Sun & Spoon - Softcover

Henkes, Kevin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061288756 ISBN 13: 9780061288753

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2007

Synopsis

Spoon Gilmore has been dreaming about his grandmother since her death two months ago, but the dreams are beginning to grow fuzzy and come less and less frequently. Afraid that soon even his memories of her will disappear, he sets out in search of the perfect thing to remember her by.

When Spoon finds it, he quietly takes it to his room to cherish privately, making sure that his annoying little sister, Joanie, doesn't follow him in as usual. But soon Spoon realizes he's made a big mistake. Will things ever be right without Gram around?

About this title

Review:

Ten-year-old Spoon Gilmore is consumed with one worry--that he will forget his beloved, recently deceased grandmother. The solution, he decides, is to somehow find a memento, something that he can touch and hold close so that her memory will live forever. The trouble begins when Spoon steals the memento (his grandmother's special solitaire deck of cards) from his grandfather's house. At first the cards give him the reassurance he longed for. But soon after, Spoon's grandfather confides that he too was finding comfort in the deck of cards and is now suffering from insomnia, fretting over what could have happened to them. Kevin Henkes drives this story with unusual characters, such as Spoon's eccentric younger sister who carries suitcases full of twigs, and Spoon himself, a complicated boy grappling with guilt and loss. With the finesse of a polished novelist, Henkes also introduces an abundance of delicious metaphors--his parents' vegetable garden (their nurturing and grounded ways); his grandmother's sun collection (a constant life force); a deck of solitaire cards (the solo journey of grief), and on it goes. But most impressive is Henkes's compassion for the painful mistakes that children often make while trying to sort out the inevitably disturbing emotions and events of childhood. American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, Publishers Weekly Best Book, School Library Journal Best Book. (Ages 9 to 12) --Gail Hudson

About the Author:

Kevin Henkes is an award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children of all ages. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten’s First Full Moon; Caldecott Honors for Waiting and Owen; two Newbery Honors—one for Olive’s Ocean and one for The Year of Billy Miller—and Geisel Honors for Waiting and Penny and Her Marble. His other books include Egg, Old Bear, A Good Day, Chrysanthemum, and the beloved Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin. www.kevinhenkes.com

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0061288756
• ISBN 13: 9780061288753
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144