The ACB with Honora Lee - Hardcover

De Goldi, Kate

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1770497226 ISBN 13: 9781770497221

Publisher: Tundra Books, 2014

Synopsis

Perry's mother and father are busy people ... they're impatient, they're tired, they get cross easily. And they think that only children, like Perry, should be kept busy. On Saturday mornings Perry and her father visit her gran, Honora Lee, at the Santa Lucia rest home, but Gran never remembers them. 'Who is that man?' Honora Lee asks when Perry's father leaves the room. After movement class is abruptly cancelled, Perry is allowed to go to Santa Lucia on Thursday afternoons. She discovers her Gran has an unconventional interest in the alphabet, so Perry decides to make an alphabet book with the help of Honora and the others. Soon everyone is interested in Perry's book project. The ACB With Honora Lee unfolds with characteristic warmth, quirky, surprising humor and a rich cast of 'residents'. The story is a meditation on kindness and patience and acceptance; that of the very young and the very old. It's a story that will resonate with echoes of recollection for many -- from Perry's endearing perspective on the adult world to the embracing kindness of those who care for the elderly.

About this title

About the Author:

KATE DeGOLDI is one of New Zealand's most loved authors. The author of the phenomenal The 10 PM Question, which has been published extensively overseas, she is a two-time winner of the New Zealand Post Children's Book of the Year Award. She has held several major fellowships and is a respected broadcaster, book festival chair and public speaker. She is also dedicated and committed to working with children.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4–7—Elderly Honora Lee lives in the Santa Lucia rest home. Suffering from dementia, she rarely recognizes her granddaughter when she visits. But Honora's pithy comments, old-fashioned sayings, and bossing of the other residents intrigue and amuse Perry, who decides to create an alphabet book that will bring some order and understanding to the residents. Her book becomes an "ACB"—a lovingly drawn, mixed-up alphabet reflecting the lives and characters of the staff and residents. Nine-year-old Perry is an endearing character, a quirky, curious only child who lives a lonely life. Her parents put their energies into their professional lives and middle-class pursuits, and Perry spends her time at afterschool activities and with her nanny, Nina. It is not surprising that she tries to create a family by spending time with her grandmother. Despite the sadness and confusion of the rest home, she finds friendship and caring from the residents and the committed staff. Like Perry, the book itself is an original, with quirky, full-color illustrations that are fitting but unusual interpretations of the text. The subject matter and the author's gently bemused style of writing won't have wide child appeal; adult readers are the better audience.—Michelle Anderson, Tauranga City Libraries, New Zealand

About this edition

• Publisher: Tundra Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1770497226
• ISBN 13: 9781770497221
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128
• Illustrator: O'Brien Gregory