The Silver Balloon [Paperback]

Susan Bonners (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Having a pen pal is exciting

One September evening, Gregory ties an index card with his name and address on it to the string of a silver helium balloon and lets it go from his window, into the city sky. Three weeks later, an envelope arrives in the mail. A farmer named Pete has found his balloon! Gregory writes back, and the two become pen pals, exchanging mystery gifts with each letter. Finally, Pete sends a gift that Gregory can identify only by a trip to the antural history museum, and the object turns out to be something truly amazing. With illustrations by the author, The Silver Balloon is perfect for early chapter-book readers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A note tied to a helium balloon leads to an unusual long-distance friendship. "This amiable tale, which suggests an intriguing alternative to sending a message in a bottle, builds to a satisfying climax," said PW. Ages 7-9.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?A wonderful intergenerational story. Gregory, a shy fourth grader who lives in the city, initiates a pen-pal friendship when he sends off a message attached to a balloon. Clarence "Pete" Mayfield, a farmer, finds the balloon and responds with a letter and an unidentified gift. Gregory figures out what it is and writes a letter back to Pete, including a gift of his own?a bus token. As the correspondence continues, Gregory learns to overcome his fears and frustrations about communicating. He discovers that he has the ability to write, to talk on the phone, and even to take a trip across the city to ask a university professor about the final gift he receives, a canine from a saber-toothed cat. Readers are drawn into the story as they wonder about each mysterious item. Black-and-white pencil sketches appear throughout. An author's note states that helium-filled balloons are harmful to wildlife. Marjorie Kaplan's The Fifteenth Peanut Butter Sandwich (Four Winds, 1990; o.p.) is a similar book for this age group with females as the main characters. A solid choice for fiction collections.?Linda L. Plevak, Alamo Area Library System, San Antonio, TX
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374466475
• ISBN-13: 978-0374466473
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #731,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Silver Balloon, June 8, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Silver Balloon (Paperback)

This is a really great book about a boy named Gregory and a wheat farmer named Pete Mayfield. Gregory lives in the city with newspapers flying around the sidewalks, buses with bus tokens, and streets with manhole covers. Mr. Mayfield lives in the woods with rivers where he goes fishing and camping.
One day Gregory decided to write his name and address on a silver balloon. The balloon floated away to another place where Mr. Mayfield found it. Mr. Mayfield sent a letter back to Gregory along with a piece of wheat. Gregory has to figure out what it is. After that, they start sending mystery gifts to each other. My favorite mystery gift is the Saber Tooth tiger's canine tooth. I loved guessing what the gifts were. I learned so many things in this book like you can find arrowheads and tiger's teeth in the middle of wheat fields. That shows that ancient animals and Plains Indians once lived there!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bonners' Balloon Flies High, August 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Silver Balloon (Paperback)

The Silver Balloon is a quick read, but what a great read. I never expected the pen pals to become detectives along the way. Ms. Bonners has a strong sense of what kids are like and it is so nice to see a book that young boys will enjoy. We need more like this one!

3.0 out of 5 stars Short but good..., November 27, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Silver Balloon (Paperback)

I had to read this as part of a school assignment, and although I finished it in quickly - it was short - I liked it a lot, too. For people who like short books with small mysteries, I recommend this book. Another thing I liked was how the story moved quickly, as lots of books move slower and aren't as quick reads.

One day, Gregory sends a balloon into the air, hoping someone will find it and write back to him. Well, a wheat farmer does find it, and then Greg and him send back mystery gifts, which range from arrowheads to wasp nests. But then, Greg gets a mystery gift that even he, his best friend Tommy, and the librarian can't find out what it is...

Emma Aema