Thanksgiving at the Inn; a Story of Family and Forgiveness

written by: Tim Whitney
illustrated by: Tamira Ci Thayne, cover
published by: Bancroft Press, 2009
Audience (Reading level): 9 to 13 (6.8 Flesch Kincaid)

Each evening when I picked up this book I kept thinking I sure hope people don’t think this is a seasonal book.  The backdrop of the story is November, and celebrating Thanksgiving is part of that. But this is the timeless story of a father and son, their relationship, their responsibilities, and growing up.

According to Heath Wellington (“Senior”) there are three kinds of people in this world: those who watch things happen, those who make things happen, and those who wonder what the heck happened. Young Heath Wellington III (age 11) can’t remember anything about his grandfather, and now he’s gone.  As a condition of his grandfather’s will, Heath and his dad (“Junior”) must live at the Sleeping Inn (his grandfather’s house) for at least three months and, if he wants the inheritance, receive the approval of the tenants.  While Junior is busy trying to find the loopholes in the will, re-ignite his nonexistent writing career, and disappearing for long periods of time, Heath is busy with the chores and helping the down-on-their-luck tenants his grandfather had taken in.

Like many preteens, Heath is trying to figure out life. More specifically, he’s trying to figure out what the heck happened to his relationship with his father.  When his mother left them, his father fell apart. The bills piled up and he turned to alcohol. He was searching for the dad “back in the time when being away from Mom was a vacation, and not an everyday reality.” (p92). He knows that his father and grandfather had a strained relationship and he fears theirs is following that same path.

The combination of his father’s unexplained absences and helping out with the chores, gives Heath the opportunity to be someone who watches things happen, and ultimately, collect enough information to be someone who makes things happen. Heath may be his father’s favorite target, but Winsted, who is the Innkeeper, and the various tenants, help him open his heart in ways he didn’t know how. When his father ridiculed him for saving a young girl from an oncoming train, Heath snapped.  He ran one way out into the woods and his father drove off at blazing speed in the car. When Heath is called to the hospital because of a car wreck, he’s sure it’s because his dad was drinking.  Just like his dad had done to him, Heath jumped to conclusions!

This is a story about family and forgiveness, so yes, there is something of a happy ending.  In fact, the author includes a short afterword that gives you a hint of how things turned out for Heath and his father.

This is an engaging story. Yes, dad comes around, but by the end you see that he isn’t all flaws and that Heath isn’t flawless either. Their relationship will take work and mutual support. The story and the characters’ relationships are well developed and connected. Teens will see themselves in Heath, who sees himself as the ‘victim’ of his father’s wrath: never taking his side, always over reacting, insensitive to his needs. One of the things that stood out for me is how the author held up a mirror for Heath.

Maybe Dad saw the worst in everything. Maybe Heath saw the worst in Dad. And maybe that’s something else they had in common.

Just as Heath was quick to complain about how his father jumped to conclusions, there were times when Heath did the same thing – in judging people or their actions, not just his father’s.

This is a story that just happens to be set at Thanksgiving. There are several themes that are just as relevant in May as they are in November. For example, one of the subplots is that Heath is a poor student who doesn’t like to read … especially not The Hobbit or Call of the Wild. He had to read those for school and he hated it. Yet the author pushes through that opinion and puts Heath in situations where he learns to appreciate books and reading.

This is a book that will appeal to all audiences, not just pre-teen boys. Dormant readers will relate to Heath on several levels. The chapters are a little longer and the margins a bit narrower than what you normally look for in a book to grab resistant readers, but the well-paced events will keep them turning pages. The story is sophisticated enough that it would also make a good high interest/low readability book for high school students.

As I was reading, I kept coming up with book club discussion questions. I could see this in a father-son book club or in one of the Boys & Girls Club reading circles.

Technorati Tags: high-low books, middle grade readers, Tim Whitney

October 2009 [Books received: 36; books read: 46]

This is always a fun time of year for reading, in part, because the changing season and string of holidays that begin mid-October naturally lend themselves to sharing stories. We’re still using “KP” to designate which books the kids are picking for themselves from the library.

As you would expect, we’ve been digging into the Cybils-nominated easy reader/short chapter books. Reviews will be forthcoming for many of them over the next few weeks. If you’ve written a review (website or blog) for any of the books with links, please click through and add your name/URL on the review page via Mr. Linky. We like letting our visitors know what other readers think! If you have reviewed a book that doesn’t have a link, be sure to leave your link in the comments!

Bookcover images link to Amazon.com. We have an affiliate relationship and will earn money (at no cost to you) if you purchase through these links.

Bilingual Books (All Ages)

none this month

Treasured Stories & Books (All Ages)
The books the kids come back to by themselves (not counted)

Tell Me Another Scary Story … But Not Too Scary

Picture Books Nonfiction (All Ages)

Friends in the Meadow
by Peggy Williams
(AuthorHouse, 2009)
Reading Tub profile page
__________

XX

Picture Books Fiction (All Ages)

Land of the Left Sock

The Patterson Puppies and the Rainy Day

What Does It Mean to be Global?

Easy Readers (Early, Emergent, Transitional) Nonfiction

None this month.

Easy Readers (Early, Emergent, Transitional) Fiction

Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels

__________

Pigs Make Me Sneeze!

Pirate’s Treasure (Traveler’s Trunk Series)

Middle Grade/Young Adult Nonfiction

None this month.

Middle Grade/Young Adult Fiction

Nathan Quist and the Curious Affair of the Crescent Earrings

Technorati Tags: beginning reader reviews, children's book reviews, early readers, elementary readers, middle grade readers, Mo Willems, picture book reviews, Rana DiOrio, read aloud books, Tim Whitney

Welcome to the latest edition of Reading Ahead, our bimonthly list of new arrivals that have cover appeal! These are the books that give you that first impression that they’ve got real potential for engaging kids with books. The links will take you to the profile page on the website. If you’ve read and reviewed this book, we’d love to add your thoughts to the discussion. Click on the title here and then add your link via Mr. Linky.

October is looking like a super-fabulous month. First, I had a guest post at Booklights! Then there is KidLitCon09 coming this weekend. THEN, there’s the Cybils AND THEN, thanks to Jen’s blog housekeeping post about a new book list widget, I did some research and found the OpenBook plugin for WordPress. All I have to do is type the ISBN, the plug-in gets the cover, title,author/illustrator, publisher, date, and links that take you directly to the book on Worldcat, Book networking sites (Goodreads, Library Thing, Shelfari), Google Books, and Bookfinder. How cool is that? Talk about time saving.  Too bad I already had this page ready to launch … but the and improved  Virtual TBRpile is shaping up nicely.

Picture Books (All Ages)

Edgar, Allen, and Poe and the Tell-Tale Beets by Natalie Rompella (Ill. Francois Ruyer) (Lobster Press, 2009) Doesn’t the title just say it all? This one didn’t last a week before it was spotted! Here’s our website review.

First Time series: Baby Sitter, Big Day Out, Nursery, and Sleepover illustrated by Jess Stockham (Child’s Play, 2010) These are sturdy board books that are perfectly sized for toddlers and preschoolers. They’re meant to share with a young audience, but are written perfectly for emergent readers, too.

Helping Hands series: Clean It!, Cook It!, Fix It!,  and Grow it! illustrated by Georgie Birkett (Child’s Play, 2010) These are sturdy board books that are perfectly sized for toddlers and preschoolers. They’re meant to share with a young audience, but are written perfectly for emergent readers, too.

I Told You So! by Sarah Arnold (Child’s Play, 2009) An alligator (or is it a crocodile?) in red glasses and an apron. She is Nanna and she is going to take her grndhildren out for a walk. The cover is what grabbed me.

The WoolyHoodwinks vs. The Dark Patch by Aasa Sanchez and Phil Dumesnil (Ill. Jeff Root and Scott Runcorn) (Immedium, 2009) – These stuffed puppets in herringbone “shorts” are just adorable … and they look like just the kind of lovey a kid would want to make him/herself.

Chapter Books (Easy Readers, Illustrated, Transitional)

Champions of the Ocean (Earth Heroes series) by Fran Hodgkins (Ill. Cris Arbo) (Dawn Publications, 2009) These are the biographies of eight people who changed our views of the ocean. There are lots of photos and illustrations which capture your attention (and which keep me lingering).

The Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman (Ill. Peter Sis) (HarperCollins, 2009) – The chapters are short, there is lots of dialogue and white space, and the story of a dream bandit sounds intriguing. I’m hoping there is potential for transitional and dormant readers alike. Eva has already read this one at Eva’s Book Addiction.

The Last Dragon (Dragon Speaker Series) by C. A. Rainfield – The cover has a great contrast between a dragon and vultures.  It is a thin volume, with lots of white space and illustrations, so I’m anxious to see it’s potential as a book for reluctant readers.

Shady Lane Junior Detectives series by K. Sullivan (Ill. Travis McAllister) – The author sent us the first two books in the series: The Willowby  Mansion Mystery and The Mystery on Cow Mountain.  The illustrations have a child-like quality to them, which on the surface adds to the sense of the main characters being junior sleuths.

Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney (Bancroft Press, 2009) I enjoy holiday stories, but particularly stories told in first person. So many seasonal books are picture books, I’m excited to see a young adult title.

What are you looking forward to reading?

Technorati Tags: beginning reader reviews, Booklights, early readers, elementary readers, Jen Robinson's Book Page, KidLitCon, middle grade readers, Mom's Choice Awards, picture book reviews, read aloud books, review preview, Tim Whitney