From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
This may seem like a heretical idea (especially on goodreads), but some people think that book collectors and those of us who spend a lot of time reading are disconnected from the real world. It is hard to explain that we read and adore books so much because we love life and see books as a way of capturing all of life's moments and the people who shape us.
Ella's Grandmother feels this way about books, too. Her attachment to Kepler's Dream expresses her love for her husband, who died in an accide ...more
Ella's Grandmother feels this way about books, too. Her attachment to Kepler's Dream expresses her love for her husband, who died in an accide ...more
While her mother fights for her life and undergoes invasive treatment for her cancer, Ella has nowhere else to go but to her paternal grandmother's home in Albuquerque. Since her parents' divorce, eleven-year-old Ella has had little contact with her father since he often heads off on fishing expeditions from his Spokane, Washington base of operations. Since Ella doesn't remember ever meeting this grandmother, she is understandably reluctant to stay with her, and her insistence on proper grammar
...more
Ella's mother has leukemia and is scheduled for a stem cell transplant on the fourth of July and no one knows where Ella can stay. Ella's parents are divorced and live far apart. Walt, Ella's dad, suggests she spend the summer with her grandmother whom Ella has never met. With only strange stories from her mom about this mysterious relative Ella is excited and scared of spending time with her grandmother in New Mexico. When she arrives her grandmother is as mysterious as is her House of Mud, Ell
...more
This story has a little bit of mystery (a rare book gets stolen), a little bit of tragedy (mom has leukemia and needs a stem cell transplant), and a little bit of dysfunctional family (divorced dad is seldom around and Ella needs to send the summer with a grandmother she has never met). Yet the story grabs hold of you from the very first chapter that puts you in the middle of the story. Then Ella rewinds back to tell the reader how the book went missing and how she ended up with her gramdmother
...more
Jun 02, 2012
Mary
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
middle-grade-novel,
dogs,
grandparents,
friends,
feelings,
birds,
realistic-fiction,
libraries
A refreshing mystery. My only problem was that the main character totally sounded like a boy to me when I was reading it and it took me a while to be comfortable with the fact that she was a girl. It was just the style of writing I guess. Not sure. Anyway, great book, with some unexpected twists to keep people guessing, even if one thing if fairly clear early on.
This is a great family book for middle grade. It's not a perfect family, but there is love and growth. I appreciated the bit of mystery thrown in too. This was a very enjoyable book and I am glad that someone passed it my way.
...more
I finished this over a week-span, due to busy schedule this past week. However, I really enjoyed several plot elements -- Ella, the main character, has a mom receiving a bone marrow transplant to hopefully cure her leukemia. We watch as Ella navigates her sadness and concern for her mom. She has to go to live with her dad's mom, because her dad said he was too busy to take her (parents are divorced). I also like how Ella makes a new "family" while having to stay away from her mom for several mon
...more
May 05, 2012
Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2012
Mary Ann
marked it as to-read
May 23, 2012
Rachel
marked it as to-read
Mar 09, 2013
Kristin McIlhagga
marked it as to-read
Oct 08, 2013
Gin
marked it as to-read
Sep 10, 2014
Jane(Janelba)
marked it as unread
Jan 13, 2018
Michelle
marked it as to-read
