One Whole and Perfect Day, by Judith Clarke, is a 2008 Printz Honor book. This is a story set in Australia that focuses on a seventeen-year-old girl named Lily, but also delves into the lives of her family and the people they interact with. Lily is a very sensible girl who handles almost all of the household responsibilities for herself and her busy Mom, Marigold. When she’s at school she feels embarrassed about her older-than-her-years attitude and when she’s at home she wishes she had a “proper” family like everyone else. Her grandparents, Nan and Pop, live in the mountains. Nan talks to an imaginary friend from her childhood when she lived in a children’s home, and Pop is an opinionated old man who’s set in his ways. Her brother Lonnie recently moved out of the house after a disagreement with Pop, who is disgusted with the way Lonnie keeps quitting everything he starts. Lonnie begins to settle down to one course of study at college after he meets Clara. As the family prepares for Pop’s eightieth birthday celebration, Lily worries about whether they can get past their idiosyncrasies and get along for just one whole perfect day together. By the end, the party is a success and extra guests arrive who will make the family gathering even better. Kids reading this book will relate to her feelings about her family. Reluctant readers would appreciate the short chapters and comfortable style of this book. I enjoyed peeking into the lives of the many different characters in the book, and learning some new Australian terms.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
One Whole and Perfect Day
One Whole and Perfect Day, by Judith Clarke, is a 2008 Printz Honor book. This is a story set in Australia that focuses on a seventeen-year-old girl named Lily, but also delves into the lives of her family and the people they interact with. Lily is a very sensible girl who handles almost all of the household responsibilities for herself and her busy Mom, Marigold. When she’s at school she feels embarrassed about her older-than-her-years attitude and when she’s at home she wishes she had a “proper” family like everyone else. Her grandparents, Nan and Pop, live in the mountains. Nan talks to an imaginary friend from her childhood when she lived in a children’s home, and Pop is an opinionated old man who’s set in his ways. Her brother Lonnie recently moved out of the house after a disagreement with Pop, who is disgusted with the way Lonnie keeps quitting everything he starts. Lonnie begins to settle down to one course of study at college after he meets Clara. As the family prepares for Pop’s eightieth birthday celebration, Lily worries about whether they can get past their idiosyncrasies and get along for just one whole perfect day together. By the end, the party is a success and extra guests arrive who will make the family gathering even better. Kids reading this book will relate to her feelings about her family. Reluctant readers would appreciate the short chapters and comfortable style of this book. I enjoyed peeking into the lives of the many different characters in the book, and learning some new Australian terms.
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