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This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.In this 1937 Newbery Honor novel by Velveteen Rabbit author Margery Williams, teen sisters Kay and Garry have moved from the city into a farmhouse in Connecticut with their mother and younger siblings, while their father goes on an archaeological expedition. When their mother is called away to nurse a sick relative, the two girls are left to care for the household through the brutal New England winter.This novel of the Great Depression is a w...
3.5 starsThis was a lovely read for winter! It was a bit of a slower read, telling the story of four city children who move to the country and use their survival skills. Their country house has only one piece of technology: a telephone, which means there was no bathroom either. Written in the 1930s in the Great Depression, it reminded me of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Long Winter book. After their parents are called away, the two eldest girls, Garry and Kay, must take on the lead roles. I especially
Enjoyable in a nothing-really-happens-in-this-story way. It is just a simple story about a family in the 1930s who has moved to the country and how their winter unfolds while the mom is away helping a niece. Except for the references to amounts of money (ie: a salary of $40 a month being acceptable) this story really isn't all that out of place for modern country life. Still, the word choices and the writing style definitely date the book a bit. Probably not likely to appeal to most kids or teen...
Did I love Winterbound the same way I loved Margery Williams' Velveteen Rabbit. NO! I want to be honest about that from the start. Winterbound is not nearly as charming and lovely and wonderful as The Velveteen Rabbit. But with the right expectations, Winterbound could work for some readers. Winterbound is about four siblings living on their own in a rented house in rural New England with both parents away. The father is an archaeologist, if I'm remembering correctly. He'll be gone for a year or...
Winterbound is not the best title in the world for this book, as it covers an entire year from late summer to late summer. It reminded me of Northern Farm in a way, though the country life episodes that interested me most were usually glossed over in a sentence or two.At first I thought this would be a children's book, but Garry (Margaret) and her sister Kay are in their late teens, and are the main characters. No, here we have a panegyric to good ol' Yankee know how, self reliance and the ol' c...
Just another very unexciting Newbery book. It had a bit of the "survivor in the wilderness" flare to it. I kept it up at three stars because there were some parts that I enjoyed. I liked the characters and the spunky, determined attitude of Kay and Garry. All the hunting scenes were pretty dull and I would've liked the book better without them. If the book was about half as long I would've enjoyed it more as well. I can't really tell you what it's about because it's not really about anything. Ju...
This book tells such a simple story; nothing grandiose, or overly adventurous, but charming nonetheless. I found Garry to be such an interesting character and as she created ways to earn money or increase the family's finances, her personality traits became more endearing.
I am most definitely more than pleasantly surprised at how much I have absolutely loved (and not simply enjoyed) Margery Williams Bianco's Winterbound (and I have also just reread the novel for something like the fifth time, and once again, pure and utter sweet reading delight).And yes indeed, Margery Williams Bianco's characterisation, the cadence, thematics etc. actually tend to remind me rather strongly of L.M. Montgomery and especially Kay and Garry (Margaret) are reminiscent of some of the
I can't think of a more pleasant or cozier book to curl up with this winter than this title right here!I mistakenly thought this was a children's book. It's actually a young adult book. And if you think of a creamy blend of Gene Stratton-Porter and Grace S. Richmond, you'll accurately capture the essence of this charming, wintry tale. It's October in beautiful Connecticut and Kay, Garry, Martin and Caroline find themselves parent-less. Their father is on an expedition to South America and their
There's nothing like reading a comfortable older children's book at the end of the day during a busy week. This one was by the author of The Velveteen Rabbit, which I cried over as a child, but fortunately it wasn't as emotionally taxing. Published in 1937, it's a pleasant, somewhat episodic story about a city family that moves to rural Connecticut to save money while their father is off on some kind of scientific expedition. True to classic children's story form, the mother then suddenly depart...
1930s setting, lovely writing--just the sort of book I like! I really, really liked the author's descriptions and thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved reading about the Ellis family and everything they did.
Ohio E Book Library copyKay and Garry like living in rural New England, even though they have their sights on something better if they can ever get the money together to go to college or travel. Their father is on an archaeological expedition, and their mother is trying to make ends meet with young Caroline and Martin as well. When an aunt of hers has a spot on her lung and must take the air in New Mexico but can't possibly go alone, the mother decides to leave the girls in charge and take off.
The GR's entry for this book didn't have any info or a cover so I had to fix that. Nothing really happened. It was pretty much one boring thing after another. Glad I finished it, though, but, it was nearly destined for the "abandoned" shelf.
I don't know how I missed this lovely Newbery Honor book by the author of The Velveteen Rabbit, but I'm so glad I finally got to read it. From the description I was expecting a story of winter survival, a man-vs-nature book, but it's not that at all. Instead we have four siblings who, with their mother, rent a house in rural Connecticut. When their mother has to leave suddenly the siblings are left in the old, run down house. But they're not alone. There are some helpful neighbors just across th...
I first read this book during one of the most severe cold snaps of the entire winter, when simply setting foot outside made me wonder how the nineteenth-century American pioneers ever survived such harsh weather. For them, just the act of living until spring had to have been a herculean task; they didn't have heated homes to relax inside, yet they still had to eat, which meant they had to do long hours of work outside in the brutal weather. I suppose that their bodies probably never felt complet...
A nice comfort read of two teenaged girls and their two younger sisters making it through a New England winter in an old house in the early-ish 20th century with little money when their mother has to leave them to look after a sick relative.
I always knew The Velveteen Rabbit, and it's grown on me as I grew up, but it's not my favorite story. And I didn't like it much or see much use for it when I was a kid.I read Other People's Houses a few years ago, and liked it, although not perfectly. Liked it better than Rabbit.This one is also okay; I've been rereading other books that cover the same topics this year, and I finally found this one after having it on my to-read list for years. I think I'd recommend reading the other books over
2.5 starsThis wasn't a bad story. I rather liked the characters, but it wasn't one I'd read again for a couple reasons.1) The author used the Lord's name in vain several times, as well as a couple swear words. For a story published for young readers, this really bothered me. (It would bother me anyway, but I wasn't expecting them in this.)2) The children refer to their mom by her first name. It took me a bit to realize that "Penny" was the mom not another sister. Even though the mom isn't in the...
As part of an ongoing project to read all the Newbery winners and honorees, I collected a bunch of books available for very little on Kindle. I very much enjoyed this book, which tells the story of a family of four children who are left on their own in an old farmhouse in (apparently) northwestern Connecticut over the winter. Their father is an archaeologist who has had an opportunity to do fieldwork, and their mother has gone to New Mexico to care for an ailing relative. A companion/chaperone/h...
1937 Newbery Honor BookThis book was ok. It was a little confusing in the beginning with how they introduced the characters. I had to look up a plot summary to figure out what was going on. That's never a good sign.The story takes place during the Great Depression. A mother and her children are renting a small country home because it is cheap while their father is away doing archaeology. The mother has to leave to care for a sick relative, leaving the two older girls to care for the two younger