Dog Tag Summer by Elizabeth Partridge: We had another great discussion on
Thursday, as usual. Our opinions on the novel were quite similar (how often does
that happen?) We felt that the characters lacked depth, that the
subject matter (Viet Nam War) may have been too advanced for the age group the
book was designed for, that even tho' everything doesn't have to be tied up into
a neat package at the end, there were still too many unresolved issues. We liked
the nonfictional information at the end of the story, but felt that kids
probably wouldn't read it....sadly. (See above for a follow-up book on the same
subject that we will read for next time.)
Applesauce Season by Eden Ross Lipson, illus. by Mordecai Gerstein: Only I loved the picture book!
....everyone else, not so much. Folks thought it wasn't that well written, not a
story any kid would care about, and a couple of people didn't like the
illustrations either (I loved them!) - saying the characters had the 'same
insipid grin' on almost every page. I agreed about the writing, but thought it
was a good story of a family shopping/cooking/eating together, and liked the
drawings of the different types of apples on the end papers. Oh, well -- vive la
difference!!!
