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Summary
Summary
The box closet was a real closet in the attic of the family house in Washington, D.C. in which Mary Meigs grew up. Bags and boxes of letters and diaries were found there after her mother's death in 1958, and when Meigs read them she decided that they were the material for a book. In the course of reading her family's letters and her mother's early diaries, she no longer saw her parents as Mother and Father but as Margaret and Edward, young and vulnerable: Margaret who flirted, Edward who waited ten years to propose marriage. Meigs saw aspects of them that made them and their parents more fully real to her than they had been in life. She has woven the diaries and letters together with a narrative that integrates her discoveries with her memories as a daughter and granddaughter. The result is a moving portrait of a family that was protected by another kind of box closetÂthat of privilege and of moral certitudeÂwith opaque walls that shut out most of the world. It was, in her father's words, Âthe easy sheltered life," which is so hard for Âgood" people to escape from.
Author Notes
Megan McDonald was born February 28, 1959, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She grew up in the 1960s the youngest of five girls - which later became the inspiration of the Sister's Club. She attended Oberlin College and received a B.A. in English, then she went on to receive a Library Science degree at Pittsburgh University in 1986. Before becoming a full-time writer, McDonald had a variety of jobs working in libraries, bookstores, museums, and even as a park ranger.She was children's librarian, working at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Minneapolis Public Library and Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She has received various awards for her storytelling including a Judy Blume Contemporary Fiction Award, a Children's Choice Book award, and a Keystone State Award among others. McDonald has also written many picture books for younger children and continues to write. Her most recent work was the "Julie Albright" series of books for the American public. She currently resides in Sebastopol, California with her husband and pets.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3In three short stories styled just right for the beginning-to-read crowd, Beezy waits out a Florida hurricane with her Gran; adopts a homeless dog she names Funnybone; and befriends newcomer Sarafina Zippy, whose parents are the Flying Zippys in the Pickle Circus. McDonald uses lots of word repetition and short sentences, injects dialogue in a natural way, and repeats story elements within the plot, which will be helpful for problem readers, without losing any punch to the narrative. Poydar follows suit: the full-color illustrations are delivered with zest and are integrated into the text for an easy flow between word and image. McDonald delivers another winner.Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A trio of breezy tales fills this beginning reader, which stars the peppy title character and her easygoing best buddy, Merlin. McDonald (The Great Pumpkin Switch) shrewdly gives each selection a theme or setting loaded with child appeal: in "Eye of the Storm," the lights go out, candles make spooky shadows and the two youngsters listen to tales of a long-ago hurricane; Beezy secretly hopes no one will respond to her notice about a stray dog she has found in "Funnybone"; and in the third, she and Merlin make friends with a new girl, "Sarafina Zippy," whose parents are circus performers. The author's cleverly subtle repetition of words and phrases, often appearing in the punchy dialogue among the young characters is well suited to beginning readers. And her ear for the way children speak is on target, as when Beezy tells Sarafina that she has known Merlin her "whole life," or at least since the age of two, "except for one week when I was mad at him." In step with the stories' energetic stride, Poydar's (Cool Ali) cheerful, brightly hued pictures imbue Beezy and her companions with an extra measure of personality. Ages 6-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Beezy is a likable heroine, and her three short adventures are well suited to fledgling readers. She and her grandmother survive a mild Florida hurricane, Beezy finds a stray dog, and she makes a new friend. The text is enhanced by Poydar's cheerful, expressive watercolor illustrations. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A new chapter-book heroine emerges in a set of three easy stories: Beezy has fun during a hurricane with her grandmother and friends; gains a pet by taking care of a stray dog; and gets to know a vivacious new neighborSarafina Zippy, who is rumored to be tattooed and from the circus. The author of My House Has Stars (1996), McDonald (who reviews for this publication) effectively introduces the characters in a lively text and sets the stage for more books about Beezy; Poydar's energetic illustrations brim with whimsy, joy, and action. While readers never learn if Sarafina has a tattoo, this book is a breezy, pleasing read. (Fiction. 6-8)
Booklist Review
Gr. 1^-3. Enlarged type, lots of leading, and amiable watercolor illustrations give this book for new readers plenty of visual appeal. McDonald's stories are pleasant, with two of the three (Beezy finds a dog and Beezy makes a new friend) solidly anchored in everyday life. The third (actually the first in the collection) is a bit more dramatic: four "friends" sit out scary hurricane winds together, telling stories by candlelight. Kids who take things literally may be a little confused by Beezy's seeming unconcern about the predicament ("Maybe we will have another hurricane tomorrow"), but they'll have no trouble understanding the idea of friends helping one another during difficult times. --Stephanie Zvirin
Table of Contents
| Eye of the Storm | p. 7 |
| Funnybone | p. 23 |
| Sarafina Zippy | p. 33 |