Ann Arbor District Library
Youth Services

Previous Books of the Week: 1999

Ordinary Jack, by Helen Cresswell.

Story for a Black Night, by Clayton Bess.

Stevie, by John Steptoe.

A Long Way from Chicago, by Richard Peck.

Ordinary Jack (1977), by Helen Cresswell.

In this first book about the extraordinarily talented and eccentric Bagthorpe family, poor Jack is distressed by his own lack of talent. He doesn't sing, paint, write poetry, do crossword puzzles or excel at sports or schoolwork. Even his dog is boring (and that's why he's called Zero). Luckily Jack's Uncle Parker has a plan to make Jack extraordinary, too. With a little planning and careful work, Jack will soon emerge as a seer of visions. Will Jack finally impress his family? In a household where even a birthday party ends with the arrival of the Fire Brigade, his performance will have to be spectacular.

This British import is laugh-out-loud reading for ages 11 and up.

Story for a Black Night (1982), by Clayton Bess.

A power failure begins this African story of trouble which visits Momo's house on another dark night in his childhood. A stranger comes knocking at the door, asking for shelter along with her mother and sick baby. In the morning the women are gone, leaving a baby with smallpox behind. Momo's grandmother wants to kill the baby, but his Christian-educated mother insists they keep it. The smallpox spreads, Ma's baby dies, and Ma is disfigured. With dignity and humility, Momo's mother continues to do what she must, even under criticism from her family. This is a powerful narrative with direct, honest relationships at its core.

A novel for ages 11 and up.

Stevie (1969), by John Steptoe.

When Robert's mother agrees to take care of little Stevie Mack during the week while Mrs. Mack works, only child Robert finds himself having to share his space, his toys, and his mother for the first time. Stevie doesn't mean to irritate Robert, but he does, with his "old stupid self." He seems to interfere with all of Robert's good times--until the day his parents announce that the Mack family will be moving away.

An authentically childlike voice, and illustrations with the luminous colors and dark lines of stained glass, marked an auspicious debut for the author-illustrator, who was still in high school when he sold Stevie. This funny, touching, true-to-life story will be appreciated by readers and listeners ages 5 and up (especially those with younger siblings).

A Long Way from Chicago (1998), by Richard Peck.

Every summer for seven years, Joey and his sister Mary Alice are sent to stay for one week with Grandma Dowdel in her small town in Illinois. It's 1929, but Grandma still has an outdoor privy and wouldn't think of having a telephone. What could possibly happen in her little town? In a wonderfully funny series of short stories, the two learn that all sorts of things can happen, and that Grandma is much more complicated than they ever suspected. Grandma manages to outmaneuver the sheriff, the banker, a newspaper reporter, and the snooty banker's wife. Only once does someone else come out on top, and that was Grandma's doing, too.

Peck's 1999 Newbery Honor Book is a treat for the entire family, for listeners and readers ages 8 and up. Don't miss it!