Those Darn Dithers - Hardcover

Hite, Sid

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805038388 ISBN 13: 9780805038385

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1996

Synopsis

In the colorful sequel to Dither Farm, the eccentric Dither family returns in a humorous study that captures the lives of the colorful inhabitants of Willow County.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

fans of Dither Farm, Sid Hite's exciting fiction debut, have been longing for the return of the zany Dithers, the family with enough personality to start a carnival act. Now the Dithers are back, and with them come adventure and romance, invention and inspiration, and a healthy dose of antic humor. This delightful new episode in the Dither saga is a thoroughly satisfying follow-up to Dither Farm, which the Boston Globe called "one of the funniest, most heartwarming books of the year."

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-7-The original, eccentric Dither family is back. Cousins in spirit to Helen Cresswell's equally irrepressible Bagthorpes, the Dithers enjoy a summer that turns out quite different from everyone's expectations. Holly is off to fame and fortune as a featured performer in the Wild West show at the Paradise Club, where she may meet someone to replace Warren, the boy back home. Emmet is trying to produce his own big show, a vaudeville extravaganza the like of which the town has never seen. Great Aunt Emma is trying to get her newest secret invention to work. Uncle Leopold leaves town to decide whether his magnus opus is ready for the publisher or the trash. Archibald would just like his best friend Carl to return to normal; Carl has been visited by his sister's ghost urging him to keep a forgotten promise. And those are just the main plots and characters that Hite juggles with aplomb. He is a master at wordplay. Earthy visual imagery ("air was as clammy as wet diapers") sets the scenes firmly in place. Yes, the unexplainable is definitely present: a ghost with communication problems, a problematic invention, and the magic of a full moon. Romance is in the air for many of the characters; love knows no boundaries, it ebbs and flows across time and geography. The value of loyalty among friends, lovers, and siblings is subtlety praised. Although it is not necessary to have read Dither Farm (Holt, 1992), readers just meeting this cast of characters will want to go back for a "proper" introduction to this warm and bighearted family.
Marilyn Payne Phillips, University City Public Library, MO
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0805038388
• ISBN 13: 9780805038385
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 184