A Summer Like Turnips - Hardcover

Grade 4-6-- In past summers, Bruce spent fun - filled times with his grandfather swimming; playing golf, chess, and tennis; and just talking. This summer is different however. Gram has died and Gramps is distraught and distant, still mourning her death. Left to his own devices, Bruce meets up with Mac, a retired swimming coach, and Jenny, a fellow "alien" in the senior citizen's community. Gaeddert has intertwined Gramps' sadness with Bruce's unresolved feelings about the death of his dog Goldie. It quickly becomes obvious that Gramps will recover and that a dog will somehow be central to that recovery. With its predictable plot, the book borders on being didactic. It takes a fine writing hand to carry off this story; Gaeddert does not quite succeed. --Therese Bigelow, Hampton Public Library, Va.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The summer was to have been as sweet and smooth as a milkshake, but when Bruce Hardy arrives in California to visit his grandfather, he discovers that he has to adjust his expectations. "Gramps," who recently lost his wife, is still grieving and can't offer Bruce the good times they've enjoyed in past summers. Instead, Bruce has to help his grandfather out of his depression, while at the same time experiencing his own grief over his beloved dog's death. While it seems odd that Bruce barely misses his grandmother, the novel is still convincing. Subplots involving Bruce's ambition to become a swimmer and his friendship with another youngster keep the story well-balanced thematically. In all, this is a sensitive novel for middle-grade readers. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.