Tag: honesty

By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman (J Historical Fiction)

By the Great Horn Spoon!

Sid Fleischman (J Historical Fiction)

Jack’s Aunt Arabella is about to lose their beloved home due to financial hardships so he, along with the family’s faithful butler Praiseworthy, stowaway on a sailing ship headed to California in hopes of striking it rich. Young Jack wants adventure, but is he ready to face the perilous sea, dangerous outlaws, and the back-breaking life of a prospector for the slim chance of finding gold? By the great horn spoon he is! And with his loyal butler by his side, he’s sure that there’s no problem they can’t solve, no scoundrel they can’t outwit, and no gold they can’t find.

By the Great Horn Spoon! is one of the best—if not the best—Gold Rush books for kids that I’ve come across. It’s a high-stakes thriller that’s packed with action, adventure, and plenty of twists to keep any reader engaged. At the center of it all are two of the unlikeliest prospectors to ever live between the covers of a book: a spunky yet naïve 12-year-old boy and a reserved, intelligent butler. Jack and Praiseworthy are the heart of this story and their relationship is one centered on trust, mutual adoration, and loyalty. Through their own personal growth, we see their bond strengthen and their relationship evolve from one of servant and master to father and son. What is most appealing are the virtues that Praiseworthy imparts on Jack: always keep your word, offer compassion whenever possible, and stand up for what you believe in.

The storyteller Aesop once wrote, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” and Praiseworthy proves this time and time again. Whether he’s helping a prospector look his best for his new bride, defending a known criminal to help fulfill the wish of a dying friend, or protecting the honor of a young woman in Boston, our proper gentleman with his white gloves, reliable umbrella, and black bowler hat always seems to know the right thing to do and is there to reap the unexpected rewards of his actions.

Praiseworthy spends the entire book thinking himself unworthy of the affections of a certain miss back home because of his social status, but as his name suggests, this humble and mild man is truly worthy of praise and his generosity and kindness make him far richer than any amount of gold he might find.   

Rating: 5/5

Bring Jack and Praiseworthy to your class with our study guide: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Study-Guide-By-the-Great-Horn-Spoon-by-Sid-Fleischman-12249210

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary (J Fiction)

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Beverly Cleary (J Fiction)

Ralph is reckless. Ralph is impatient. Ralph is his mother’s greatest worry. Worst of all…RALPH IS BORED! He is a mouse yearning for excitement and danger, and he’s about to get it when young Keith Gridley and his family check into Room 215 at the Mountain View Inn—home to Ralph and his mouse family. When Ralph spies Keith’s beloved diecast motorcycle on the nightstand one day, Ralph HAS to ride it because that red beauty is his one-way ticket to adventure. It also starts a chain reaction that sees Ralph trapped in a wastebasket, narrowly escaping a vacuum cleaner, tangling with a pillowcase, inciting an excitable pooch, and braving the outdoors—all while trying to reclaim the lost motorcycle, win back the trust of a friend, and prove that he CAN be a responsible mouse.

Inspired by real-life events involving a spooky old hotel, a sick little boy, a set of miniature cars, and a little mouse caught in a garden bucket, Beverly Cleary gives young readers another timeless and unforgettable story—one full of heart and the importance of accountability, responsibility, selflessness, and friendship. At the story’s heart is an unlikely friendship between a young boy and a mouse who find commonality over their love of motorcycles. Through Keith, Ralph begins to understand that putting other’s needs first doesn’t mean sacrificing your own wants and in the long run, the benefits received are far richer and more rewarding than imagined.  

This is an ideal classroom or read-aloud book as the lessons learned are worth discovering and discussing. For a young reader to watch Ralph’s evolution from being self-indulgent and reckless to thoughtful and considerate is satisfying to witness and teaches that the only thing more important than being responsible is accepting accountability and making sure that a wrong is made right and trust is restored. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “The price of greatness is responsibility” and a young mouse with a thirst for speed shows us that greatness isn’t having a shiny red motorcycle, but having someone that believes in you and calls you friend.

Rating: 5/5

NEW!! Want to share this book with your homeschooler or classroom? Download our affordable study guide: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Study-Guide-The-Mouse-and-the-Motorcycle-by-Beverly-Cleary-11217785

The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn (J)

The Old Willis Place

The Old Willis Place  

Mary Downing Hahn (Juvenile Fiction)

There are just two rules that siblings Diana and Georgie Eldridge have to follow: don’t let anyone see you and do not leave Oak Hill Manor.  But after the terrible thing happened, there would be many more rules to come.  All of these rules were easy enough to abide by until the new caretaker of the old Willis place arrived with his daughter.  Things would quickly get a lot more complicated.  Caretakers came and went (there were too many to count), but this one had a daughter—a daughter the same age as Diana.  Diana wanted a friend so badly, that she was willing to break any rule just to have one.  But at what cost?

This is a ghost story with some surprisingly heavy themes given that it is written for ages 7 to 12.  Besides dealing with theft, trespassing, and murder, we are given an older sister who, by selfishly putting her own wants and needs above all else, puts both herself and her younger brother in danger.  She lies to her sibling not once, but several times and flirts with severing the bond of trust that the two share.  Once trust is broken, can it ever be fully restored again?

This book is filled with plenty of action and suspense and, despite some scary and disturbing bits at the end, younger readers will become enthralled and immersed in this wonderfully spooky ghost story.  What I like most about this book is that Hahn delivers a powerful moral message that readers of any age can appreciate.  Despite suffering from separation, grief, loneliness, and fear, Hahn gives us two children who demonstrate the importance and value of extending mercy to the unworthy and offering forgiveness to the undeserving.  And that isn’t scary at all.

Rating: 4/5

* Book cover image attributed to http://www.goodreads.com