A Part of the Sky

Rating:
Summary: A Great Sequel to "A Day No Pigs Would Die"
Review: "A Part of the Sky" was a great sequel to "A Day No Pigs Would Die" - with some novels, the sequels aren't nearly as good as the originals, but I think that this one is even better!

When 14-year-old Rob's father dies, he is left to care for his mother and aunt, and to run his family's small, struggling farm. Times are hard, but Rob is determined that he won't give the farm up; he plants crops, tries to find odd jobs, though they are low paying during the Depression, keeps in touch with his kind girlfriend, and he also tries to continue going to school.

This was a great novel, on the realistic and yet inspiraional struggles of a poor Shaker boy. Recommended for anyone ages 12 and up wanting a good read, and definitely if you've read "A Day No Pigs Would Die".

Rating:
Summary: A Part of the Sky- Robert Newton Peck
Review: A Part of the Sky, a sequel of A Day No Pigs Would Die, is a very heart-touching story. Robert Peck, a 13 year old, was forced to end his childhood and grow up to take care of the farm when his father died. He had to sacrifice many days of school to deal with the farm and the mortgage on their farm at the bank. However, because of his determination to see his mother and aunt through this hard time and with the help of kind neighbors, the three of them survive the nigthmare of reality.

Rating:
Summary: An uneventful life story
Review: A review by Kayvan
A boy, Rob Peck, his father, mother, his aunt and their lonely farm out in the middle of no where. Rob has a normal family he goes to school on the weekdays while his father stays home and tends to the farm. His mother and aunt take care of the house. But it all changes in one day when Robs dad dies. Nothing is the same is after that, Rob is left with a huge burden to take care of his mother aunt while still attending school on the week days!

This story is very uneventful the characters are plain and simple. I liked the way the book described in detail everything that happened. I liked Robs friend Becky Long, she was always supportive of Rob and his poetry and always gave him her lunch. Throughout the story Rob and Becky be come better friends he tells her all about the foreclosure on his home and she gives him advice on how to deal with it. This book has and old back road country kind of take to it. I haven't ever read a book like this most other books I have read have a little bit more excitement than this. The book was very easy to understand though, and if there was a word that I didn't understand the book had and explaination right next to the word. The Plot of the story revolves around Robs dad dying and leaving Rob to fend for himself, and the debt that they have in the bank. The book was pretty long but most of is was useless and had no meaning to the book.

I would not recommend this book to anyone unless you want a book that has no purpose and you want to hear a story about 3 years of someone life, and their everyday struggles. I personally did not like this book at all I hated every minute of it and regret ever getting it.

Rating:
Summary: Change Can Be Good
Review: Do you think your life is hard? Well in A Part of The Sky, it stresses the hardships of being poor, trying to pay rent, trying to pay for taxes and just trying to get enough money to survive with food and water.
The plot of this book is in the country on a 5 acre farm. It takes place in about the 60's. The place that they live is a poor area that is going through a drought, and a lot of families are having trouble getting through it and keep their property.
I ranked the book with 5 stars because it has a very good main character in the catagory of a round character or a character that changes a lot throughout the book. The book also explains all of the things that are going on in Rob's head and really goes into depth on them. The descriptive words in the book helped me imagine in my mind the sceen, or picture it. Another great part of the book was the conflict, I liked how the author sort of stuck with the main conflict and sort of kept it there the whole time. The main conflict was trying to pay off the loan for their farm and paying off the taxes. The other conflicts sort of branch off.
The protaganist in A part of The Sky is Rob. For his behavior he is responsible: He is responsible because he has to go to the bank and pay, he also has to to run the farm, go to school and basically run the farm by himself, with a little help from his mom and aunt. He is pretty much the "Man of the House," since his father died. His personality is very serious because it is sort of hard for him to make jokes with every thing that is going on with losing the farm. Rob is unique because he is so young but so grown up. Most 13 year olds could not feed chickens so early, milk a cow, pay taxes and loans, and also plant and water a whole field. An example of his maturity is when Daisy is dry(has no more milk)and Rob sells her to be slaughtered for meat for dogs. It would be pretty hard for Rob to do that to Daisy when they had such a connection, but he did it for the right of the family not for him.
One scene that makes the novel was when he got fired from his job at the seed store. It made the novel because it makes another hardship that has to be overcome. Another reason why it makes the novel because he needed the job to get the money to pay off every thing. Another key scene was at the end when they just moved to the 3 floor of the seed store, and they were sad that they gave up the farm. But then everyone started bringing gifts for their family and Becky brought over a fruit cake. It shows that change can be good and that their friends are there for good and bad times to help.
Overall I liked the book a lot due to it being so realistic and showing how hard it is to get through tough times, also the ending was excellent. If you read A Day No Pigs Would Die and liked it you would most likely want to read this also if you like realistic books, country town life or a good ending.

Rating:
Summary: Poignant and touching
Review: From the author's dedication to his mother and aunt, "who worked a farm like men but stayed as soft as quilts" to the end when they lose their farm and have to start over, this book is filled with charm and honest emotion.

After I read "A Day No Pigs Would Die" to my two children, they were clamoring for more about Robert and his family.

This book is not didactic about values, but as you read the struggles and misfortunes Robert and his family face at the onset of the Great Depression, you will find those down-home, bedrock values in every chapter. GREAT family reading.

I, as an adult, enjoyed it every bit as much as my two children did.

Another series of books with the same "flavor" is Little Britches by Ralph Moody.

Rating:
Summary: Peck does it again!
Review: R.N. Peck's sequel to A Day No Pigs Would Die is just as touching as ADNPWD. I highly reccommend it!