Where I'd Like To Be

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Story!
Review: Frances Dowell has an amazing sense of what makes kids tick-- the secret worlds they create for themselves. Though the characters in this book are in foster care, young readers from any experience would relate to the desire to build a place of their own and find the story a great escape. The characters and dialogue are very true, and many scenes reminded me of my own childhood friendships, from the very first chapter where the main character makes a new friend. I also love the idea that it only takes a little bit of love and encouragement from a special person for kids to possess the confidence to deal with difficult situations. I highly recommend this book to both kids and grown-ups!

Rating:
Summary: High praise for Dowell's second book
Review: I must say that I was taken aback by the force of this novel. I am an instructor of children with special needs, specifically youth with behavioral and emotional disorders. I am making this book required reading for my troubled students! It tackles tough subject matter in a way that is optimistic and wistful. I enjoyed the setting, and especially the author's use of language, both dialect and twists of phrase. Dowell reminds me of a poet I knew growing up in Central Texas. She knows the South, and her fondness for it shows up in her work. She is clever, and hopeful. This book may not live up the high standard Dowell set in her debut novel, "Dovey Coe," which was compared to Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," but it is an excellent read, nonetheless. I look forward to reading more from this young writer (young in spirit, if not in age!).

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Story!
Review: Meet twelve-year-old Maddie, who has spent years being shuffled from one foster home to another. Maddie is always looking for a real home life and real friends; so when new girl Murphy shows up with adventure stories and a zest for life, she hopes she's made a new friend who will join her search for stability. The character of Maddie comes to life and is compelling in this inviting story.

Rating:
Summary: Everything a Chidlren's book should be
Review: The characters and plot develop and build nicely throughout "Where I'd Like to Be." This gradual development engaged me more and more-midway through the book I was hooked and finished the rest of the bookin a sitting. I think the author did a good job of being matter of fact about girls in a Children's Home and avoided sentimentalizing them. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: I liked this book.
Review: What would you think if you were told that a ghost saved your life when you were an infant? Well, that's what Maddie's Granny Lane claims. Now 12, Maddie is living at the East Tennessee Children's Home, so she tries to feel as if she's special. It's difficult, however, when you have been sent to different foster homes your whole life. She wants a home so badly that she makes a "book of houses," in which she gathers pictures of houses --- houses where she longs to live someday.

One day, a new girl named Murphy comes to live at the East Tennessee Children's Home. Her mind is filled with magical tales about exotic travels, being able to fly, and boys who recite poetry to horses. Maddie is captivated, and they become really good friends. Then one day, while Ricky Ray, Maddie's friend, is visiting her, Maddie lets her guard down and decides to show Murphy her precious scrapbook. Murphy eventually comes up with an idea to build a fort.

With the help of a girl in Maddie's dorm, Ricky Ray, Maddie, Murphy, and her friend Logan start building a fort. When it's complete, they start spending a lot of time there looking at Maddie's scrapbook of houses and telling stories. Sounds great, right? Well, things begin to change when Murphy starts spending less time at the fort and everybody begins talking about her. The situation becomes worse when Murphy shows Maddie's scrapbook to everybody at school! When Maddie finds out about it, Murphy convinces her to bury it. When Maddie's friends find out, they become angry and stop talking to her. Can Maddie's friendships be saved? Will Maddie find a home?

I liked this book because it reminded me that you cannot always trust your friends. If I were Maddie, I would have buried the scrapbook too, because I would have been haunted by the unpleasant memories and too embarrassed to look at it. What would you have done? If you like reading books about family and friendships, read this one to find out what happens to Maddie and her friends!

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