Module 6 Piper Reed, Navy Brat

Summary

Piper is in a military family. Her father works for the Navy and this means their family has to move around often. Piper has two sisters, one younger and one older. Piper has just found out that the family will be moving to Pensacola, Florida from San Diego. Each person in the family deals with this in a different way.
This book chronicles the families' move across the country. The family is so used to moving that they have different rituals and mores for the trip. They see family that live on the way. The book also chronicles Piper's attempts at fitting in at her new school. Piper has dyslexia and is worried that she will be ostracized. Her fears are allayed when she meets a good group of friends.

My impressions

I enjoyed this book. I have a friend that grew up in a military family and it helped me see things from her point of view. All of the characters are enjoyable. Piper's older sister, Tori, is especially nice comic relief as the angst-ridden teenager. The parents are relatable and seem like model parents.
The illustrations accompany the text very nicely. However, the story stands on it's own.
There is not a deep plot, but I think the plot is appropriate for this age group.

Reviews

“This entertaining read will appeal to fans of Judy Moody and Ramona Quimby.” “Davenier's amusing pen-and-ink illustrations capture the personalities of the Reed sisters. A welcome addition to middle-grade fiction shelves.” (School Library Journal 2007)

“Holt (When Zachary Beaver Came to Town) relays quotidian events with humor and insight, believably portraying a likable girl's rapport with her siblings and parents. Davenier's (The First Thing My Mama Told Me) dynamic line drawings convey the narrator's spunky personality.” (Publisher's Weekly 2007)


References

(2007). Reviews. Publisher's Weekly, July, 30.

Dorio, T. (2007). Reviews. School Library Journal, August 1

Uses in a Library Setting

This would be a good book to highlight during programming revolving around Veteran's or Memorial Day. It is nice to get a child's perspective of what it is like to live in a military family. The program may be enhanced by having a military family talk about what it is like to be in the military and about the places they have lived.