Customer Reviews

Saving Sweetness

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

 

 

This is the best of the California Young Reader nominees in it's catagory this year. I thought it was a real hoot, and I am adding it to our school library. It is funny and has a good message about adoption. I really think the children are going to have fun with this one.

From the moment you begin this book, you will want to read it aloud and get caught up in the rhythm of the language..."Mrs. Sump doesn't much like seein' the orphans restin' or havin' any fun, so she puts 'em to scrubbin' the floor with toothbrushes. Even the ittiest, bittiest orphan, little Sweetness. So one day, Sweetness hit the road." Children appreciate the humor in the sheriff's attempts to rescue Sweetness from the perils in the desert.The illustrations are an interesting blend of mediums.This book is just plain, good ole fun.

Saving Sweetness is a very entertaining read-aloud. Children love the characters and are delighted with the humor. Some childrens comments have been: "I like the way that Mrs. Sump starts to say something about the orphans and then changes her mind and says it in a nicer way." " I think its funny that the sheriff thinks he is saving sweetness." The Illustrations are an extremely integral part of the story. In fact, the pictures add a dimension by presenting an aditional point of view.

When the sheriff of a dusty western town "rescues" Sweetness, an unusually resourceful orphan, from nasty old Mrs. Sump and her terrible orphanage, neither the sheriff nor Sweetness know what they are getting into. Sweetness is quite the unlikely hero, but she succeeds in rescuing the sheriff time and time again, even while the sheriff believes that he is the one doing the rescuing.

A great story for children to hear or read, as they will enjoy the fact that Sweetness is the real hero. The language and illustrations of the story will mesmerize kids. Adults will have a lot of fun reading the book with an accent.

This book is the most fun to read out loud! What a treat for both parent and child ... teacher and students. I read it to my 8-year old girl and we both laughed out loud throughout the story. The subtle messages make for some great discussion as well. Themes such as : "Sometimes adults can use help from children", "Children have more power over situations than we sometimes give them credit for", "What goes around comes around", "Do unto others as you would have done unto you", etc. It is also a good book for discussing adoption/foster care. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Saving Sweetness by Diane Stanley is about an orphan named Sweetness. She ran off to the desert because she really hated the director of the orphanage, Mrs. Sump. Mrs. Sump hired a police officer to find her. But when the police officer found Sweetness she ran away because she didn't want to go back. The sun came down when the policeman was about to find Sweetness. He found Sweetness again but she started to cry. Then she ran off again. The sun came up and he wanted to find some shade. Then Coyote Pete, a criminal, came up and had his gun pointing at the police's badge, but Sweetness came and dropped a rock on Coyote Pete's head. By then Coyote Pete got arrested. The police officer adopted Sweetness and all the other orphans and Coyote Pete when to jail.

Mrs. Sump is a mean orphanage director. Mrs. Sump was nasty enough to scare the orphans. Mrs. Sump is so mean that she wouldn't let her dog eat anything. Only her cat could eat. She had the orphans scrub the floor with a toothbrush. She didn't like seeing the orphans having fun. She is so mean that she would marry a criminal! She went crazy because one of her students ran away.

This book is fun to read because it has a lot if action and it's has a caring part at the end when the police officer adopted all the orphans and had no problem about it. I like the way the author wrote something about how the police officer adopted all the orphans and was nice enough to take care of the orphans. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes love and care because the book is about an orphan who doesn't like the orphanage director but loves the police officer. The lesson I learned from this book is to take care of people who need help.

By Shawn