ANNOTATION

Author-illustrator Tomie De Paola describes his experiences at home and in school in 1941 when he was a boy.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Young Tomie receives a diary for Christmas and records all his adventures over the next year: sledding on his Junior Flexible Flyer, the big dance recital, a summer visit to an amusement park, the start of second grade, and real art lessons. But one Sunday in December, the dePaolas turn on the radio to learn that Pearl Harbor has been attacked. Truly, things will never be the same.

With the charming new feature of handwritten diary entries, the fifth book set at the Newbery Honor winning address of 26 Fairmount Avenue warmly captures both the fun and serious aspects of Tomie's childhood with a touching, timely relevance.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In a starred review of the series launch, PW wrote, "26 Fairmount Avenue is an address readers will eagerly revisit in the series' subsequent tales," and Things Will Never Be the Same by Tomie dePaola lives up to its predecessors. In this fifth installment, young Tomie gets his first diary, in which he records the year's events, including Miss Leah's Dance Recital, the start of second grade and the opening battles of WWII-the event that inspires the titular phrase. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Cara Mulcahy

Part of the "26 Fairmount Avenue" series, this memoir allows children to jump back in time to 1941 and experience life through the eyes of Tomie. Tomie, a first grader, who received this journal as a Christmas present, describes for us the everyday events of his life during the year. We read early on about his Saturday afternoon sledding adventures. The best part of the day is the thrill of tying several sleds together to make a "ripper," then speeding down the hill, and tipping out into the cold, powdery snow. Tomie tells us about his trip to the movie theater to see Fantasia, his excitement of rehearsing, dressing up in a pirate's costume for his dance recital, and the fun he and his family have while at an amusement park. In addition to these happenings, Tomie's journal entries introduce us to important events and people of the times. One entry talks about FDR, polio and the March of Dimes. Another entry refers to celebrities such as Mae West, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. The book ends with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Black-and-white illustrations bring Tomie's journal writings to life. The childlike, pencil-drawn images allow one to believe that it is Tomie, the first grader, who is drawing these as he writes. Excellent as a teaching tool, this book can be used to teach about memoirs, diaries, and letter writing. In a social studies classroom it can be used to look at life during a certain period in our history. Because it is set in Connecticut, this book would be of particular to interest to Connecticut residents. 2003, G. P. Putnam's Sons,

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-The fifth installment in the series is delightful. The story starts in January, 1941. Each chapter begins with a diary entry while the first-person text fleshes out the boy's memorable experiences such as a special dance recital, sledding on his Junior Flexible Flyer, and seeing Walt Disney's Fantasia for the first time. DePaola's distinctive black-and-white illustrations add humor and child appeal. The book's title comes from the last chapter in which the author remembers the impact on his family of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Children who remember 9/11 will identify with his feeling that "things will never be the same." A welcome addition to any easy chapter-book collection.-Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Another in the utterly engaging series in which dePaola recounts his own childhood; this one ends on a somewhat darker note. Tomie (whose teachers still insist on calling him Tommy) seems to recall, in pitch-perfect language and tone, just what it was like to be the kid he was. He begins his story in January 1941 with an entry in his new diary and the joys of riding his new Junior Flexible Flyer down a steep hill in his Connecticut town. He tells one of his mother's sledding stories, too; recounts Easter at Nana Fall-River's (and the horrors of car sickness); and being a pirate in the dance recital. When he starts second grade, he is thrilled to have a real art teacher, who understands that real artists don't copy, and they need to use all the colors in the box. Tomie ends on a sober note, however, on Sunday, December 7, 1941, when the adults hear on the news that Japan has attacked Pearl Harbor, and that war has come. His wonderful black-and-white drawings illuminate the text, and there are pages from his diary (with illustrations of their own) included. This child cherished his life-even the scary parts, like the presence of polio or the giant Ferris wheel-and young readers will find enormous resonance with their own experiences across the decades of time. (Chapter book. 7-10)