Retrato do autor

Marlene Fanta Shyer

Autor(a) de Welcome Home, Jellybean

15 Works 392 Membros 4 Críticas

About the Author

Obras por Marlene Fanta Shyer

Welcome Home, Jellybean (1978) 160 exemplares
Not Like Other Boys (1996) 83 exemplares
Two Daughters (2002) 22 exemplares
Adorable Sunday (1983) 19 exemplares
Here I Am, an Only Child (1985) 19 exemplares
Second Chances (2001) 17 exemplares
My Brother the Thief (1981) 10 exemplares
The Rainbow Kite (2002) 9 exemplares
Fleabiscuit Sings! (2005) 8 exemplares
Stepdog (1983) 6 exemplares
Never Trust a Handsome Man (1979) 4 exemplares
Tino (1969) 3 exemplares

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
female

Membros

Críticas

"Told through the voice of a 12-year-old younger brother, this is a sympathetic and supportive story of a young gay teen's coming out. Bennett has always been "different," and though he is a talented athlete and musician, he has few friends. His younger brother, Matthew, watches as Bennett's eighth-grade year falls apart when he is "outed" by cruel classmates. At first Matthew is shocked and disgusted to learn that his brother is gay, but he overcomes his initial homophobic reaction, and so do his parents. Bennett becomes obsessed with the construction of an enormous rainbow-colored kite, a rather obvious but still effective symbol. When the hate crimes get to him, he attempts suicide, but the community rallies to his support in a moving (if perhaps unrealistic) finale. Shyer's depiction of the gay teen through his brother's eyes creates a complex portrait of one person's coming out, filtering Bennett's pain through Matthew's love. Though there is plenty of plot development, this is a character-driven story, with a cast that includes refreshingly complex adults."

~ Debbie Carton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
vashonpatty | Aug 1, 2023 |
Summary:
Terry, a young girl whose father got married, has a new family member; Terry has a step-dog. Marilyn, Terry's step-mom, initially raves about Hoover, the step-dog, to Terry about how he "shakes hands, can run fast, and can wag his tail at sixty miles an hour." Hoover, on the hand, is not excited to be sharing Marilyn with Terry. Hoover eats Terry's food, hides her shoe, and takes her stuffed animal, fizzy, into the water. When Marilyn punishes Hoover by strapping him to his doghouse outside, Terry feels bad as Hoover howls and cries at night, and Terry unchains Hoover and says "You'll get used to being a stepdog, I'm not mad at you." Terry and Hoover then become close buddies and are extremely happy to be a part of the same family.

The central message of this book is understanding the power of forgiveness and looking at another perspective than one's own; Hoover was not used to another "sibling," so Terry took this into consideration when she wasn't respected and treated the way she wanted to be, and she did her best to make Hoover feel a part of the family. I really enjoyed this story, especially since I have a step-mother and step-sisters, so I understand the abnormal dynamic of combining two different families and how it be uncomfortable at first. With higher percentages of divorce rates and remarriages, many children these days experience "step" siblings/mothers/fathers, so it is a great book to ease children into the process and teach them that in the end, everyone will be happy together. I really like how detailed the demonstrations are, specifically on the page where the family is having a picnic dinner. The illustrator included a varied color of grass, butterflies, labeled food items ( potatoe chips, mustard, etc.) and distinct facial expressions of Terry, Marilyn, and Terry's father. I believe these distinct drawings help the children understand the emotions of the characters in the story, as well as where it is taking place. I also like the happy, upbeat illustration at the end of the book, where the dog is smiling with its tongue out and Terry is relaxed and smiling at Hoover. I definitely rate this book with five stars.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
mkaray1 | Sep 4, 2014 |
Neil’s sister Gerri has come back from the home for mentally challenged people and his mother is determined to never let her go back again. Gerri has never learned how to speak English, but she does often repeat what sounds like reindeer names to try to help get her point across. At night, she bangs her head against the wall, causing neighbors to make complaints to the landlord. Neil loves his sister and tries his best to help out, but his parents start arguing and Neil, who has never felt like he fits in, starts getting in trouble at school. When Neil’s dad moves out and pressures him to come with him, it doesn’t help the situation. But slowly, through the support of Neil and her mother, Gerri’s condition begins to improve. She learns a few words, the banging stops and she becomes more perceptive and thoughtful, charming the angry neighbors.

While it is nice to see Gerri improve, the book could be much better written. Children will not likely pick up this book on their own.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
SPED517 | 1 outra crítica | Dec 7, 2009 |
This is the story of Gerri, the oldest daughter, who is brought home from her live-in school. She is special needs and her needs overhwelm the other members of the family as they try to deal with suddenly having her in their lives again. The story is told through her brother, who is very understanding for hte most part, but who suffers in school and with his friends because of the stresses of having his sister home. Ultimately, her presence unravels the fabric of the family.

This book was on the shelves as I was growing up, but I found it difficult to read. Later, as a grown-up, I picked it up again. It's an emotionally turbulent book that provides a lot of jumping off points to think about in relation to how you personally would deal with the situation, as well as how society deals with it, and the lack of understanding of how having someone in the family who needs special care can affect everyone around them. It's been a while since the book was first published (1978), and while some things have changed, a whole lot hasn't.

It would probably be a good book to begin a discussion with a child about special needs children, except that as a child I recall having difficulty getting into the narration of it. Probably slightly older readers would have a better time with it.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
doxtator | 1 outra crítica | Feb 7, 2009 |

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Associated Authors

Donald F. Carrick Illustrator

Estatísticas

Obras
15
Membros
392
Popularidade
#61,822
Avaliação
3.2
Críticas
4
ISBN
40

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