The Great Green Notebook of Katie Roberts - Hardcover

Hest, Amy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 076360464X ISBN 13: 9780763604646

Publisher: Candlewick, 1998

Synopsis

Seventh grade should be a wonderful year for Katie Roberts. After all, she has twin baby brothers and Lucie, the best friend ever. Too bad Mama doesn't understand that wearing lipstick is how you get invited to snobby Pamela's party. And too bad Miss Casey makes Katie tutor Rudy Pergolizzi, who wears funny pants and doesn't know how to play baseball and act crazy like other boys. As in THE PRIVATE NOTEBOOK OF KATIE ROBERTS, AGE 11, winner of the Nutmeg Award, Katie's characteristic humor and spunk vividly reveal her world of confusing boys, no-nap babies, and the pull and tug of being 12 and having to face growing up.

About this title

About the Author:

Amy Hest introduced seven-year-old Katie Roberts in the acclaimed LOVE YOU, SOLDIER, which was about Katie, her mother, and the war that took Katie's father away. THE PRIVATE NOTEBOOK OF KATIE ROBERTS, AGE 11 continued her story as she and her mom moved to a Texas ranch, and the family expanded. Amy Hest says, "I loved the character of Katie so much that I followed her into seventh grade. There is a lot of me in Katie Roberts."

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-7-This third book about Katie Roberts is set in Texas in 1948. Katie, 12, pours her heart out in her diary and in her letters to Mrs. Leitstein, her old neighbor and dear friend back in New York City. She writes about her mother and stepfather, the antics of her infant twin brothers, her best friend Lucy, and the ups and downs of her life as a seventh grader. She also deals with her feelings about her father, who was killed in the war. When Rudy, a shy boy from Italy, joins her class, Katie is made his spelling tutor and reluctantly goes to the library at recess to help him. As time passes, however, her feelings about him begin to change. Historical details are nicely woven into the story as are the religious practices of Katie and Rudy's Jewish families. Pencil drawings add to the realism of the diary format and help to personalize the entries. Readers will empathize with Katie as she feels left out, wants to be popular, misses her old life in New York, longs for a boyfriend, and does thousands-maybe millions-of chores with no thanks. Although some of the subject matter is quite somber, this story is much more upbeat than titles in the "Dear America" series (Scholastic), which also use the diary format. With believable characters and a touch of romance, Hest's book should prove popular.
Barb Lawler, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 076360464X
• ISBN 13: 9780763604646
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112
• Illustrator: Lamut Sonja