Pixie Pushes On by Tamara Bundy

How I Heard About It:  Going to the mailbox and receiving a package from Nancy Paulsen is always a GREAT mail day.  I was thrilled to find an ARC of Tamara Bundy's newest novel coming out in January of 2020.  This will be a book that I share with my Twitter #bookexpedition group.  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:  
1.  *Tamara Bundy takes the reader back to the 1940's while young men are fighting in battle over seas.  

2.  *This leaves family and friends back at home in the United States trying their best to make rations last while waiting for their loved ones to return.


3.  *Pixie knows all about loss.  She lost her mother and now is dealing with her older sister being "locked" up in the hospital with Polio.  Pixie thinks it is her fault and can't quite forgive herself.

4.  *She is feeling alone both at home and school.  It doesn't help that she labels some of the other kids at "Rotten Ricky" and "Big Mouth Berta".  

5.  *As Pixie communicates with her sister via letters, becomes closer with her classmates, and begins to raise a "runt" of a lamb; she learns what she is responsible for and what she isn't.  


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1.  *Well, I read this entire story yesterday afternoon/evening.  It was one of those stories that is described at "UNPUTDOWNABLE".

2.  *I so enjoyed the personality and "spunk" of Pixie.  She seemed to jump off the page and into my heart and mind.  

3.  *One aspect of the book that I appreciated were the short chapters.  I know this is an important factor for young readers.  I also appreciate them as an adult reader.  It seems to make the reading faster and easier.  

4.  *The writing was spectacular.  While reading I was able to visualize the both the setting and the plot that Pixie was smack dab in the middle of.  

5.  *I'm always looking for strong historical fiction that I can share with my fourth grade readers and I know this will be a novel that will be used in my classroom during 2019/20.  


Who Should Read It:    Even though the back cover states the story is for grades five and above, I know that I will use this story with my fourth grade readers.  It will be used either as a class read aloud and/or a "Breakfast with Books" book club selection.  This novel must be shared with readers in grades four through six and of course would also be great for middle-school readers.  Tamara's writing is strong, engaging, and perfect for young readers.  Happy Reading!  


Rating:   5 STARS out of 5 Stars!