McGhee, Alison Books

Someday

Alison McGhee

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Atheneum Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $5.90

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 104 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Not for children 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I picked this book up when browsing a book fair at the elementary school where I work, and began to sob. I told the librarian there should be a warning label on the darn thing. While it is beautifully written and illustrated, I did not enjoy being confronted with the reality of my aging mother's mortality, and the fact that someday I will be no more than a memory in the hearts of my own children, an image in a photo frame in their homes. This should not be marketed as a children's book.

Amazon Bargain Book-warning 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I purchased the "bargain book" version of this book for $6.79. I hoped to give it to a pregnant friend. Amazon does disclose that the book may have a sticker on the back stating that it is a bargain book, which I didn't mind (although it is not the kind of sticker that just peels off). Unfortunately I could not gift the book as it is defective; printed unside-down and backwards. The book as about 7" x 7" and about 1/3" thick, including the cover. Actually seems over-priced for a small book that's defective. I did give it 2 starts as it is a sweet story. I somewhat agree with the other reviewer, though, as it is sad at the end, in a bitter-sweet sort-of-way.

Editorial Review:

A mother's love leads to a mother's dream -- every mother's dream -- for her child to live life to its fullest.

A deceptively simple, powerful ode to the potential of love and the potential in life, Someday is the book you'll want to share with someone else...today. The perfect gift for Mother's Day, Graduation Day or Any Day - share a copy with every special person in your life.

Little Boy

Alison McGhee

Amazon Price: $10.87 List Price: $15.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Atheneum Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $3.16

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

not for children 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 14 people found this review helpful.

This Father's Day, when a Hallmark just won't cut it but $20 seems like too much to spend, why not give this little gem?

Generously borrowing from William Carlos William's poem "The Red Wheelbarrow," each of the rhymed sections in this picture book begins with the phrase "Little Boy, so much depends on..." to inventory the innocent mischief, imaginative play, and rituals of what it means to be a boy. All that and a big cardboard box. Reynolds illustrations are as precious as McGhee's cadences are measured, which is to say they are calculated with great care.

This is the father-and-son companion to Someday, the book about the mother-daughter bond that reads like a snake eating its own tail. With both books I can't imagine what sort of child they are intended for. Grown children? Adults with children who want an American Greeting Card memory of a time that never really existed except in a post-martini haze? New parents who don't realize the fantasy this represents? Seriously, with Little Boy I can see maybe half a reading of this before the little boy being read to wants to go find a cardboard box of his own to play with rather than finish this non-story.

Beyond that, the book is a keepsake, a contemporary Norman Rockwell portrait of boyhood. Grandparents will love it, so might some new parents, but it's not for children.

Editorial Review:

The simple playthings, the everyday moments, picking up that hundredth rock -- all of these are brimming with possibility...if you slow down and let the future begin with the small moments of today. Because everything depends on letting a little boy...be a little boy.

Julia Gillian (and The Art Of Knowing)

Alison Mcghee

Amazon Price: $10.87 List Price: $15.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Scholastic Press Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $3.56

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Curiosity and Worry 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

All summer, almost-fifth-grader Julia Gillian tries her hardest to avoid reading a book about a boy and his dog because she assumes it will have a unhappy ending. After all, it seems as though dogs don't often survive those stories - Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc. She doesn't want to think about such things, especially because she has a pet dog, Bigfoot, who is her constant companion. Though she's good at doing things, she really doesn't want to read that particular book, but procrastination and avoidance just stress her out!

Julia is a fun character. I love her curious nature. She has a great sense of loyalty. She's surrounded by artsy-cool folks, like her parents and her neighbors, two of which are siblings: her former baby-sitter, now a hip young woman she looks up to, and her brother the baker, who makes tasty and interesting treats. As she walks around Minneapolis, you can tell that she is totally comfortable in her city and in her home. She's totally a city girl, but she acts her age - not overly precocious, not at all naive, definitely and firmly her age, and always curious and questioning.

This is the first in a trilogy. I'll definitely be reading the next two books to see what else happens to Julia, and I'll continue to read Alison McGhee's other books as well. I have enjoyed her previous novels, like Shadow Baby, Snap, and Falling Boy, and there seems yet to be an audience for which she can't write successfully!

Editorial Review:

Ten-year-old Julia Gillian knows everything about her quirky neighbors, her Minneapolis neighborhood, even the inscrutable "claw machine" in the back of the corner hardware store. The one thing Julia Gillian doesn't know is how the book she's reading is going to end. It doesn't seem as if it's going to have a happy ending, and that scares her. But Julia learns a little something about fear: sometimes you just have to work through it. And though bad things do happen sometimes, having good friends and family around you makes life a bit less scary - and much more fun.

Rainlight

Alison McGhee

Amazon Price: $11.90 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Picador Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $0.48

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

poignant and delicate ... a sure winner 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

A tragic accident brings out musings from 4 different characters and reveals secrets between each other that some goes a long way.

This book is beautifully written. It's poignant, delicate, touching ... reading it feels like having a soft velvety whisper of air on your skin. Each character grows on you that you feel like you know them very well. Each secret is revealed flawlessly. And after reading her 2nd novel -- Shadow Baby -- I think Ms. McGhee is very good in writing about child characters.

Editorial Review:

The moving story of a father who dies young and the family he leaves behind

Even in a small town people have secrets, including how much they really mean to each other. In Alison McGhee’s haunting debut, a tragic event sparks revelations from nine-year-old Mallie, her mother, her grandfather, a waitress, and Mallie’s father’s ex-lover. They discover long-hidden truths and forge new bonds in this unforgettable, heartbreaking novel about parents, children, and love.

Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth

Alison McGhee

Amazon Price: $6.00 List Price: $6.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Voyager Books Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $2.45

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Terrifically Funny Book 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I can't recall the last time I laughed so hard reading to my son. This is a rare gem with sight gags abound. Well done!

As hip as you wanna be 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

There's an odd complaint that sometimes cycles through the parent circles of this great American country. If a children's picture book is filled with just too many injokes and gags for the parents to get (and not their kids) then that book is immediately given the back-handed compliment of "hip". The "Olivia" books by Ian Falconer are "hip". "Many Moons" by James Thurber is "hip". Do you see the trend? These books tend to be written or illustrated by New Yorker cartoonists/writers. So it only makes sense that such uncalled for disparaging remarks should be attached to my beloved Harry Bliss. In this delightful "Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth" (a delicious addition to his similar school-based story, "A Fine Fine School"), author Alison McGhee and illustrator Bliss tell a tale of realistic childhood fears and the surprising way that one little first grader overcomes them.

"I have a secret", a small girl confides in us, right from the start. "First grade begins today, and I'm in BIG trouble". The trouble comes in the form of "advice" given by a malicious second grader who immediately pounces on our helpless heroine on the bus. The second grader informs us that Mrs. Watson, the first grader's new teacher, is actually an alien from outer space. And this particular alien's preferred meals? Baby teeth. First grader baby teeth at that. According to the second grader, Mrs. Watson has a thick purple tongue and that we should look closely at her "pearl" necklace and earrings. By the time our protagonist reaches school she's in a mild state of panic. However, she's quite certain that if she just doesn't open her mouth, she'll be able to keep her tooth safe and sound from this alien scourge. Trouble is, Mrs. Watson seems really nice. And she keeps asking for kids to sing, or talk, or brag (things our first grader would LOVE to do). It's only towards the end of the day that a surprising occurrence proves both Mrs. Watson's earthly status and gives the second grader a bit of a comeuppance.

It's a cute little story wrapped up in a very fun package. Now I've kinda enjoyed the books Bliss has illustrated up until now. The aforementioned "Fine Fine School" was okay and "Don't Forget To Come Back", peaked the old imagination. But so far, this book is my favorite of the lot. And a lot of this is due to the fact that there ARE jokes that kids won't get in it. Kids will love the visual gags on each and every page (for example, a loud-mouthed boy on a trip suddenly ends up covered in duct tape when he won't calm down) but I love the crazy details. When the first grader timidly stares at the door of her new classroom, a poster with a picture of Shakespeare pointing at the viewer reads, "The Drama Club wants YOU for the Fall production of Marathon Man: A Chilling Tale of Suspense and Toothaches". Similarly, when Mrs. Watson asks the class, "Who's ready to learn a song?", she's holding (and I seriously kid you not here), "London Calling", by J. Strummer. Any picture book that makes a reference, however oblique, to The Clash has won my instantaneous and unwavering love for all time.

So that's that. Kids will love this book because of the words and storyline. Adults will love this book because of the in-jokes (some of which, even THEY won't get). And I love it because it's the perfect melding of two worlds. The childlike and the sophisticated. So pooh-pooh it for being "hip" all you want. It's one of the rare books that will have adults begging their children to read it, "just one more time".

Editorial Review:

Sure, first-grade teacher Mrs. Watson may look human, but she is actually a three-hundred-year-old alien who steals baby teeth from her students. Thank goodness for a second grader's warning, because this little first grader has a secret: She has a loose tooth! How will she make it through an entire year without opening her mouth?

Countdown to Kindergarten

Alison McGhee

Amazon Price: $6.00 List Price: $6.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Voyager Books Amazon Marketplace: 60 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

enjoyable for kids and adults 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Other reviewers have discussed the content of the book, so I won't go into more detail on the storyline, but what I like best about the book is the ending: once the little girl actually gets to school, she and her classmates realize after conferring together that none of them know how to tie their shoes and that it's OKAY. Or, on a greater scale, you can think of it as a child's fear of feeling inadequate or behind his/her peers dissolving when he/she realizes that others are having the same troubles and fears. I think the book, besides being quite funny (she really is creative in trying to "lose" her shoelaces) shows that it's perfectly normal to be nervous about new situations, and if you are nervous you're not the only one. The comradery that develops between the kids in the class is really priceless: you mean YOU don't know how to tie your shoes EITHER?? :)

Editorial Review:

It's just ten days before kindergarten, and this little girl has heard all there is to know--from a first grader--about what it's going to be like. You can't bring your cat, you can't bring a stuffed animal, and the number one rule? You can't ask anyone for help. Ever. So what do you do when your shoes come untied--and you're the only one in the class who doesn't know how to tie them up again?

Bye-bye, Crib

Alison McGhee

Amazon Price: $13.25 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $5.00

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Editorial Review:

There it is.
Over there.
The big bed...
Am I ready?

#1 New York Times best-selling author Alison McGhee tells the tale of a child's first rite of passage - from the crib to the big bed. Ross MacDonald's glowing illustrations will comfort, amuse, and inspire toddlers and even their parents as they take this first big step together.

All Rivers Flow to the Sea

Alison Mcghee

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $1.07

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH ALISON McGHEE 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

ALL RIVERS FLOW TO THE SEA

Being a fan of Ms. McGhee's, I am very slowly working my way through her writing only because I don't want to run out of her wonderful books. She is amazing!

This book is listed as a TEEN book. Adults, have at it. This is one heck of a good read.

Ms. McGhee hits home with her stunning story of young teenaged Rose trying to deal with an accident that leaves her sister, Ivy, in a coma and on a respirator.

Poor Rose -- dealing with the death of someone you love is hard enough and hurts so badly that I cannot imagine being part of the accident that leaves Ivy at death's door and Rose OK. Rose has a hard time dealing with this situation also and this book tells the story of her coping.

Rose cannot imagine life without her sister, Ivy. Ivy and Rose are two extremely close sisters. The sentence that keeps repeating throughout the book -- "IVY AND I HAD AN ACCIDENT. IT WAS DUSK IN THE ADIRONDACKS, AND WE WERE COMING AROUND A CURVE AND THE LIGHT BLUE TRUCK CAME SLIDING" -- that ONE sentence hits home each time you read it and each time it is like a blow to your mind and your gut.

Rose tries to cope with her sister's situation and in the best way she knows how. Rose visits Ivy each day and it hurts her that their mother will not set foot in the hospital. How Rose deals with her life -- a life that is a gift she cannot deal with -- why is she alive and her sister is in a coma? This young girl deals with many, many issues and you cannot help but admire her.

The characters ring true and life-like. Ms. McGhee sneaks in a few characters for a visit from her other novels. This is good, I really like this.

Rose makes it through each day, has a hard time coping with her mother's non-interest in Ivy, her mom's obsession with making paper cranes, dealing with the kids at school who don't understand how Rose is feeling and what she is going through emotionally. Through no fault of their own, her friends are treating Rose in a different way, and while they cannot see this, Rose certainly can and this makes her life even harder.

I LOVED this book. Having lost my dad 14 years ago, I could really feel Rose's pain and know how she was totally feeling. The phrase WE ALL WALK AROUND WITH A STONE IN OUR SHOE really is true. EVERYONE has pain and sorrow in their life, but living is what makes all that hurt worth the journey. Rose had to learn that it was OK that she was alive and living. She had to learn how to deal with the accident and what happened to her sister, Ivy.

And we all have to learn how to deal with stones in our shoes. READ THIS BOOK. I highly recommend it. It is filled with great characters, some sadness, but mostly it is filled with love.

Thank you!
Pam

Editorial Review:

"McGhee writes confidently as one who remembers the ordinariness of adolescence as well as its angst . . . and compellingly creates a protagonist blindsided by loss." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)

For seventeen-year-old Rose, it keeps happening — the car crash. The car crash that put her sister, Ivy, in a coma with only a respirator keeping her alive. While Rose tries to find support from her reticent mother, distraction from the series of boys she meets at the town’s gorge at night, and empathy from her neighbor William T., what she really needs must come from within herself — a release of what’s been welling up inside. Heartrending, honest, and ultimately hopeful, this is the tale of a teenager overwhelmed by trauma and loss, yet steadied by loyal friendship and the solace of first love.

Snap

Alison Mcghee

Amazon Price: $5.99 List Price: $5.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $0.42

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book is about a girl named Edwina she really likes lists she makes them for every thing. She has a best friend. Her best friends grandma is her friend to. Ed ,her nickname, and her friend really like sprinkled doughnuts. She has 5 braclets that she wears onher wrist and they mean different things. Like one means dont tip back in your chair but if she does she has to snap it.

Editorial Review:

A sensitive girl comes to terms with loss – and learns something about lasting ties – in this genuine, gracefully told story.

"Name: Edwina Stiles Beckey. Nickname: Eddie. Age: Eleven. Hometown: North Sterns, New York, in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Best Friend: Sally Hobart. Favorite Activity: Making lists."

Eddie Beckey makes lists for just about everything and everyone in her life. And for matters of real importance, she wears (and snaps) an array of colored rubber bands on her wrist. Unfortunately, the world is not always so orderly and knowable. No list can help her cope with what’s happening to her best friend, Sally — or change the course of things for Sally’s grandmother, whom Eddie has grown to love and depend on as well. With subtlety and insight, novelist Alison McGhee tells the story of a young girl’s first encounter with grief, and of the enduring power of friendship.

Algun dia/ Someday (Spanish Edition)

Alison McGhee

Amazon Price: $11.69 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Serres Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $8.83

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