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September 2026 - A Day at the Beach
By Kristen · 5 posts · 43 views
By Kristen · 5 posts · 43 views
last updated Sep 07, 2025 06:50PM
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Probably not a future Newbery...
By Kristen · 25 posts · 299 views
By Kristen · 25 posts · 299 views
last updated Nov 10, 2010 04:28PM
What Members Thought
I liked but didn't love this, and have no interest in seeing it on the Newbery list. I found it overly repetitive and self-consciously quiet, and it will mightily confuse your more literal children (though I enjoyed the slips into surrealism). I don't think we see a compelling presentation of plot here.
I'm glad she included some of Neruda's poetry at the end, though it annoyed me that the author's note seems to be written for the parent or teacher rather than a child reader. ...more
I'm glad she included some of Neruda's poetry at the end, though it annoyed me that the author's note seems to be written for the parent or teacher rather than a child reader. ...more
I'm so excited! I'm a huge Neruda fan, and also fan of Munoz Ryan and Sis! This promises to be SO good. Hope it can live up to my expectations! :-)
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Neftali knows what it is to be different. He is not strong like his older brother. He is not cheerful like his little sister. He doesn’t like sports like the other boys at his school. No, Neftali is a dreamer. He is a boy who gets lost in observing the natural world around him, a boy who is absorbed in listening to the sounds that surround him every day, a boy who thrills to the fire for justice he sees in his newspaper-writing Uncle Orlando’s verbal fights for the oppressed. Yes, Neftali knows
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A fictionalized account of Pablo Neruda's bleak Chilean childhood. Neruda overcomes a mean, dictatorial father to become a famous poet who advocates for native people. A nice idea, nicely written, with nice illustrations, but I thought the story fell kind of flat. I appreciated it, but I didn't love it.
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somewhat biographical sketch of Pablo Neruda's childhood as a daydreamer with an unsympathetic father. Beautiful illustrations by Peter Sis.
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This is almost an autobiography, but it's written in a sort of dreamy style. About the poet Pablo Neruda.
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Unfortunately I've waited too long to review this and many of the details are gone from my memory - I kept hoping I'd decide how I feel about it. On one hand, it's absolutely gorgeous in terms of both design and how Ryan captures childhood imagination in words. On the other hand, it's got a slow start and the poetic language took a while to pull me in. By the end I was emotionally engaged - something I think the story was trying to accomplish - but I can't quite work up any enthusiasm for the bo
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The language in this is unbelievable. Like buttah...:)
Jan 30, 2010
Kris Springer
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books-i-ve-read
Thinking this is a 4 1/2. Very fine writing; interesting that it's about Pablo Neruda. It kept my interest--near the end though, felt my interest wane as Ryan fast-forwarded into the future, skipping a few years here, a few years there. Think it must have made more sense in print form. I did enjoy listening to Ryan's voice read the Author's Note.
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Read this again for the 3rd and 4th time.
3rd time with my girls for the library's children's book club, 4th time for CLC.
Wow! Read it slowly, savor it, and really take the time to enjoy the rhythm of the language. Enjoy Ms. Ryan's introduction to Pablo Neruda. ...more
3rd time with my girls for the library's children's book club, 4th time for CLC.
Wow! Read it slowly, savor it, and really take the time to enjoy the rhythm of the language. Enjoy Ms. Ryan's introduction to Pablo Neruda. ...more
Beautiful!
I wouldn't be surprised to see this as a Newbery winner next Jan.
The narrator fit perfectly with the story for the audio version - his accent and pacing was lyrical and lovely. ...more
I wouldn't be surprised to see this as a Newbery winner next Jan.
The narrator fit perfectly with the story for the audio version - his accent and pacing was lyrical and lovely. ...more
Feb 05, 2010
Alison
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
middle-school,
elementary-school,
middle-grade,
world-history,
biography,
historical-fiction,
2010,
illustrated,
5k,
abuse
Apr 28, 2010
Shannon
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2010
Dana
marked it as to-read
Oct 14, 2010
Monica Edinger
added it
Jan 27, 2011
Katharine
marked it as to-read
Nov 07, 2011
Ann-Marie
marked it as to-read
