Love Among the Walnuts - Jean Ferris
Wacky characters will win over readers.
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Book details
- Author:Jean Ferris
- # of pages: 216
- Publisher:Harcourt Brace and Co.
- Original Publication Date: 01/01/1998
- Genre: Fiction - Humor
- Hardcover: $16.00
- Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: Ages 9-12
- Read Alone: 12+
Parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is good, old-fashioned entertainment. Lively prose adds to the exuberant air. For readers with patience for long speeches and not much action, it's a charmer.
Families can talk about how Sandy changes as the boundaries of his world expand. What about the other characters -- how are their lives changed by exposure to new people and experiences? Has anything like that ever happened to you?
Families can talk about how Sandy changes as the boundaries of his world expand. What about the other characters -- how are their lives changed by exposure to new people and experiences? Has anything like that ever happened to you?
Message
Social Behavior:
Consumerism:
Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:
Violence
Sex
Language
Common Sense says
What's the story?
Reviewed by Amy Brotman
This big-hearted comedy will win readers with its wacky cast of characters and love-conquers-all attitude. When a dastardly plot leaves his parents in a coma, Sandy takes them to the upscale loony bin next door for care. With the help of Nurse Sunny, Sandy and the patients find friendship, love, and unforeseen inner resources.
Is it any good?
They don't make them like this anymore. This book may have been published in 1998, but it has the air of a 1930s feel-good comedy. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, and the crazy guys ... well, maybe they're not so crazy after all.
There's something satisfying about a story where everyone is transformed by love. A rich man is poor until he finds the love of his life, a fat patient is miserable until a kind nurse helps him reveal his thinner self, and a sheltered young man discovers in himself a longing for adventure after new friends make him aware that the world is larger than he ever thought.
Readers of all ages will find this story a heartwarming diversion. The humor is off-the-wall without going overboard, and the plot, while a bit on the implausible side in the manner of all good screwball comedies, motors along nicely.
Children (and adults) who enjoy this may also like Hilary McKay's The Exiles and The Exiles in Love.
Parents and kids say
All Reviews
There are 6 reviews.
Posted on 09/13/07 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 13
Posted on 03/18/07 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 12
Age 11+
Posted on 10/22/06 by Anonymous Adult contributor
Age 11+
Posted on 06/01/06 by Anonymous Adult contributor
Adult Reviews
There are 2 reviews.
Age 11+
Posted on 10/22/06 by Anonymous Adult contributor
Age 11+
Posted on 06/01/06 by Anonymous Adult contributor
Kids Reviews
There are 4 reviews.
Posted on 09/13/07 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 13
Posted on 03/18/07 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 12
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