The great glass town confederacy: Stories of the Brontèˆs (McGraw-Hill reading) [Unknown Binding]

Katherine Gleason (Author)

Product Details

• Unknown Binding
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill School Division (2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0021852529
• ISBN-13: 978-0021852529
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,321,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine A. Gleason has written about 30 books for young people and adults. She particularly enjoys writing and reading about animals, ancient cultures, and faraway places. Her love of travel has taken her all over the world, and she has, in fact, visited all seven of Earth's continents.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Introduction to the Brontes, December 20, 2011

By 

Eileen Cunningham - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The great glass town confederacy: Stories of the Brontèˆs (McGraw-Hill reading)

I found this little 16-page book when I was looking for a copy of the juvenilia of Charlotte Bronte. This is actually a nonfiction presentation of the Bronte children of Haworth and the stories they created around the wooden soldiers their father brought home for Branwell Bronte, the brother of the now famous Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte. I ended up purchasing this as a gift for a third-grader in my acquaintance, who is an advanced reader. According to the Accelerated Reading List on the web site of Round Rock ISD (Independent School District), which encompasses parts of Austin, Texas, the reading level of the book is 5.8.

The author, Katherine Gleason, has done a good job of presenting the information about the Brontes in a way which I believe would establish a strong interest in the adult works of the Brontes, *Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte and *Wuthering Heights* by Emily Bronte most famous among them. Gleason tells the stories of how the toy soldiers sparked their interest, how Charlotte and Branwell began their imaginary world and the other children followed in friendly competition, how they made their famous miniscule books, how Branwell created his *Young Man's Magazine* based on the nineteenth-century periodical *Blackwood's Magazine*, how the family were educated, how the girls later worked as governesses themselves, and how they eventually broke into print. It does not address the character shortcomings of Branwell Bronte that emerged in young adulthood. At the end there are questions and activities as well as a prompt for the reader's own venture in creative writing. The illustrations by Roberta Ludlow have strong appeal.

Published by McGraw Hill (n.d.), the book is designed for schools and has a "Property of..." imprint inside the front cover. No longer in print, it is still available from private sellers online.

One caveat for home school families in the faith community: The author, Katherine Gleason, is the same Katherine A. Gleason who has written books on witchcraft and the occult. However, those interests do not come into play in this educational book for children. I found the text factually correct and inspirational for school-age children and was happy to present it as a gift.