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I bought this book for my 12 year old daughter because it was one from a list of books given to her by her teacher to read during the summer. I usually read all of her books along with her so I know she is understanding the content and also to give her a chance to talk about what she has read. Well, I picked the book up one morning and ended up not setting it back down until I was finished with the whole book. It was a very sweet, inspiring story. My daughter really enjoyed it also, which is surprising because it's like pulling teeth to get her to sit down and read a book. She actually got really into it. So, I really recommend this book to all ages!
I am a retired teacher, and the first time I read this book to my class, I could not put it down. It is spellbinding. The book tells a memorable story about a pair of cousins, Gypsy and Woodrow, who live in a coal mining town near Abingdon, Virginia, in the fifties. Pretty, piano-playing Gypsy lives with her mother and step-father, and Woodrow, cross-eyed but charismatic, has just moved in with their grandparents next door. Woodrow is the son of Belle Prater, who recently vanished, and Gypsy is the daughter of her beautiful sister, Love. The book vividly depicts small-town life of the day and area. The main characters are immensely likeable, often funny, tellers of good jokes,and sometimes their lives, especially Gypsy's, seem idyllic. But they have ghosts in their pasts, and neither has been able to confront them. This book moves quickly from one mysterious chapter to the next. It addresses step-families, abandonment, alcoholism, rejection, physical and mental handicaps, and suicide. Primarily,however, the book shows meaningfully the harm done by overemphasis on physical attractiveness Few books so entertaining are also so thoughtfully deep.Read full review
This is an excellent story for children grades 5-7. I would recommend that a parent also read this book so that some of the harder parts of the story can be discussed together. The setting of the story is small town West Virginia. The story starts off with the disappearance of Belle Prater. No one knows quite what happened to Belle and her story becomes the stuff of folklore. Her 12 year old son is sent to live with his grandparents after his Mom has left. He becomes good friends with his cousin. Together, they learn many lessons. (true beauty comes from within, pain should never over rule love, & forgiveness is freedom)
i thought it was an all around good book. it was an extra credit assignment for school over the summer and was a good choice.
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