Nebraska days was gone. All she has left are memories.

While wandering through the National History Museum with her grandchildren, Julia recounts her adventures. She tells the children about Daniel's dream: to find a fossilized dinosaur and save the farm. Julia had the same dream. But only she would see it completed.

Julia takes them to the result of Daniel and her struggles. Here, she feels as if Daniel is with her again. She becomes that Nebraska farm girl once again.

Pam Conrad did a good job writing the book and connecting the memories with the present. The recollections keep you reading. I thought the stories were enticing. However, while still good, I did not find this to be an extraordinary book to read.