Customer Reviews

Surviving the Applewhites

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This is a good hearted book that follows the transformation of Jake, incipient hoodlum, to Jake, possible actor/singer in a believable gradual series of extenuating circumstances. The humor rests on the interesting and very individualistic ways the various residents of the Creative Academy go about their daily lives, making Jake, with his spiked hair and many earrings seem almost normal.

A sub-plot also follows E.D., one of the daughters of the family in her quest to organize her life and NOT be as hair-brained as the rest of her family. She, too, discovers that her talents are valued, even if they are not in the artistic domain.

There's a whole genre of children's literature that can be best categorized as Crazy/Artistic Family books. Since the publication of Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth's, "Cheaper By the Dozen" (and possibly before that book as well) kids have enjoyed reading about large crazy families and their occasional sad sane members. "Surviving the Applewhites" bounds gleefully into the ring to grab a little of this genre-glory and it's done pretty well for itself. It garnered a 2003 Newbery Honor. It's on countless Summer Reading lists around the country each year. You'd never know that it was a knock-off, would you? The fact of the matter is, "Surviving the Applewhites" is just a slightly contemporized version of Helen Cresswell's 1977 classic children's book, "Ordinary Jack". Though it certainly has some nice ideas and nice moments, "Applewhites" is doomed to be remembered as the Newbery Honor winner that copied a better book, from its dog to its fire-loving preschooler.

Jake Semple is a mean kid. A mean spiked hair kid. A mean spiked hair, multiple earrings, swear at authority figures, wear black clothing kid. He's been kicked out of every school he's ever gone to until finally he's ended up on the Applewhites' farm. The Applewhites are neighbors of Jake's grandfather (the last person the boy was dumped into the care of) and they're a bit... well.... a bit peculiar. All the adults have amazing artistic talents, while the kids are developing their own particular styles in a kind of free-form classroom. In the midst of this chaos is E.D. Applewhite, Jake's peer and an overly organized kid. She doesn't trust Jake for one little moment, but the fact of the matter is that there are larger issues hanging over her head. E.D. can't stand the loosey-goosey nature of the family. She's not artistically talented so she feels left out of things. It's only when her father ropes the entire family into helping with his production of "The Sound of Music" (with Jake as a lead) that E.D. and company learn how to best utilize their talents in a way that the world can really enjoy.

There are nice things in the book. Author Stephanie Tolan does wonderful things with butterflies here. Throughout the story, E.D. and Jake work on projects involving butterflies, culminating with Jake's idea to hatch some black swallowtails in the home. The result are butterflies that live with no fear of humans and become sort of family pets (an adorable idea). It's a bit of a stretch to imagine that E.D.'s father's idea of colorblind casting "The Sound of Music" would be considered groundbreaking, but it works within the context of the story. Children's books love colorblind casting musicals anyway (as in "Amazing Grace" by Mary Hoffman which did the same thing with "Peter Pan").

The book is very nice if you haven't read any of the Bagthorpe books (like "Ordinary Jack"). If you have though, you're in trouble. Consider the similarities. In "Ordinary Jack", Jack is the only normal member of his crazy/artistic family and so he and his dog Zero interact with his demanding writer father, adorable blond firebug of a preschool cousin, and others to find out what makes him special. In "Surviving the Applewhites", E.D. is the only normal member of her crazy/artistic family and so she and the family dog Winston (who loves Jack) interact with her demanding director father, adorable blond firebug of a brother, and others to find out what makes her special. Oog.

Jake himself is an odd sort. He doesn't do anything even slightly delinquent aside from swearing once in a while and smoking cigarettes. High crimes indeed. His appearance is that of a punk, a fact that would have shocked other kids in 1977, perhaps. Here, it's rather quaint. He's like a throwback to an earlier innocent age. If he had tried to look like Marilyn Manson he probably would've ended up a far more believable character. After all, what kid today goes about spiking his hair anymore?

Also, the book commits one particular crime that I am loathe to forgive and forget. The aforementioned adorable preschooler is named Destiny (kill me now) and randomly speaks with an affected cuteness that is supposed to melt readers' hearts. Instead, it only succeeds in inspiring jaw-dropping disbelief that any author would stoop so low. Destiny is prone to sentences about his hair like, "Mine just growed. My hair's blond. Did you know they don't gots a blond crayon even in the sixty-four box?". Gots? The child is a menace who repeatedly annoys the characters, almost kills another kid, lights fires, and basically behaves in a manner that, in an attempt to be cute, ends up as sickeningly saccharine.

There's a lot to like in this book, no question. If you can get over the identical plot/characters and the awful blond child then the book reads rather nicely. It STILL did not deserve the Newbery Honor. Goodness me, no. But it's a nice title that should be interesting to many kids out there. I didn't personally take to it, but I can see how others might. An overly simple book that will garner a large following.

This is one of my favorite books I've read in a while! This book really made me think about myself and the others around me! It gives you a new way of thinking of life. In the story Jake Semple, a child who wasn't the best child and got into a lot of trouble. Jake finds a new way of looking at life when he goes to school at the Applewhites home. He realizes that his appearance doesn't matter to them and they look at him just as any other student. He realizes that he doesn't need his "bad boy" appearance anymore. He realizes that Theatre was what he enjoyed to do and wanted to do it his whole entire lifetime! He really turns himself around and becomes his true self! this is one of my favorite books of all time! I reccomend it to EVERYONE!

Thirteen-year-old Jake Semple is somewhat of a legend around the state of North Carolina. Rumor has it he's burned down schools in the past, and at this point, no school wants to take a chance in enrolling them into their classes. Except, of course, a homeschool program run by the Applewhite family called The Creative Academy. So that's where Jake's grandfather brings him, in the hope that it will not only reform him, but get him off his back for awhile, while his parents are in prison. Jake is shocked that the entire Applewhite family, a clan of crazy artists, even put up with his antics of cursing, smoking, etc. But what's even more shocking is that E.D. (short for Edith) is an Applewhite. E.D. is what every Applewhite isn't. Smart, organized, and sensible. That's why she can't stand Jake Semple. Especially when he starts showing his true self, which might not be as bad as he'd like everyone to think.

I often shy away from books that have won the Newberry Honor Award, seeing as I haven't liked many of them in the past, but SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES caught my eye, and by the end of the story, had captured my heart as well. As someone who has been in Independent Study (it's like homeschooling, only I teach myself) for over 9 years, I was very excited to see homeschooling as the subject of an entire book. I found that Stephanie S. Tolan did an amazing job in describing how homeschoolers make up their own curriculum's, and spend their time, etc. I found that the characters were enjoyable (my personal favorite was E.D., as I found that I related to her the most), and the crazy things that happened to the Applewhite family were absolutely hilarious. Children and adults of all ages will enjoy reading about this artistic family and their crazy life, and homeschools will enjoy reading about other kids their age who share their schooling situation. A must-have book for all.

Erika Sorocco

Surviving the Applewhites is among the most fabulous book I have ever read in my life so far. Jake is a juvenile delinquent, who gets kicked out of going to any school in Rhode Island. When his parents get thrown in jail for drugs, his grandpa lets him move in. The first day he is there he meets the Applewhites. They home school Jake. They try and teach him they way of life. After awhile he becomes a nice guy and doesn't do all the bad he had done before.
Surviving the Applewhites means that you should never be a bad influence in life. You should always have a plan for the future, like becoming a writer. Never care about what other people think of you. You are what you are and you should live life to the fullest. "Applewhites, he said, shouldn't be required to do what other people did just because other people did it-Applewhites weren't like other people."(Tolan pg.17)
If I was in Jake's spot I would kiss the old life goodbye and start acting better and never burning down another school. And I would have came up with my own plan for school because E.D.'s would have been regular hard school stuff and I would want my own to work up to. E.D. always needs a challenge t become the best she can be.
This book is similar to my life because I tried to be the cool person and always getting into trouble and I'm into the hole eyebrow piercing thing and tattoos so I could relate to Jake in this story.

I would recommend this book to everyone who thinks there is nothing for them in life and if they are always in trouble and don't think there is a way out. Believe me there is a way to be a good responsible teenager and for adults too. Everyone needs a chance or two.

Surviving the Applewhites is a very well written book. It's filled with comedy and good meaning. The story is about Jake Semple, a young man with a bad attitude. After being kicked out of all the available schools, he attends the Creative Academy which is run by the Applewhite family. There he discovers a new way of life. I would say this book is meant for people age 11 and up who like to laugh as well as read books about how people can change their lives.

In the book Surviving the Applewhites the book starts off with Jake Semple. He is shipped off to the Creative Academy and there he has to be schooled there and while he is there he also learned a valuable lesson. While he is there E.D Applewhite resents him and like always thinks that she does not belong with all of her family who lives on their estate at the Creative Academy. While Jake is staying there he also feels that he does not belong there and toward the end of the book he realizes that he does have talent in acting and singing when he plays the oldest child's lover boy in the Applewhites production of The Sound of Music. Jake was a very luck boy to go the Creative academy, because it saved him from moving to Juvenile Hall for boys. When Jake entered the academy he was a rebellious teenager with red spiked hair, piercing and a bad smoking habit. But, when he left no more red spikes hair, no more piercing and smoking was out too.
Jake Semple was a diamond in the rough in the begging of the book. As I said before he had red spike hair with beautiful blonde hair underneath the dye, piercing all up his ear and the only thing he wore thought the whole year was black tee shirts and black baggy pants. Smoking and having a bad attitude were two of the many things that is wrong with Jake and which he needs to fix. His personality is very mean and care free since he does not care about what he says and how he acts toward people. At the end of the book Jake makes a very big transformation and you will have to read this fabulous book to see what I mean. Jake has many bad traits in the begging, but turns them all around so I guess me and him do have some similar traits like being kind to others, sometimes, and also during the end being very responsible for people and things.
My opinion of on the book was very good. I loved it and the book became my all time favorite, because the plot was set up so well and described wonderfully. My favorite part was when Jake first met E.D's younger brother Destiny and how he always looked up to Jake and tried to do everything like Jake. I would recommend this book to everyone I know who has not read it. Stephanie S. Tolan did a wonderful job writing this book and I think whoever would read it would fall in love with it just like it did.

Do you think you can change a 13 year old teenager whose parents are in jail for selling and growing marijuana in their own home? Change him into a hard working student instead of the kid who just burnt down his old school?

Stephanie S. Tolan's book Surviving the Applewhites is a great book that shows that even the worst people have some good in them. Jake Semple is a scary kid. Word has it that he burned down his old school and then was kicked out of every school in his home state. Only a few weeks into September, the middle school in Traybridge, North Carolina, has thrown him out too. Now there's only one place left that will take him: a home school run by the weirdest, most outrageous, quarrelsome family you'll ever meet. Each and every Applewhite is an artist except E.D. the smart, scruffy girl E.D. and Jake, so close in age, are quickly paired in the family's first experiment in "cooperative education." The two clash immediately, of course. The only thing they have in common is the determination to survive the family's expectations. But when the Applewhite Father directs the Sound of Music it brings the family together and shows E.D. and Jake the value of the special gifts they've had all along.

I thought this book was awesome, but I don't think Tolan explained the characters well enough. There were too many people in the story and I couldn't keep them straight. I think Tolan did a great job describing the setting of the story I could imagine what it was like there with Jake and the craziness of living with 4 kids and 3 adults who are all obsessed with being artistic and showing their natural talents. When the family gets crazy about the play (The Sound of Music) you can fell their enthusiasm and excitement. I really like the novel.

In the book Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan, a bad city kid, Jake Semple, has been kicked out of every school hes been to. He was taken to a school called the Creative Academy, where you study what you want to, when you want to. A family called the Applewhites owns the school and they both are crazy, chaotic, and creative. During his stay, Jake learns new things and his life starts to change. He becomes part of a production of The Sound of Music along with other Applewhites. Through this school Jake finds deep inside himself who he really is, without being a bad boy.
We personally thought the book Surviving the Applewhites was a great book. We really liked it because it was funny, especially when a four year old named Destiny tried to dye and spike his hair. Many times we could relate to the characters because their interests and personalities were a lot like our own. It was very fun to read because of these things. We would recommend it to sixth - eighth graders or anyone who wants to read a really great book.

Surviving the Applewhites
By: Stephanie S. Tolan

Surviving the Applewhites is about a family who has to home school a neighbor boy who has been kicked out of school. Through tough times and chaos this family tries to make it work. I gave it five stars because it is a book you will want to read over and over again. I was not sure that I wanted to read it in the beginning, but at the end I loved it. I think this is a very good family book. I also recommend this book to all upper elementary readers. I hope you love Surving the Applewhites as much as I did.
Victoria