Billy's First Dance and Funny Pages
Feb 17, 2012
Book Descriptions:
Both books are written for the middle grade/young adult reader and older.
BILLY'S FIRST DANCE
Paperback: 78 pages
Publisher: Infinity Publishing
(April 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0741459132
ISBN-13: 978-0741459138
Thirteen-year-old Junie dreams of becoming a writer. Her youngest brother, Billy, afflicted with Spina Bifida and confined to a wheelchair, dreams of dancing. Their quirky but loving family finds a way to stay together.
Set in the southeast in the 1970s, BILLY'S FIRST DANCE unfolds with attention to family bonds, special needs and coming of age.
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FUNNY PAGESPaperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Infinity Publishing
(October 28, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0741468581
ISBN-13: 978-0741468581
Sally's grandfather is a retired cartoonist. He creates Marchmont just for her. FUNNY PAGES highlights Sally's family life and the fictional characters of the village, Marchmont.
Idgie Says:
Both of these books state Middle School age appropriate and above. Billy's First Dance has many mature-themed moments in it and I would suggest with this one that the child reading have the appropriate maturity level to deal them.
In Billy's book discussions such as prison, budding bodies, neglectful parenting and death are present.
Funny Pages is not as intense. Instead it revolves around two separate stories. One is the real world where normal everyday events occur and the second is the cartoon world of Marchmont, where there's evildoers, princesses and heroes.
These books are thoughtfully written, nicely presented... but I will say that I feel they will not grab the attention of a light reader - say one who only reads the new generation of vampire/end of the world type books with quick action scenes and heavy young romance. A young adult reader of the more intense variety could grasp and enjoy these books that have no fantasy or sci-fi in them, but instead deal with true issues that could be encountered in life.
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Reviewed by Idgie. If you would like to have the Dew review a book, please contact me at dewonthekudzu@gmail.com
