YOLANDAS GENIUS

Rating:
Summary: Yolonda's Barfus
Review: 12 year old Yolanda, her mother, and six year old brother, Andrew, (their dad had died when Yolonda was young) lived in Chicago, on the third floor of an apartment building. Their mother decided to move when Andrew got a packet of cocaine from school. They moved to Michigan where Yolanda was bored out of her wits by the calm lifestyle. Andrew, unlike Yolanda, did very badly in school, but he loved to play the harmonica. He could play anything. He could reproduce he sound of voices, food, people, moods, anything. Then one day something happens that changes everything for Yolanda and her family.
My favorite character was Yolanda because she is kind to her brother, and makes him feel important .She respects him and thinks he is a genius.
I would recommend this book because it is funny and fun to read. It is also exciting like when Yolanda beats up a kid and sad when her brother's harmonica gets squashed by a mean seventh grader. Carol Fenner is a very descriptive and good writer.

Rating:
Summary: Yolonda's Genius
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this fabulous book. The main character, Yolanda is a character who has some amazing qualities for her young age. She is determined to prove that her younger brother is a genius and will stop at nothing to prove this belief of hers. This book is full of literary merit and is a real page turner. The characters and setting are very believeable.
I am sure that people of all ages can relate to at least one of the characters in this book. The language is very descriptive and paints a clear and vivid picture of the story to the reader. I couldn't put this book down because I was so interested in the outcome !. The author, Carol Fenner provides the reader with so much insight into the characters of her book, that you feel as though you've known them for years. This is why I felt as though I was alongside of Yolanda for every step of her mission, and this is why I wasn't able to put down this book until I found out if she was successful or not.
This book will appeal to children and adults ages 10 and up. It is not a very difficult book to understand, but it does contain many elaborate descriptions. This book deals with topics such as neighborhood violence, the importance of family, and the different intelligences in our world. It sends a very positive message to the reader as a result. This is why I am encouraging all of you to read this great book.

Rating:
Summary: Musical
Review: Mrs. Fenner's done it again! This story is about an African-American family who leaves the violent Windy City for a quieter town. Yolonda, the daughter, has a hard time fitting in despite her assertiveness. So does Andrew, her LD brother. But Londa sees beyond his lack of book smarts to his musical genius. Can she help him utilize his talents and show people that he is intelligent? The language in this book was beautiful,despite some violence and sex references. Andrew's music is described so wonderfully that you can almost hear it. Like most girls, Yolonda has crushes. Although she and her ironically named Aunt Tiny are large women, their size is celebrated rather than insulted. Aunt Tiny shows that a little(sometimes a lot of) extra poundage keeps a person warm inside. I'm not obese,but I can identify with Yolonda's food addiction. She understands the virtues of chocolate! However,that's not always a good thing. Enough lectures about eating habits, read this book! You're in for a real treat.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: What is genius anyway? After being called a genius herself, Yolanda decides to look up the true definition in the dictionary. Upon reading it, she realizes that it does not describe her, but rather her younger brother Andrew. Yolanda is determined to convince the world of his special gifts, even if he is only a meek and mild first grader with a talent for music. This book paints a vivid visual picture with its descriptive vocabulary. Carol Fenner has a way of appealing to your senses. It pulls you in to the experiences of this young girl and her determination. This book is extremely moving. I truly liked "Yolanda's Genius," by Carol Fenner. I feel that any young reader with an imagination will enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: OK book
Review: When Yolonda's mother, fearful of drugs and crime, drags Yolonda and her brother, Andrew out of Chicago, Yolonda is teased and starts to feels irritated in the her new town, Grand River. To make life easier, she starts going to the library, where she soon discovers something that is completely astonishing and unexpected. While flipping through the dictionary one day, she finds the word 'genius'. She finds that Andrew fits the description. Determined, she sets forth to convince everyone of her brother's musical talent on his harmonica. In spite of this, no one understands, not even her mother because they think Andrew is stupid, due to his weak reading skills. Then Yolonda's Aunt Tiny comes and whisks them back to Chicago. There they attend the famous Chicago music festivals, and Yolonda comes up with a risky plan to prove that Andrew indeed is a genius. Succeed she does, so Andrew hits the stage and performs for crowds of people. But in the end, he chooses a quiet life with his mother and Yolonda.

I would give this book a four out of ten overall. Carol Fenner came up with a decent story, but I didn't particularly like her style. The story was hard to follow since she switched scenes quite often without making good transitions. Neither was it a very suspenseful or exciting story.

Rating:
Summary: Yolonda's Genius
Review: YolandaÕs Genius is a fantastic and exciting book. In the beginning her family has to move out of their hometown because too many bad things happen. One bad thing that happened was high school kids gave Andrew drugs and the good thing is that Andrew didnÕt take them because he knew better. They moved from Chicago to Michigan. Yolonda doesnÕt really get along with the kids at her new school because they make fun of her because sheÕs different. Her little brother Andrew loves his harmonica that his dad gave him when he was a little baby before the father died. At school Andrew doesnÕt focus in reading and he just kept playing his harmonica. One day Yolonda and Andrew were walking home from school and Yolonda forgets her brother at the park and if you want to know what happen you should read this book.
The reason why I liked this book a lot is because it showed how Yolonda really loved her brother Andrew. And how she cared so much about her family and she watched over Andrew so well. I also liked this book because it had a lot of adventures that Yolonda did and some with her little brother. I think that anybody would love this book and I think you would really enjoy it.