December Stillness

This book irritated me. Hahn essentially rehashed the premise from "Daphne's Book" which told the story of a sensitive and insecure girl who tries to befriend a female classmate living in poverty while completing a school assignment. In "December Stillness" we get all that and so much more that rend......more

This is another book that isn't a 3, but not quite a 4. Through much of the book, I had to fight the sigh of resignation that comes from reading the typical teen book where the protagonist is mad at the world, spends much of the book feeling sorry for herself, and rationalizing why it's OK to shrug......more

This story was sad, but tastefully written. As someone who didnt know much about the Vietnam War, I found it every enlightening. My only complaint is that Kelly seemed very whiny and self-serving. Even when trying to help Mr. Weems, she never considered what was in his best interest.......more

Even though Mary Downing Hahn’s ghost stories are my favorite middle grade nostalgic reads, her more serious books like Following My Own Footsteps are great too. However, this one really doesn’t translate well 40 years later (though does any story from 1988?) I think the things kids experience now d......more