From Publishers Weekly
Robby Hummer loves his family, even if they are somewhat unusual. His father stays home with the twins while his mother works, and the house is always messy, frenzied and full of laughter. Robby has never questioned his home life until the new school guidance counselor, Mrs. Van Gent, starts to inquire about it. When one of Robby's classmates is placed in a foster home, the boy begins to worry that he, too, might be separated from his family. Worst of all, Robby fears that Mrs. Van Gent's impending visit for dinner is actually an occasion to spy; he hopes he can visit order upon the chaos before she arrives. The author of Children of the River adroitly employs vibrant characters and believable predicaments to create an animated and true-to-life tale of a dynamic household. Robby is a sensitive, painfully honest protagonist whose fears and concerns will especially inspire those readers who live in unconventional homes. Ages 9-12. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-5-- All Robby Hummer wants is a little peaceful reading time. With two-year-old twins at home, this fourth grader has to steal every quiet moment he can to enjoy his passion--books. His teacher, however, suspects that the boy is troubled--perhaps a bit jealous of the time the toddlers take--and sends him to the school counselor, Mrs. Van Gent. She soon discovers that life at the Hummer house is wild and fun, and that Robby's true motive for recess reading is just that--recreational reading. Robby is a sympathetic character, and children are sure to empathize with his plight at being singled out by his teacher, and the teasing he receives when his classmates discover that his father stays home to care for the twins and cook while his mother works. The situations are hilarious, all the while dealing with concerns typical of the targeted audience. Readers are sure to find themselves cheering for this boy's "Right to Read." --Tina Morrow Peak, Lake Wales Public Library, FLCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Robby's fourth-grade teacher's conventional concern about his parents' division of labor (Dad takes care of the two-year- old twins while Mom, an artist, holds down a job)--and about the fact that Robby reads all the time, even at recess--prompts her to send him to Mrs. Van Gent, the school counselor. When a classmate who has also been talking to Mrs. Van Gent is suddenly put in foster care, Robby's anxieties are aroused: because Dad prefers playing with his children to picking up, their house is a shambles; stressed by the pranks of the lively twins, Robby's parents--though they are clearly loving partners--sometimes disagree or exchange sharp words. Meanwhile, as a PTA fund- raiser, Dad has contracted to serve a gourmet meal, and the highest bidder is Mrs. Van Gent, who accidentally arrives a week early and finds the family in its usual happy disarray. Crew (the well-received Children of the River, 1989) tells an entertaining story about a thoughtful kid with real fears engendered by misunderstandings so believable that the reader isn't altogether sure that a miscarriage of justice may not occur. She also expertly enriches her story with other themes: environmental concerns and hard times in the logging industry in the Pacific Northwest; getting along with a humorless teacher; and, especially, the complex give and take in a family of spirited individuals. Unusually worthwhile and appealing. Robinson's deft drawings are low-key but perceptive. (Fiction. 8- 12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
An ALA Notable Children's Book
* "Unusually worthwhile and appealing." -- Pointer, Kirkus Reviews
"Animated and true-to-life." -- Publishers Weekly
"The situations are hilarious, all the while dealing with concerns typical of the targeted audience." -- School Library Journal
"A funny, sunny story that says a great deal." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
An ALA Notable Children's Book
* "Unusually worthwhile and appealing." -- Pointer, Kirkus Reviews
"Animated and true-to-life." -- Publishers Weekly
"The situations are hilarious, all the while dealing with concerns typical of the targeted audience." -- School Library Journal
"A funny, sunny story that says a great deal." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Nekomah Creek ANNOTATION
Nine-year-old Robby loves his noisy and somewhat unconventional family, but unwanted attention from a counselor and a bully at school make him self-conscious about just how unconventional his family might look to outsiders.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Life at Robby Hummer's house is wild, fun, and a big mess since his twin brother and sister were born. At school, he'd rather read quietly than play games at recess of watch a filmstrip. But his teacher thinks he reads too much and sends him to Mrs. Van Gent, the schol counselor. Sheesh! Since when is liking books a problem?
Meanwhile, some kids at school think it's weired that Robby's father stays home to take care of the twins while his mother works. Robby worries that, if his family is not like everybody else's, the authorities could take him away from them. When he learns that Mrs. Van Gent is coming to dinner, he knows she plans to spy. He's got to turn the Hummers into a normal family-now!
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Robby Hummer loves his family, even if they are somewhat unusual. His father stays home with the twins while his mother works, and the house is always messy, frenzied and full of laughter. Robby has never questioned his home life until the new school guidance counselor, Mrs. Van Gent, starts to inquire about it. When one of Robby's classmates is placed in a foster home, the boy begins to worry that he, too, might be separated from his family. Worst of all, Robby fears that Mrs. Van Gent's impending visit for dinner is actually an occasion to spy; he hopes he can visit order upon the chaos before she arrives. The author of Children of the River adroitly employs vibrant characters and believable predicaments to create an animated and true-to-life tale of a dynamic household. Robby is a sensitive, painfully honest protagonist whose fears and concerns will especially inspire those readers who live in unconventional homes. Ages 9-12. (Nov.)
School Library Journal
Gr 4-5-- All Robby Hummer wants is a little peaceful reading time. With two-year-old twins at home, this fourth grader has to steal every quiet moment he can to enjoy his passion--books. His teacher, however, suspects that the boy is troubled--perhaps a bit jealous of the time the toddlers take--and sends him to the school counselor, Mrs. Van Gent. She soon discovers that life at the Hummer house is wild and fun, and that Robby's true motive for recess reading is just that--recreational reading. Robby is a sympathetic character, and children are sure to empathize with his plight at being singled out by his teacher, and the teasing he receives when his classmates discover that his father stays home to care for the twins and cook while his mother works. The situations are hilarious, all the while dealing with concerns typical of the targeted audience. Readers are sure to find themselves cheering for this boy's ``Right to Read.'' --Tina Morrow Peak, Lake Wales Public Library, FL
Art & Photography
Book Info
