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Love Among the Walnuts (by Jean Ferris)

common sense media says

Wacky characters will win over readers.

parents & educators say
See all 5 reviews | Review it

What 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.

Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
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More on Love Among the Walnuts

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
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?

What's the story?

What's the story?
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?

Is it any good?
 

They don't make them like this anymore. LOVE AMONG THE WALNUTS 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 on the implausible side in the manner of all good screwball comedies, motors along nicely.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Jean Ferris
Publisher: Harcourt Brace
Publication date: January 1, 1998
Number of pages: 216
Hardcover price: $16.00
This review was written by Frances ORoark Dowell
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

hailzzz101
teen, 15 years old
12
 
Great Book!
i loved this book. i chose it as independent reading book and im 13 and i thinks its really interesting and you wouldnt expect it to be anything like it actually is.
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tink_2012
teen, 17 years old
 
i laughed
it was an ok book i meen i cried at some points and i laughed so it was ok!
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helped me decide (2) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)
lookingforlove
teen, 16 years old
 
A heartwarming must-read for everyone
This book is my alltime favorite. It really makes me think about love. I love how sunnie and sandy develope a relationship. Everyone finds love or friendship and the bad guys get what they deserve in the end. It's one of the good books you will want to read over and over again.
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CSM Screen ...
teen, 16 years old
 
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purplecatroo
adult
 
It was....
This book was a good though slightly weird story that i found quite enjoyable. Since there was nothing to mature or inapproaite for chilren this would make a great parent/child read-aloud for anyone over seven or eight. Tweens as young as nine or ten years old should enjoy reading this on their own.
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