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by Gary D. Schmidt (2007)
Newbery Honor Book
Very good book, with a lot going on: religion, politics, Viet Nam, sibling rivalry, jerk of a father, hippies, cream puffs, Shakespeare, rats, bullies, heroes, baseball, track, and even a little romance... whew!
There's a lot going on but a lot to grab on to, and different readers will like/focus on different elements. Well worth it for higher readers, and a great introduction/companion to U.S. history (late 60's) and The Bard. Probably good too for a class that thinks they have a mean teacher who doesn't like them...
I wonder if Son #2 realizes that when he's finished reading this one I'm going to start him on Shakespeare -- Macbeth? Midsummer's Night?
