Kate DiCamillo
Raymie Nightingale is actually the story of Raymie Clarke, and how friendships were forged over the summer in 1975. Raymie is determined to win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire title after her father leaves her family because she believes it will bring her father home once he sees her picture in the paper. For the talent portion of the competition, she joins a baton-twirling class and meets two other girls, Louisiana and Beverly.
The best thing about the story is how all girls are so different: Beverly is tough and sarcastic and plans to sabotage the competition, Raymie is dreamy and longing, and Louisiana is an orphan, enthusiastic and optimistic about everything (even though she seems to faint a lot). Christened "The Three Rancheros" by Louisiana, the girls go on adventures from breaking into a nursing home to trying to save Louisiana's "lost" cat Archie.
This book is an enjoyable, easy summer read and the friendship between the girls is uplifting; the reader can feel Raymie's soul expand with the new support she has. However, many questions are left unanswered. Louisiana seems to be struggling with extreme poverty and hunger, and this problem doesn't seem to be addressed. A mysterious figure named Marsha Jean seems to be following her and her grandmother, and it can be assumed she is from family social services. Beverly appears one day with a black eye, but this issue is quickly dropped.
Any student who reads this can see a bit of themselves in one of the characters, and find some hope. Everyone's story may end differently, but there is beauty in the journey.
The best thing about the story is how all girls are so different: Beverly is tough and sarcastic and plans to sabotage the competition, Raymie is dreamy and longing, and Louisiana is an orphan, enthusiastic and optimistic about everything (even though she seems to faint a lot). Christened "The Three Rancheros" by Louisiana, the girls go on adventures from breaking into a nursing home to trying to save Louisiana's "lost" cat Archie.
This book is an enjoyable, easy summer read and the friendship between the girls is uplifting; the reader can feel Raymie's soul expand with the new support she has. However, many questions are left unanswered. Louisiana seems to be struggling with extreme poverty and hunger, and this problem doesn't seem to be addressed. A mysterious figure named Marsha Jean seems to be following her and her grandmother, and it can be assumed she is from family social services. Beverly appears one day with a black eye, but this issue is quickly dropped.
Any student who reads this can see a bit of themselves in one of the characters, and find some hope. Everyone's story may end differently, but there is beauty in the journey.